Preceded by Henry Ensher | ||
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President Barack Obama
Donald Trump Alma mater University of Virginia
Georgetown University Education University of Virginia, School of Foreign Service | ||
Joan A. Polaschik (born 1969) is a diplomat and United States Ambassador to Algeria. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate July 29, 2014. Her term began August 14, 2014.
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Early life and education
Polaschik grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. Polaskchik attended the University of Virginia, where she earned a B.A. in Russian Studies and Foreign Affairs in 1993. She earned an M.S. from Georgetown University in foreign service.
Career
Polaschik joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1995. Her initial assignments brought her to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and in 1997 she became a political officer at the embassy in Tunis, Tunisia. In 1999 she became a staff assistant in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Her next assignments brought her to Amman, Jordan, where she dealt with the issue of refugees from the Iraq war and to Baku, Azerbaijan.
In 2009 Polaschik moved to Tripoli, Libya, as deputy chief of mission. On September 11, 2012, the consulate was attacked and four people, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, were killed. As the embassy's chargé d'affaires she coordinated evacuation of non-essential embassy staff and dependents. The embassy in Tripoli was then shut down, the first time in 12 years the U.S. closed a mission. Before the final evacuation, Polaschik stayed up all night destroying computers and sensitive information. After escaping from Libya, embassy staff reunited in Washington, D.C. and established an embassy-in-exile.
In 2013 she began an assignment as Director in the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs with the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
Personal life
In addition to English, Polaschik speaks French and Arabic, having studied Arabic at the Foreign Service Institute.