President Donald Trump has nominated career diplomat Natalie Baker as the next US ambassador to Pakistan, moving to fill a critical diplomatic vacancy that has gone without a Senate-confirmed envoy for nearly two years. The White House sent Baker's name, along with several other diplomatic nominees, to the Senate on Monday, 10 November 2025.

Who Is Natalie Baker

The White House identified Baker, a native of Texas, as 'a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counsellor' and nominated her to serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Pakistan. A graduate of Princeton University, she holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and was a distinguished graduate of the National War College in 2017. She speaks Arabic, Spanish, Farsi and Russian.

Baker's Role in Islamabad So Far

Baker arrived in Islamabad in August 2024 as deputy chief of mission. She assumed charge of the embassy in January 2025 following the departure of Ambassador Donald Blome, who had served in Pakistan since 2022 and left the post on 10 January 2025. As charge d'affaires, Baker has prioritised commercial diplomacy and cooperation in emerging technologies. During an 11–12 August visit to Lahore, she met Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and provincial adviser Ali Dar to discuss opportunities in artificial intelligence, higher education, innovation and investment.

A Career Built Across the Middle East and South Asia

Baker brings an unusually broad diplomatic portfolio to the Pakistan role. She previously served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Doha, Qatar, from August 2021 to July 2024, and before that headed the State Department's Office of North African Affairs within its Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Her earlier postings include deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires at the US Mission to Libya, deputy director of the Iran Regional Presence Office at the American Consulate in Dubai, and economic counsellor at the US Embassy in Kuwait — where she worked with the US Defence Department to support the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

Between 2009 and 2011, Baker served as political and economic counsellor in Libya as Washington and Tripoli sought to normalise relations following nearly three decades of strained ties. She remained at her post until the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi forced the American Embassy to evacuate in February 2011. She also carries an earlier posting in Islamabad itself, having served there as a consular officer, giving her firsthand familiarity with the country she is now nominated to lead policy in.

What Happens Next

Baker's nomination has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She will require full Senate confirmation before formally assuming the ambassadorial title. The White House simultaneously nominated Jeffrey Colyer of Kansas as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Cynthia Kierscht to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, and Ian McCary to Mali, among other diplomatic appointments. If confirmed, Baker would become the first Senate-confirmed US ambassador to Pakistan since Blome's departure — a gap that has at times complicated high-stakes bilateral engagement at a moment when US-Pakistan relations remain strategically sensitive.