On August 19, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate Karen Sasahara as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the State of Kuwait. On September 6, 2022, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee received the nomination.
Karen Sasahara, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, most recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for North Africa. Before that, she served as Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim of the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. Before that, she was Consul General in Jerusalem, Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, served on the Foreign Service Board of Examiners, Deputy Chief of Mission in Sana’a, Yemen, and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commanding General of Special Operations Command Central. Earlier assignments include Baghdad, Beirut, Mexico City, London, Jeddah, and Washington, D.C. Sasahara is the recipient of numerous State Department performance awards, including five Senior Foreign Service Performance Awards.
A native of Massachusetts, she holds an M.A. in Near East Studies from George Washington University and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She speaks Arabic, Spanish, French, and Russian.
