Patricia Agatha Butenis (born 1953) is an American diplomat. In 2014 she retired with the rank of Career Minister.

Early life and education

Butenis was born in New Jersey in 1953 to Charles P. and Haifa Butenis (née Michalezka). The eldest of three daughters, she grew up in

Atco, New Jersey Atco is an unincorporated community in Waterford Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Philadelphia- Camden metropolitan area, located southeast of Camden. Though generally considered part of Waterford Township, ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and a Master of Arts degree in

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

Butenis joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1980 and served consular tours in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, Pakistan;

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

, El Salvador;

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, India; and

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, Colombia. As the deputy

chief of mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, perman ...

at the

U.S. Embassy in Baghdad The Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. Ambassador Alina Romanowski is currently the Head of mission, Chief of Mission. At , it is the lar ...

from 2007 to 2009, Butenis won the State Department's Baker-Wilkins Award as the Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission (2008). She was deputy

at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, and after that, the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh from April 13, 2006 to June 23, 2007. From 2009 to 2012, Butenis was the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the U.S. Ambassador to the Maldives. Butenis' final career assignment was as the Dean of the School of Professional and Area Studies in the

Foreign Service Institute The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States federal government's primary training institution for employees of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats as well as other professionals to advance U.S. foreig ...

Diplomatic-cable leak by WikiLeaks

Butenis sparked controversy in Sri Lanka in late 2009 when

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...

— an international new-media, non-profit organization that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources and

news leak A news leak is the unsanctioned release of confidential information to news media. It can also be the premature publication of information by a news outlet, of information that it has agreed not to release before a specified time, in violation of ...

s — disclosed

diplomatic cable A diplomatic cable, also known as a diplomatic telegram (DipTel) or embassy cable, is a confidential text-based message exchanged between a diplomatic mission, like an embassy or a consulate, and the foreign ministry of its parent country.Defin ...

s sent by her on verifying the accountability of war crimes that allegedly happened in the final stages of Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009).

also leaked Butenis's Bangladesh mission, where she worked during a volatile political situation in 2006-07 period and met political leaders including

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister ...

Khaleda Zia Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...

and Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury and there were moves to solve the political deadlock. She had series of meetings with various leaders including military officials.

References

External links

srilanka.usembassy.gov
official website the Embassy of the United States — Sri Lanka and Maldives * {{DEFAULTSORT:Butenis, Patricia Agatha 1953 births Living people School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Bangladesh Ambassadors of the United States to the Maldives Ambassadors of the United States to Sri Lanka University of Pennsylvania alumni United States Foreign Service personnel American women ambassadors 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century American women