Mari-Luci Jaramillo (June 19, 1928 – November 20, 2019) was an American educator and diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras from 1977 to 1980. Upon her confirmation, Jaramillo became the first Mexican-American woman to serve as an American ambassador.

Early life and education

Jaramillo was native of

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. While attending school, she worked in her father's shop, shining shoes. Later, she cleaned houses and waited tables in order to help pay for her tuition at

New Mexico Highlands University New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) is a public university in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Founded in 1893, it has satellite campuses in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Farmington and Roswell. NMHU has an average annual enrollment of approximate ...

. In 1959, she graduated magna cum laude from Highlands University with a master's degree in education. In 1970, she earned a doctorate from the University of New Mexico. Her doctoral thesis was entitled ''In-service teacher education in a tri-ethnic community: a participant-observer study''.

Career

After graduation, she became an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

teacher. Later Jaramillo joined the faculty at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

and served in various roles, including associate dean, vice president, and assistant to the president of the university. On April 1, 1977,

President Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...

asked Jaramillo to become the

United States Ambassador to Honduras The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to Honduras. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.'' See also * Hon ...

. She served as ambassador from 1977 to 1980. While serving as ambassador, Jaramillo oversaw the Peace Corps program in Honduras. Since her ambassadorship, Jaramillo has worked for

Educational Testing Service Educational Testing Service (ETS), founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization. It is headquartered in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, but has a Princeton address. ETS develops var ...

and spent several years at

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

. She has also served on the board of trustees of the

Children's Television Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...

and the Diversity External Advisory Council of the

Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, ...

. Jaramillo was later a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. In 1992, Jaramillo was appointed deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Latin America during the

Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory over Re ...

Personal life

Jaramillo's first marriage to Horacio Ulibarrí ended in divorce after the couple had two sons and a daughter. Her second husband was Heriberto Jaramillo and her third husband was James Elliott. Jaramillo died in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

on November 20, 2019. She was 91.

Works

* * *

References

* * 1928 births 2019 deaths People from Las Vegas, New Mexico People from New Mexico New Mexico Highlands University alumni University of New Mexico alumni American women academics University of New Mexico faculty American women ambassadors Ambassadors of the United States to Honduras United States Department of Defense officials Women government officials 21st-century American women {{US-diplomat-stub