On May 13, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Heide B. Fulton as U.S. Ambassador to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. On May 17, 2022, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee received the nomination.
Heide B. Fulton, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). In this capacity, she is responsible for State Department programs combating illicit drugs and organized crime and supporting law enforcement and the rule of law in the Western Hemisphere, and INL's global aviation program. Before that, Fulton served as Director of the Office of Mexican Affairs. Previously, she led the U.S. Embassy in Honduras as Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d'Affairs a.i. Fulton served overseas in Afghanistan, Ecuador, Cambodia, and Manila. Her Washington assignments include serving as the Director of the Main Press Office, Pearson Fellow in the Office of Senator Robert Menendez, Press Advisor for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs. Before joining the Foreign Service, Fulton served on active duty as a Quartermaster Officer with the U.S. Army in Europe.
She was returned to active duty as a Civil Affairs Officer to deploy to Iraq. She served as the Senior Multi-National Force – Iraq Liaison Officer to Baghdad's United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. She retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in 2020 after 28 years of service.
A native of New York, she has a Bachelor's degree from Boston College and a Master's degree in International Relations from Troy State University. She speaks Spanish.
