Riga, July 30, 2014 – Sharon Hudson-Dean has now taken up her assignment as the Deputy Chief of Mission of U.S. Embassy Riga. Upon her arrival, Ms. Hudson-Dean commented, “After dedicating one year to studying Latvian and following Latvian current events, it is a great honor to start work as the new Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Latvia. Latvia is a strategic partner, trusted ally, and close friend. We have built this relationship from Latvia’s independence in 1918, and today it is very strong and gives special meaning to being a U.S. diplomat here.”
Prior to this assignment, Ms. Hudson-Dean served as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she led the U.S. government’s media, education and culture programs promoting democracy, rule of law, and stable economic growth. She previously worked as the Press Attaché at the U.S. Mission to South Africa during a critical election period and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Ms. Hudson-Dean has also worked for the State Department in Kathmandu, Tbilisi, Moscow, Canberra, and Washington, DC. In 2005, she spent one year as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Hudson-Dean has studied international relations and communications at Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Ms. Hudson-Dean speaks Latvian, Russian, and Georgian. She is joined in Riga by her husband, Leon Hartwell, who is a political analyst from South Africa, and three children.
