Kristina Kvien

Originally from Orange County, California, she earned a bachelor's degree from Occidental College. After graduating from college, she worked as a market researcher for the Los Angeles Times and then pursued graduate studies at Stockholm University in Sweden. She later earned a master's degree in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.

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Kvien joined the Foreign Service in 1992, and her first assignment was as a consular officer in Paris.^[2] She later served as an Economics Officer at the Embassy of the United States, Manila. Subsequently, she served at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs in Washington, D.C., focusing on European Union and OECD issues. She was then assigned as a desk officer for Slovenia.

From 2001 to 2005, she served at the United States Mission to the European Union in Brussels as an Economics Officer, and then was transferred to the Embassy of the United States, Moscow, working on environment and energy issues. Kvien then became Director for EU Affairs, EU Economies and Caspian Energy for Ukraine and Belarus at the United States National Security Council.

Kvien then accepted a post in London overseeing US-UK economic relations, covering finance and banking issues, civil aviation, terrorist financing, labor, and energy policy.^[2] Kvien has also served in Thailand as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the United States, Bangkok.^[3][4]

Before being posted to Ukraine, Kvien served at the Embassy of the United States, Paris from 2016 to April 2019 as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs.^[5][6]

At the Embassy of the United States, Kyiv, Kvien assumed the post of Chargé d'Affaires from Joseph S. Pennington^[7] on May 28, 2019.^[6][8] Upon the appointment of former ambassador William B. Taylor Jr. as the new Chargé d'Affaires, Kvien relinquished that post on June 18, 2019.^[9] She then served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Ukraine from June to January 2020.^[10]

After the departure of Taylor in January 2020, Kvien again became acting ambassador.^[10]

United States ambassador to Armenia

On June 22, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Kvien to serve as the United States ambassador to Armenia.^[11][12] On November 30, 2022, hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. On December 7, 2022, her nomination was favorably reported out of committee. On December 13, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote.^[13] She was sworn in by Under Secretary Uzra Zeya on January 26, 2023,^[14] and presented her credentials to President Vahagn Khachaturyan on February 21, 2023.^[15]

In December 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump recalled Ambassador Kvien back to Washington D.C. She departed post January 2026, after two years and eleven months as U.S. ambassador to Armenia. ^[16]

Kvien is a recipient of multiple State Department performance awards.^[11]

Kvien speaks Russian and French.^[11]