Rhodes alumna and diplomat MaryKay Loss Carlson ’81 has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of the Philippines. The nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Carlson, who is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
According to a press release by The White House, she previously worked as Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, India, and held the position of Principal Deputy Executive Secretary on the staff of the Secretary of State in Washington, DC.
In addition, Carlson speaks Spanish and Chinese and has served at U.S. diplomatic missions in China (twice), Ukraine, Hong Kong, Mozambique, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic.
A native of Little Rock, AR, Carlson holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and international studies from Rhodes and master’s degrees from Georgetown University and the National War College.