Ambassador Jennifer Zimdahl Galt retired in April 2024 after 36 years as a senior career diplomat with the US Department of State. Ambassador Galt spent the majority of her Foreign Service career in the Indo-Pacific region, including serving as Ambassador to Mongolia (2015-17), Senior Foreign Policy Advisor at Indo-Pacific Command (2020-22), Principal Officer in Guangzhou (2012-15), and tours in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Mumbai. Ambassador Galt’s other overseas postings included Belgrade and the U.S. Mission to NATO in BrusselsAmbassador Jennifer Zimdahl Galt retired in April 2024 after 36 years as a senior career diplomat with the US Department of State. Ambassador Galt spent the majority of her Foreign Service career in the Indo-Pacific region, including serving as Ambassador to Mongolia (2015-17), Senior Foreign Policy Advisor at Indo-Pacific Command (2020-22), Principal Officer in Guangzhou (2012-15), and tours in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Mumbai. Ambassador Galt’s other overseas postings included Belgrade and the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels.

In Washington, Ambassador Galt served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (2017-19), where she had oversight responsibility for a global portfolio of educational, cultural, and professional exchange programs. She also served as an Assessor at the Board of Examiners, administering the Foreign Service Officer Assessment, Senior Advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of Public Affairs, and as Deputy Director for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Ambassador Galt holds master’s degrees from National Defense University and Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), as well as a bachelor’s degree in political science, history, and languages from Colorado College in her home state of Colorado. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Juris Prudence from Colorado College in 2016. She is fluent in Mandarin and also speaks French, Italian, Spanish, and Serbian. Ambassador Galt is married to the writer Fritz Galt and has a daughter and a son.