Leah Campos
American foreign policy advisor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leah Francis Campos Schandlbauer is an American foreign policy advisor who is the U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic. She has worked for the SAS Institute since 2019. Campos was previously as a senior adviser on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere from 2015 to 2019 and she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for over ten years.
Leah Campos | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 40th United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic | |
| Assumed office November 19, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Patricia Aguilera (Chargé d'Affaires ad interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leah Francis Campos Schandlbauer Arizona, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Alfred Francis |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives | Rachel Campos-Duffy (sister) Sean Duffy (brother-in-law) |
| Education | Arizona State University (BS) University of Pittsburgh (MPA) |
| Occupation |
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Early life and education
Campos was born into a family of recent migrants, as her paternal grandparents migrated from Mexico, and her mother is from Spain.[1] Campos's sister is conservative television personality Rachel Campos-Duffy.[2]
Campos attended Arizona State University, where she completed a BS in political science and government between 1990 and 1994.[3] She earned a master's degree in public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh from 1995 to 1997.[3]
Career
Campos served as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer for over ten years.[2][4] During the 2012 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Arizona, Campos ran for the Republican nomination in the 9th congressional district.[4] She left her position at the CIA six months prior to starting her campaign.[4] Her decision to run was influenced by her experiences working in Western Europe and Latin America.[4] She was one of seven candidates in the Republican primary held on August 28, 2012.[4] Campos did not receive the nomination and was among the lower-polling candidates in the primary. Former Paradise Valley mayor Vernon Parker won the Republican nomination and advanced to the general election.[5][6]
From February 2013 to September 2014, Campos served as an advisor for the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere.[3] She was subsequently promoted to staff director for the same subcommittee under representative Matt Salmon from September 2014 to January 2015.[3] Campos then worked as a senior adviser on the House Foreign Affairs Committee from January 2015 to January 2019 under representative Ed Royce.[2][3]
In January 2019, she joined the SAS Institute as a senior strategic adviser, focusing on Latin America, Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.[3]
In December 2024, Campos was named by Donald Trump to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic.[7] She was confirmed on October 7, 2025.[8] She presented her credentials to President Luis Abinader on November 19, 2025.[9]
