US President Donald Trump has nominated diplomat Natalie A. Baker as the next US ambassador to Pakistan. Her appointment now awaits confirmation by the US Senate.
The White House announced Baker’s nomination, describing her as a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counsellor. Her name has been formally sent to the Senate for approval.
Baker is currently serving as the permanent Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Islamabad. She took over as acting head of the mission in January 2025 before receiving permanent charge last month.
Her nomination comes at a time when Washington and Islamabad are continuing diplomatic engagement on trade, investment, security and regional issues.
Donald Blome was the last US ambassador to Pakistan. He left the position in January 2025, after which Baker assumed responsibility for leading the diplomatic mission.
Baker brings extensive diplomatic experience, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa. Before her posting in Islamabad, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar, from August 2021 to July 2024.
She previously worked as Director of the Office of North African Affairs at the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Her other assignments included serving as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the US Mission to Libya, Deputy Director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the US Consulate in Dubai, and Economic Counsellor at the US Embassy in Kuwait.
Between 2009 and 2011, Baker served as Political and Economic Counsellor in Libya during the normalisation of relations between the two countries. She remained there until the 2011 Libyan Revolution forced the evacuation of the US Embassy.
Her diplomatic career also includes assignments as Special Assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Consular Officer in Islamabad and Cultural Affairs Officer in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Baker graduated from Princeton University and holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In 2017, she graduated with distinction from the National War College at the National Defense University.
