“Congratulations to Alaina Teplitz, Sheila Gwaltney and Atul Keshap for being confirmed today as US Ambassadors for Nepal, Kyrgyzstan Republic and Sri Lanka,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, US Department of State, Nisha Biswal tweeted on Thursday. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already approved her nomination.

US President Barack Obama on March 28 had announced his intent to nominate Teplitz as new US Ambassador to Nepal replacing Peter W Bodde who is going to complete his term very soon. Outgoing ambassador Bodde was recently appointed as US ambassador to Libya.

According to the US Department of State, Teplitz is a career member of the US Foreign Service and has been serving as the director of the Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing and Innovation since 2012. Previously, she has served as the management minister counsellor at the US Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan from 2011-2012, deputy executive director at the Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs from 2009-2011, and director of Management Tradecraft Training at the Department’s Foreign Service Institute from 2007-2009.  

Prior to that, she was the deputy director of Joint Administrative Services at the US Embassy in Brussels from 2004-2007, management officer at the US Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 2002 -2004 and programme analyst at the Centre for Administrative Innovation at the Department from 2001-2002.

She joined the Foreign Service in 1991. Teplitz has received a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.