Marie Yovanovitch currently serves as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, in addition to her role as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary which she began in September 2012. Previously, she served as the bureau’s Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for bilateral relations with Nordic, Baltic, and Central European countries. She served as Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008).
In her last Washington assignment, she was the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Prior to that, she was the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. Within the Department of State, Ambassador Yovanovitch has worked on the Russia desk, the Office of European Security Affairs, and the Operations Center. She has also served overseas at the U.S. Embassies in Moscow, London, Ottawa, and Mogadishu.
A Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Yovanovitch has been granted both the Senior Foreign Service Performance Award and the State Department’s Superior Honor Award on five occasions. She is also the recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the Diplomacy in Human Rights Award.
Ms. Yovanovitch is a graduate of Princeton University where she earned a BA in History and Russian Studies. She studied at the Pushkin Institute and received an MS from the National Defense University.
Ms. Yovanovitch speaks Russian.
