Alina Romanowski

Alina L. Romanowski (born September 26, 1955) is an American career diplomat who is the designate to serve as the United States Ambassador to Iraq.[1] She previously served as the United States Ambassador to Kuwait.[2]

Alina Romanowski
United States Ambassador to Kuwait
Assumed office
February 11, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byLawrence R. Silverman
Personal details
BornSeptember 26, 1955 (aged 66)
EducationUniversity of Chicago (B.A., M.A.)

Early life and education

Romanowski is from Illinois. Her father immigrated to the U.S. from Poland and her mother from Canada.[3] She earned a master's degree in international relations as well as a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago. She also attended Tel Aviv University in Israel.

Career

While she was a student at the University of Chicago, Romanowski interviewed on campus with the CIA and began a career in the U.S. government.[4]

Romanowski has spent four decades in U.S. public service roles, focused in large part in Near East and South Asia. She worked for the Central Intelligence Agency as an intelligence analyst on the Near East and South Asia region for ten years. She served as the Director of the NESA Office and country director for Israel. Romanowski served as founding Director of the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In 2003, she joined the State Department to establish the Middle East Partnership Initiative Office and serve as its first Director. She also served in two Deputy Assistant Secretary positions in the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairsand as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

From 2011 to 2015, Romanowski served at USAID as Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East Bureau. In March 2015 she became the Coordinator for U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia in the State Department's Bureau for European and Eurasian Affairs, overseeing all U.S. federal assistance to thirty countries in Europe and Eurasia, including Central Asia.

Romanowski became Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism in 2017, after serving in an acting role.

Ambassador to Kuwait

On July 25, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Romanowski to serve as the ambassador to Kuwait.[5] Hearings were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the nomination on October 31, 2019. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on November 20, 2019. Romanowski was confirmed by the Senate via voice vote on December 19, 2019.[6] Romanowski presented her credentials to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace in Kuwait City on February 11, 2020.[7]

Ambassador to Iraq

On December 8, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Romanowski to be the ambassador to Iraq.[8] Hearings were held before the Foreign Relations Committee on March 3, 2022. The committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor on March 23, 2022. The entire Senate confirmed Romanowski by voice vote on March 24, 2022.[9][1]

Personal life

Romanowski speaks French, Arabic, and Hebrew.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Biden nominees for ambassadors to Iraq, Yemen appear before Senate - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  2. "Archived copy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-09-04. Retrieved 2020-01-07.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "U.S. Senate, Foreign Relations Committee, Oct 31, 2019" (PDF).
  4. "When in doubt, just take the risk". Federal News Network. February 21, 2018.
  5. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Individuals to Key Administration Posts". The White House. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  6. "PN1038 — Alina L. Romanowski — Department of State". U.S. Congress. December 19, 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  7. "Kuwait Amir's audiences". Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA). Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  8. "President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  9. "PN1465 — Alina L. Romanowski — Department of State 117th Congress (2021-2022)". US Congress. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  10. "Romanowski, Alina L." U.S. Department of State.
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