President Joe Biden has nominated Karen Sasahara as US ambassador to Kuwait, the White House announced on Friday.
The position has been vacant since March 24.
Ms Sasahara, a career member of the Foreign Service, recently ended her term as deputy assistant secretary of state for North Africa, a position she had held since 2020.
Before that, Ms Sasahara served as the chargé d'affaires ad interim in Amman from March 2019 to August 2020, when Henry Wooster was confirmed as the US ambassador to Jordan.
She previously served as the general consul in Jerusalem until the US consulate there was closed down in 2019.
After receiving a degree in Near East Studies from George Washington University, she spent the majority of her Foreign Service career at the State Department in positions related to the Middle East.
She has held an array of diplomatic posts in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Beirut and Yemen, as well as in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and Mexico City.
James Holtsnider has been serving in the position in Kuwait on an interim basis.
Diplomat Alina Romanowski previously served as ambassador to Kuwait under the Donald Trump administration from 2020 to 2022.
She is married to Michael Ratney, Mr Biden's nominee for ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Michael Ratney — in pictures
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Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for US ambassador to Saudi Arabia briefing students with an overview of the US Department of State and US foreign policy priorities. Photo: US Department of State -
Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for US ambassador to Saudi Arabia with former US Secretary of State John Kerry, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Process Frank Lowenstein. Photo: US Department of State -
Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for US ambassador to Saudi Arabia Photo: US Embassy Jerusalem -
Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Photo: US Embassy Jerusalem -
Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for US ambassador to Saudi Arabia with former Secretary of State John Kerry. Photo: US Department of State -
Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for US ambassador to Saudi Arabia meeting with former US Secretary of State John Kerry, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace Process Frank Lowenstein. Photo: US Department of State -
Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for US ambassador to Saudi Arabia at the 245th US Independence Day Event at US Embassy in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Photo: US Embassy Jerusalem -
Michael Ratney, President Joe Biden's nominee for US ambassador to Saudi Arabia speaking at the 245th US Independence Day Event at the US Embassy Jerusalem. Photo: US Embassy Jerusalem -
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Michael Ratney and US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield in the Oval Office at the White House on August 27, 2021. Reuters
