WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has nominated Natalie A. Baker, the current chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, the White House announced.
Baker, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, was nominated to serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The nomination was sent to the Senate, where it awaits review by the Foreign Relations Committee and a full vote.
If confirmed, Baker would become the first U.S. ambassador to Pakistan since Donald Blome left the post in early 2025, ending a gap of nearly two years without a permanent envoy in Islamabad.
Baker, who is from Texas, has led the U.S. Mission in Pakistan as chargé d'affaires since January 2025. She joined the embassy as deputy chief of mission in August 2024, having previously served in the same capacity at the U.S. Embassy in Doha, Qatar.
During her diplomatic career, Baker has served as director of the Office of North African Affairs at the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, deputy chief and chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Mission to Libya, deputy director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, and economic counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. She previously served as a consular officer in Islamabad.
Baker holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University. She is also a graduate of the National War College at the National Defence University.
Blome, the last U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, assumed charge in May 2022 after Senate approval in March of that year, ending a nearly four-year gap without a full-time ambassador in Islamabad. He was the first permanent U.S. envoy to Pakistan since David Hale completed his tenure in August 2018.
Observers in Pakistan view Baker's nomination as a positive sign for strengthening bilateral ties on trade, security and regional issues.
