Kathleen Ann Kavalec, the new US ambassador to Romania, is expected in Bucharest

By RBJ
In June 2022, Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate as the United States’ ambassador extraordinary and plenary to Romania. This is the first time an American administration has appointed a woman as ambassador to Romania.
According to a White House press release, Kathleen Ann Kavalec is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor who has been on detail from the Department of State since 2019 as the Head of Mission at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
She previously worked as the State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs. Kavalec previously served as the Director of the Office of Russian Affairs and the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States UNESCO Mission in Paris, France. As Deputy Coordinator for Assistance in the European Bureau and Director for Conflict Prevention in the Coordinator’s Office for Reconstruction and Stabilization, Kavalec oversaw significant U.S. foreign assistance programs.
Kavalec has extensive experience in this region of Europe, having served as Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania, Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia (twice). She worked in Washington as a Legislative Management Officer in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and as the Director of the Economic Unit in the Office of the Coordinator for Assistance to the Newly Independent States. Kavalec, a California native, received an A.B. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Kavalec has received numerous State Department honors, including the Presidential Rank Award.
In the hearings that took place on November 22, 2022, in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the new US ambassador to Romania remarked, among other things:
“… Romania has made remarkable progress in building a genuine democracy and market economy. Romania made it clear, early on, that its goal was to join NATO and the European Union, and through hard work and determination, the country and its people succeeded”.
“Today, Romania is a model for other NATO members. It has budgeted 2 percent of its GDP for defense – and most recently committed to raising its defense budget to 2.5 percent, much of it
allocated to purchase U.S. equipment in its robust modernization effort. It hosts multinational NATO forces and is a longstanding contributor to NATO missions and operations worldwide. If confirmed, I will continue strengthen this security cooperation”.
“… I also pledge to work on deepening and broadening our economic cooperation with Romania. I will encourage Romania’s efforts to foster a business climate that facilitates U.S. investment. The country’s efforts to advance clean energy technologies, including in nuclear and other renewables, are already a model for the region”.
“…I will commit myself to expanding our longstanding American partnership with Romania. This year, the United States and Romania are celebrating the 25th anniversary of our bilateral Strategic Partnership. I look forward to taking the next steps in in building upon this strong foundation”.
A native of California, Kavalec earned her A.B. in Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Kavalec is the recipient of numerous State Department performance awards, as well as the Presidential Rank Award. She speaks Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Russian.