— By Domani Spero

On June 14, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Ambassador Patricia Marie Haslach as the next Ambassador to Ethiopia.  The WH released the folowing brief bio:

Ambassador Patricia Marie Haslach, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career-Minister, is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations.  Previously, from 2011 to 2012, she was Iraq Transition Coordinator in the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources.  From 2010 to 2011, she was Deputy Coordinator for Global Hunger and Food Security, and from 2009 to 2010, she was Assistant Chief of Mission for Assistance Transition at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.  Ambassador Haslach’s additional assignments include: United States Senior Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, with the rank of Ambassador, from 2007 to 2009; Ambassador to Laos from 2004 to 2007; Director of the Office for Afghanistan at the Department of State from 2002 to 2004; and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan from 2000 to 2002.  Ambassador Haslach began her career with the federal government in the Foreign Agriculture Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

She received a B.A. from Gonzaga University and an M.I.A. from Columbia University.

If confirmed, Ambassador Haslach would succeed career diplomat Donald E. Booth who was appointed chief of mission to Addis Ababa in December 2009. Of the 15 ambassadors appointed to Ethiopia since 1960, only three or 20% were political appointees.

Related items:

June 14, 2013 | President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

April 2013 | Q&A with Ambassador Patricia Haslach, a Lake Oswego native to be honored for career as U.S. diplomat