President Barack Obama Preceded by Tatiana C. Gfoeller Deputy Lesslie Viguerie Succeeded by Sheila Gwaltney | Preceded by George A. Krol Name Pamela Spratlen President Barack Obama | |
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Education Wellesley College, University of California, Berkeley, United States Army War College | ||
Pamela Leora Spratlen (born 1954) is a U.S. diplomat. She is the current United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan and former United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.
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Early life and education
Spratlen was born in Columbus, Ohio and was raised in Washington State and California. Her father, Thaddeus Spratlen, was a professor in the Department of Marketing at the University of Washington’s School of Business. As a younger man, he also applied to join the Foreign Service, but was blocked by more racially restrictive hiring policies by the State Department at that time. Her mother, Lois Price Spratlen, was an associate professor and ombudsman at the University of Washington’s School of Nursing.
Spratlen graduated from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles in 1972. Spratlen earned her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 1976. She also has master's degrees from the United States Army War College and the University of California, Berkeley. Spratlen speaks Russian, French, and Spanish.
Career
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Spratlen volunteered for Volunteers in Service to America and served for almost nine years as a staff member in the California State Legislature.
Spratlen joined the Foreign Service in 1990. Her first tour as a Foreign Service Officer was in Guatemala (1990–1992). Her past assignments include the U.S. Mission to the Organization of American States (1992–1994), the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (1995–1998), and the Executive Secretariat (1999–2000). She has also served as Assistance Coordinator at the U.S. embassy in Moscow (2002–2004), Special Assistant to the Counselor of the Department of State (2005–2006), Director of Central Asian Affairs (2006–2007), Director of Western European Affairs (2007–2008), and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan. Most recently, she served as the United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, from 2011 to 2014.
Spratlen was nominated by President Barack Obama on July 28 2014, and confirmed by the Senate on November 20, 2014. She was sworn in as United States Ambassador to Uzbekistan on December 18, 2014.
Spratlen has received several Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards from the State Department.
Personal life
One of Spratlen's sisters, Pat Spratlen Etem, was a member of the 1980 and 1984 Olympic rowing teams.