Elizabeth K. Horst
American diplomat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elizabeth Kathryn Horst is an American diplomat who served as the United States' Chargé d'affaires ad interim to Estonia from 2018 to 2019, and was nominated in 2024 to be United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka.
Elizabeth Horst | |
|---|---|
Horst in 2022 | |
| United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka | |
Nominee | |
| Assuming office TBD | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Succeeding | Julie J. Chung |
| United States Chargé d'affaires ad interim to Estonia | |
| In office July 29, 2018 – August 2, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | James D. Melville Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Brian R. Roraff |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse | Jason P. Gresh[1] |
Early life and education
Elizabeth Horst graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history and German from the University of Kansas, and with a Master of Arts in modern German history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Niger.[1]
Career
Horst came from U.S. Embassy Berlin, where she was Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy for Mission Germany and a member of the Senior Foreign Service. Previously, Elizabeth served as SCA’s Director of the Security, Transnational Affairs and Assistance (STA) Office.[2]
Horst served as the Deputy Economic Counselor in Kyiv, Ukraine. She led the interagency task forces of the United States' embassy in Ukraine during the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.[1][2]
On July 29, 2018, she replaced James D. Melville Jr. as the United States' Chargé d'affaires ad interim to Estonia. She served until her replacement by Brian R. Roraff on August 2, 2019.[3][4]
In February 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Horst to serve as ambassador to Sri Lanka.[5]
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings on the Horst nomination to serve as ambassador to Sri Lanka on May 9, 2024. The nomination was not confirmed. It was returned to the President in January, 2025 without confirmation.[6]