In 1998, Boswell became Director of Administration for the Pan American Health Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, serving there until 2005.

On December 19, 2012, an anonymous Obama administration official said Boswell; Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary responsible for embassy security; and Raymond Maxwell, the deputy assistant secretary of state who oversaw the Maghreb nations of Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; had stepped down.

[3] The report by the independent Accountability Review Board[broken anchor] found "systemic failures of leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus".

[Its] ... ad hoc nature, with inexperienced staff members working there for short periods, 'resulted in diminished institutional knowledge, continuity, and mission capacity'".

[4] ARB co-chair Thomas Pickering said "the personnel on the ground in Benghazi had reacted to the attack with bravery and professionalism [but] ... the security precautions were 'grossly inadequate' and the contingent was overwhelmed by the heavily armed militants".

In a letter that accompanied the transmission of the report to Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "thanked the board for its 'clear-eyed, serious look at serious systemic challenges' and said she accepted its 29 recommendations to improve security at high-threat embassies and consulates".