Sheila S. Gwaltney (born 1954)[1][2] is a retired U.S. diplomat.

Sheila Gwaltney
Official portrait, 2015
United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
In office
October 14, 2015 – August 2, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Donald Trump
DeputyAlan Meltzer
Preceded byPamela L. Spratlen
Succeeded byJohn Bernlohr (chargé d'affaires)
Personal details
Born1954 (age 69–70)
Woodland, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of California, Davis
George Washington University

Early life and education

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Gwaltney is from Woodland, California.[3] Gwaltney earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations at the University of California, Davis, and a Master's degree at George Washington University. Gwaltney speaks Russian, Ukrainian, and Spanish.[2]

Career

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Gwaltney joined the Department of State in 1984.[3] Her overseas assignments have included Panama, Pretoria, and St. Petersburg. At the Department of State in Washington, D.C., she has also served as Deputy Director for the Office of Russian Affairs, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and Director of Country Affairs for Eurasia.[4] During her Foreign Service career, Gwaltney also spent one year at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University as a National Security Affairs Fellow.[4] She has also served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. embassies in Bishkek (1999–2001), Kyiv (2004–2007), and Moscow (2011–2014).[5]

On August 28, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Gwaltney to be the United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan.[3] She was confirmed by the Senate about a year later, on August 5, 2015.[4] She retired from that post in August 2017.

Gwaltney is the recipient of several Department of State Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Sheila Gwaltney (1954–)
  2. ^ a b "Gwaltney, Sheila S. - Kyrgyz Republic - October 2014". U.S. Department of State. October 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyzstan: Who Is Sheila Gwaltney?". AllGov. November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan". Embassy of the United States, Bishkek. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  5. ^ "Richard M. Mills, Jr". U.S. Department of State. August 20, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan
2015–2017
Succeeded by