Kelly Keiderling

Kelly Ann Keiderling-Franz
United States Ambassador to Uruguay
Incumbent
Assumed office June 23, 2016
President	Barack Obama Donald Trump
Preceded by	Julissa Reynoso
Personal details
Born	1966 (age 50–51) Dominican Republic
Alma mater	Georgetown University National Defense University

Kelly Ann Keiderling-Franz (born 1966) is an American diplomat who is the United States Ambassador to Uruguay.

Keiderling was born in the Dominican Republic. Keiderling’s father was in the U.S. foreign service and had met her Bolivian mother on his first international assignment in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Keiderling grew up primarily in Latin America and Portugal.

Keiderling earned a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and later a master's degree from the National War College.

Keiderling joined the foreign service in 1988. Her U.S. assignments included ones as Senior Panama Desk officer, Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for the Caribbean, acting deputy director for Central American Affairs, Strategic Language Issues Coordinator in the Bureau of Human Resources, Chief of Staff in the Iraq Office, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Her foreign assignments have included serving as Deputy Chief of Mission in Chișinău, Moldova. She has served as Public Affairs Officer in Cuba, Botswana and Kyrgyzstan. Her other international assignments include ones in the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, and Zambia.

Keiderling was Deputy Chief of Mission and at times Chargé d'Affaires in Caracas, Venezuela during a time of tumultuous relations between that country and the U.S.

When tapped by President Obama to become United States Ambassador to Uruguay. She was confirmed by the Senate on May 17, 2016. She assumed her role on June 23, 2016. Keiderling was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), a role she had held since December 2013.

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