Natalie Baker US Ambassador Nominee, Pakistan

Trump Nominates Natalie Baker As US Ambassador To Pakistan

November 11, 2026

2 minute read

The Natalie Baker US ambassador nomination was announced after President Donald Trump named the career diplomat as the next US envoy to Pakistan. The White House sent her name to the Senate on Monday, and her nomination has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Natalie Baker US Ambassador Nomination Fills a Key Post

The post has had no Senate-confirmed ambassador for nearly two years. Baker has led the American Embassy in Islamabad as charge d’affaires since January 2025, after Ambassador Donald Blome left on 10 January 2025, so the nomination brings continuity to the mission.

A Career Diplomat With Regional Experience

Baker arrived in Islamabad in August 2024 as deputy chief of mission, and earlier served in Pakistan as a consular officer. She was deputy chief of mission in Doha from August 2021 to July 2024, and also served in Libya, Dubai and Kuwait.

In Kuwait she worked with the US Defence Department on the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. She holds degrees from Princeton and Harvard’s Kennedy School, and speaks Arabic, Spanish, Farsi and Russian.

Commercial Diplomacy and the Road Ahead

As charge d’affaires, Baker has stressed commercial diplomacy and emerging technologies. During a visit to Lahore on 11 and 12 August, she met Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to discuss artificial intelligence, higher education, innovation and investment.

That focus sits well with Pakistan’s technology and investment goals, and with the high-level contact between Islamabad and Washington covered in Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir spoke to Trump ahead of Tehran visit. Once the Senate confirms her, a permanent ambassador would give Pakistan a settled partner for talks on trade, technology and security.