REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)
POST: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Republic of Maldives
CANDIDATE: Alaina B. Teplitz
Alaina B. Teplitz, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as American Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. Previously she served in senior leadership positions as Director of the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation at the U.S. Department of State (2012 – 2015) and as the Management Minister Counselor of the American Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan (2011 – 2012). Ambassador Teplitz is recognized as an extremely talented and experienced manager whose diverse range of Foreign Service assignments have given her a broad-based perspective. Her extensive knowledge of South Asia, coupled with her experience as Ambassador in Nepal leading a diverse interagency mission, make her extremely well-qualified to serve as Ambassador to the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lankaand Republic of Maldives.
Previously, Ambassador Teplitz served as Deputy Executive Director in the Department’s Bureau of Near East and South Asian Affairs (2009-2011), and Director of Management Tradecraft Training at the Department’s Foreign Service Institute (2007-2009). Some of her other earlier assignments included service as the Deputy Director of Joint Administrative Services at U.S. Embassy Brussels, Belgium (2004-2007), Management Officer at U.S. Embassy Dhaka, Bangladesh (2002-2004), and as Program Analyst at the Center for Administrative Innovation at the Department (2001-2002). She also was Administrative Officer at U.S. Consulate General Sydney, Australia (1999-2001), and Special Assistant in the Department’s Bureau of Administration (1998-1999).
Ambassador Teplitz earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1991, and currently is studying for a Master’s at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. She is the recipient of numerous Department of State awards. Ms. Teplitz’s languages are Albanian, Chinese-Mandarin, French and Mongolian.