In a significant development within the United States’ diplomatic presence in Pakistan, Natalie A Baker has taken on the role of Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Islamabad.
Baker brings with her a wealth of experience, having previously served as the Director of the Office of North African Affairs within the US Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University. In 2017, she was recognized as a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College at the National Defence University of the US.
Her extensive diplomatic career includes a range of key positions, most recently as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar. Baker’s prior assignments also include roles such as Special Assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Consular Officer in Islamabad, and Cultural Officer in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
From 2009 to 2011, Baker served as the Political and Economic Counsellor in Libya, during a critical period when the US-Libya bilateral relationship was being restored after nearly three decades of strained ties. She remained in Libya until the outbreak of the Libyan Revolution, which necessitated the evacuation of the US Embassy in February 2011.
In addition to her current role, Baker has served as the Deputy Chief and Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to Libya, Deputy Director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the US Consulate in Dubai, and Economic Counsellor at the US Embassy in Kuwait, where she collaborated with the Department of Defence to support the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.
Baker’s appointment in Islamabad marks a continuation of her distinguished service in advancing US diplomatic interests in complex and challenging environments.
