Washington, November 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
US President Donald Trump has nominated career diplomat Natalie Baker as the next American ambassador to Pakistan, initiating the process to fill a key diplomatic position that has remained without a Senate-confirmed ambassador for nearly two years.
Baker, who has been heading the US Embassy in Islamabad as charge d’affaires since January 2025, was among several diplomatic nominees whose names were submitted by the White House to the Senate on Monday.
The White House described Baker, a Texas resident, as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service holding the rank of Minister-Counselor. Her nomination has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and will require Senate confirmation before she can formally assume the post.
Baker arrived in Islamabad in August 2024 as deputy chief of mission. She took charge of the embassy in January 2025 after Ambassador Donald Blome, who had served in Pakistan since 2022, left the position on January 10.
A seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa, Baker previously served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar, from August 2021 to July 2024. She also headed the State Department’s Office of North African Affairs.
Her earlier assignments included diplomatic postings in Libya, Kuwait, Dubai, Turkmenistan and Islamabad. In Libya, she served as political and economic counsellor from 2009 to 2011, during a period when Washington and Tripoli were working to normalise relations. She was evacuated along with the US Embassy team in February 2011 following the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.
As acting head of the US mission in Pakistan, Baker has focused on commercial diplomacy and cooperation in emerging technologies. During a visit to Lahore on August 11-12, she met Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and provincial adviser Ali Dar to discuss opportunities in artificial intelligence, higher education, innovation and investment.
A Princeton University graduate, Baker holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. She graduated with distinction from the National War College in 2017 and speaks Arabic, Spanish, Farsi and Russian.
The White House also nominated Jeffrey Colyer as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Cynthia Kierscht to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, and Ian McCary to Mali, among other diplomatic appointments.
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