President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate Rebecca E. Gonzales to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Lesotho on September 7, 2017. She was confirmed by the United States’ Senate on November 16, 2017, and officially began her tour of duty on February 8, 2018, following a credentialing ceremony with His Majesty King Letsie III in Maseru.
Ambassador Gonzales is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor. Since August 2016, she has served as the Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary for Administration, responsible for strategic management and advisory services supporting global foreign policy goals. As the Deputy Executive Director for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from 2013 to 2016, she provided a full range of management and expeditionary support to 27 diplomatic posts, including Iraq and planning for the return of a U.S. diplomatic presence in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.
She joined the Foreign Service in 1992, and served in various capacities in Panama, Greece, Colombia, India, Saudi Arabia, Botswana, and South Africa. In Washington, she also served as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Management and as Post Management Officer for the Levant.
Ambassador Gonzales received a B.A. in International Affairs and an M.B.A. from the George Washington University. She received an M.A. in National Resource Strategy from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy. She speaks fluent Spanish and professional level Greek.