Biography

Photo of Marie L. Yovanovitch
Marie L. Yovanovitch
Ambassador
Armenia
Term of Appointment: 09/02/2008 to present

Ms. Marie L. Yovanovitch of Connecticut, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister Counselor, was nominated on April 2, 2008 to serve as the next Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Armenian Republic, and confirmed by the Senate on August 1, 2008. She was sworn-in on September 2, 2008.

Prior to her appointment to Armenia, Marie L. Yovanovitch was the Ambassador to Kyrgyz Republic from June 2005 to July 2008. From August 2004 to May 2005, she served as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. From August 2001 to June 2004, she was the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy Kyiv, Ukraine. Prior to this assignment, from May 1998 to May 2000, she served as the Deputy Director of the Russian Desk. Her previous overseas assignments include Ottawa, Moscow, London, and Mogadishu. Ms. Yovanovitch joined the Foreign Service in 1986.

Ms. Yovanovitch is a graduate of Princeton University where she earned a BA in History and Russian Studies (1980). She has studied at the Pushkin Institute (1980) and received an MS from the National War College (2001).

Ms. Yovanovitch speaks Russian and some French and is learning Armenian.