Pamela J. H. Slutz

Pamela Jo Howell Slutz (born January 13, 1949) was a career member of the United States Foreign Service who served as U.S. Ambassador to Burundi, and as U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia. Over the course of her career, she has also served in various diplomatic posts in Kenya, Taiwan, Indonesia, and China. She was the recipient of two U.S. Department of State Superior Honor Awards and the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive. After retiring in 2012, Slutz continued to work part-time for the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of State. From 2019 to 2024 she served as president of The Mongolia Society.

Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois, Pamela Slutz moved to Washington when her father joined the United States Department of State Bureau of Intelligence and Research in 1952. Her father, Robert Fleming Slutz Jr., joined the Foreign Service and was posted overseas. From the ages of 7 to 15, Pamela attended the International School Bangkok in Thailand. During her college years, she visited her parents in Indonesia. She is the recipient of the Hollins University Distinguished Alumnae Award (2010). As one of fifty East-West Center alumni featured in the Center's Fiftieth Anniversary publication, "50 Years, 50 Stories", Slutz was quoted as saying, "My heart has always been in Asia."

Career

After joining the U.S. Department of State in 1981, she served overseas at U.S. embassies in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) (1982–84) and Jakarta, Indonesia (1984–87). The stamp from the former U.S. Embassy in Taipei was donated by Slutz to the National Museum of American Diplomacy From 1991 to 1994 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai, where she was Acting Consul General from May to October 1994. From 1995 to 1997 she was deputy director of the U.S. Department of State Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, the first woman to hold that position. Between 1997 and 1999 she was director of the Office of Regional and Security Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. She returned to Jakarta, Indonesia for a second tour as the Chief of the Political Section (1999–2001).

President George W. Bush nominated her to be U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia (2003–2006), the first woman to hold that position. As Ambassador to Mongolia, Slutz hosted the first-ever visits to Mongolia by a sitting president and first lady (President and Mrs. George W. Bush). advocated for Mongolia to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, and shared the nature of Mongolia and North Korea interactions. In April 2015, Slutz was awarded the Order of the Polar Star, the highest honor bestowed on non-Mongolian citizens by the President of Mongolia.

Slutz then served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya (2006–2009). In mid-2010, Slutz and her embassy staff supported and monitored the first democratic elections in Burundi since 1993. After retiring, Slutz served on the board of directors of the North America-Mongolia Business Council (NAMBC), including as its chairman from 2013–2016;

Personal life Slutz is married to Ronald J. Deutch, a retired Foreign Service Officer.

Selected publications Freeman, Patrick J.; Slutz, Pamela J. H. (October 2006). "Mongolia at 800: A New Era on the Steppe". State Magazine. p. 15. Retrieved 2002-06-06.