Patricia Marie Haslach (born 1956) is an American diplomat. She served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, from January 2017 to September 2017. She previously served as the United States Ambassador to Ethiopia from August 4, 2013 through September 2016.

Early life and education

A native of

Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was ...

, Haslach earned her BA from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and her Master in International Affairs from the European Institute at Columbia University.

Career

Haslach began her career with the federal government at the United States Department of Agriculture and was assigned to India as the regional Agricultural Attaché from 1987 to 1990. She followed that assignment with a United States Department of State posting to the

United States Mission to the European Union The United States Mission to the European Union (USEU) is the diplomatic mission of the United States to the European Union; it is based in Brussels, Belgium. The US has maintained diplomatic relations with the EU and its predecessors since 19 ...

, managing assistance to Group of 24. Haslach previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the

Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) is a bureau of the United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government re ...

. Prior to this, Haslach was the State Department's Coordinator for Iraq Transition in the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources. In this position, she was responsible for coordinating all Washington-based State Department aspects of the U.S. transition from military to civilian operations culminating with the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops at the end of December 2011. Haslach served as the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for the

Feed the Future Initiative The Feed the Future Initiative (FTF) was launched in 2010 by the United States government and the Obama Administration to address global hunger and food insecurity. According to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, it is "the U.S. govern ...

from June 2010 to March 2011 and as Assistant Chief of Mission for Assistance Transition at the Embassy of the United States, Baghdad from July 2009 to June 2010, where she was responsible for overseeing the transfer, transformation, and completion of development and assistance programs. As Director for the Office for Afghanistan from 2002 to 2004, Haslach oversaw a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction program. From 2007 to 2009, she was Ambassador to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and from 2004 to 2007, she was U.S. Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. She has also served as Economic Counselor in Pakistan and Deputy Economic Counselor in Indonesia and Nigeria. Haslach has received numerous awards during her career, including a

Superior Honor Award The Superior Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or individ ...

for Afghanistan reconstruction in 2004, The Director General's Award for Impact and Originality in Reporting in 2002, The

Herbert Salzman Herbert Salzman (May 2, 1916 – December 23, 1990) was an American businessman who served as the United States Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development from 1977 to 1981. His parents were Russian immigrants, and ...

Award for Excellence in International Economic Performance in 2002, and the Sinclaire Language Award for distinguished study of a hard language and its associated culture in 1998.

Personal life

Haslach is married to Jonathan Wilks, a British diplomat who has served as the

British Ambassador to Iraq The Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Iraq is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in Iraq, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in Iraq. The official title is ''His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador to the Republic of Ira ...

, Oman, and Yemen. They have two daughters.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haslach, Patricia Marie 1956 births Living people Gonzaga University alumni School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni St. Mary's Academy (Portland, Oregon) alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Ethiopia United States Foreign Service personnel Ambassadors of the United States to Laos American women ambassadors 21st-century American women