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Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir

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Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir
United States Ambassador to Indonesia
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 8, 2024
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded bySung Kim
27th Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State
In office
March 1, 2021 – August 4, 2023[1]
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byLisa D. Kenna
Succeeded byDereck J. Hogan
United States Ambassador to Malaysia
In office
February 21, 2017[2] – January 21, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byJoseph Y. Yun
Succeeded byBrian D. McFeeters
Personal details
BornBrooklyn, New York
EducationHarvard University (BA)
New York University (MA)
National War College (MA)

Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir is an American diplomat and is the current United States Ambassador to Indonesia. She had served as the Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State from 2021 to 2023. She previously served as the United States Ambassador to Malaysia from 2017 to 2021.

Early life and education

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Lakhdhir was born in Brooklyn, New York, daughter of Ann (née Hallan) and Noor Lakhdhir. Her father had moved from Mumbai, India to the U.S. to study at the University of California, Berkeley and then later moved to New York City. Lakhdhir grew up in New York and Westport, Connecticut. There she was a regular participant in the annual United Nations Day, inspired in part by her mother, who had earlier served as president of the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security at the United Nations. Lakhdhir also has a brother, David Lakhdhir.[3]

Lakhdhir attended Bedford Junior High School and graduated from Staples High School. In 1986, she earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University.[4]

Career

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After graduating from Harvard, Lakhdhir travelled to China, where she stayed for two years, teaching English and American history. Returning to the U.S., she then worked for the New York City budget director and pursued graduate studies in public finance at New York University.[5]

Lakhdhir began a career in the Foreign Service in August 1991 and became recognized as a Southeast Asia expert. Her initial assignments included international service first at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and then at the Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. She then returned to the U.S. to a post at the Secretary of State's Secretariat. Lakhdhir then accepted a year long Pearson Fellowship, working for Congressman Doug Bereuter on the staff of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the House Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade.[6] Lakhdhir moved to China in 2001 and served at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing until 2005. Then for two years, Lakhdhir served as director of the Office of Maritime Southeast Asia, which is in the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, an organization responsible for U.S. relations with the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, and Timor-Leste.[7] She earned a master's degree from the National War College in 2007.[8] In 2009, Lakhdhir moved to Northern Ireland, where she served as U.S. Consul General in Belfast for two years before accepting an assignment as Executive Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs.[9]

U.S. ambassador to Malaysia

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U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo welcomed in Kuala Lumpur by U.S. Ambassador Kamala Lakhdhir

Lakhdhir was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as United States Ambassador to Malaysia on 16 June 2016 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 10 December 2016.[10] She was appointed on December 19, 2016, and presented her credentials on February 21, 2017.[11]

As ambassador, Lakhdhir has been engaged in improving communications with Malaysians through a greater range of media, supporting on-going cooperation of U.S. companies in Malaysia and the nation's workforce, and promoting cooperative undertakings such as research on renewable energy for the country.

On May 21, 2018, Lakhdhir met with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office, congratulating him on his electoral win and welcoming the opportunity to work with him and his cabinet.[12] In August 2018, she accompanied Mike Pompeo U.S. Secretary of State as he visited Dr. Mahathir, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu and Deputy Foreign Minister Dato' Marzuki Yahya. Pompeo became the most senior US official to visit the new prime minister since his election victory.[13]

Kamala Lakhdir visiting Minister of Home Affairs (Malaysia), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at his office in Putrajaya

Lakhdir also welcomed U.S. participation in Pacific Partnership 2018, the Asia-Pacific's largest humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief preparedness mission, which ran from February through June 2018.[14]

Executive Secretary

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Lakhdhir had served as Executive Secretary of the United States Department of State from March 1, 2021, to August 4, 2023.[15]

U.S. ambassador to Indonesia

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Lakdhir presented her credentials to President Joko Widodo on August 8, 2024.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Kamala S. Lakhdhir".
  2. ^ "Ambassador Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir presented her credentials to His Majesty The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong XV Sultan Muhammad V yesterday in a ceremony at Istana Negara". Facebook. February 22, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Congressional Record: United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: "Testimony of Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir Nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday, July 13, 2016" accessed 11 March 2019 [1]
  4. ^ The Indian Diaspora "Indian-American Kamala Lakhdir is US envoy to Malaysia" [2] 7 January 2017
  5. ^ Westport News "A Chat With... Kamala Lakhdhir, the United States ambassador to Malaysia" 21 February 2017 [3]
  6. ^ U.S. Department of State "Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir" [4] accessed 9 March 2019
  7. ^ Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations "Kamala Lakhdir U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia" accessed 11 March 2019 [5]
  8. ^ FMT News "Indian-origin woman likely new US Ambassador to M’sia" 17 June 2016 [6]
  9. ^ U.S. Embassy in Malaysia "Ambassador Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir"[7] Archived March 30, 2019, at the Wayback Machine accessed 9 March 2019
  10. ^ Congressional Record "PN1546 — Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir — Department of State" accessed 9 March 2019 [8]
  11. ^ "Kamala S. Lakhdhir - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  12. ^ Jr, JOSEPH KAOS. "US Ambassador calls on Dr M". The Star.
  13. ^ The New Straits Times "US Secretary of State Pompeo calls on Dr Mahathir" 3 August 2018 [9]
  14. ^ Stars and Stripes, "USNS Brunswick proves its worth during Pacific Partnership mission" 19 April 2018 [10]
  15. ^ "Kamala S. Lakhdhir". United States Department of State. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  16. ^ Jakarta, U. S. Embassy (August 8, 2024). "New U.S. Ambassador Kamala Lakhdhir Presents Credentials to President Jokowi". U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Indonesia.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Malaysia
2017–2021 		Succeeded by
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