Ambassador Sanderson served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Amman, Jordan (1997-2000). An economic officer by training, her other assignments included Economic Minister-Counselor in Cairo (1993-1997), Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan (1989-1992), and Petroleum Attaché in Kuwait (1982-1984). She served as the Agency for International Development Liaison Officer in charge of U.S. assistance programs in the West Bank and Gaza in Tel Aviv (1980-1982), and started her career as Vice-Consul/Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In Washington, Ambassador Sanderson served as the desk officer for Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (1984-86) and subsequently as the desk officer for the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (1986-1988).

Ambassador Sanderson is the recipient of numerous awards including the Department's Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards and the 1996 Herbert A. Salzman Award for International Economic Performance. A resident of Tucson, Arizona, she entered the Foreign Service in December 1977. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in Government and has a M.A. in National Security Studies from the College of Naval Warfare, Newport, RI. Ambassador Sanderson speaks French, Arabic and Bengali.