Ambassador Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick brings to the table extraordinary foreign policy and economic development expertise based on 25 years in the U.S. diplomatic service, with postings in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Washington, D.C.

From 1999 to 2002 she served as U.S. Ambassador to Niger in West Africa. She headed the State Department's office of NATO affairs from 1997 to 1999. She served on the White House staff as Director for Latin America and Caribbean Affairs 1992-94. From 1994 to 1997, she headed up the political section at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

Ambassador Kirkpatrick's primary interest has been democracy building and economic development, including combating extreme poverty among women. For her work in support of women in Africa, she received the State Department's prestigious Swanee Hunt Award for Advancing Women's Role in Policy Formulation in 2002. Since leaving the State Department in 2004, Ambassador Kirkpatrick continues to be actively engaged in international health and development issues, and especially women's issues in Africa.

Ambassador Kirkpatrick was born in Finland and is a graduate of the Helsinki School of Economics. She has an MPA degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. She is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College. She speaks Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, and French.