BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 22. Kristin Hawkins has assumed duties as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the United States Diplomatic Mission in Turkmenistan.
This is reflected in the statement of the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat.
Hawkins took over the position in July 2026, succeeding Ambassador Elizabeth Rood, who concluded her diplomatic tenure in Turkmenistan. Hawkins is a career U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Prior to her appointment in Ashgabat, she served as U.S. Consul General in Lahore, Pakistan, from 2023 to 2025.
"Since joining the Foreign Service in 2011, Ms. Hawkins’ other positions have included Assistance Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; Senior Georgia Desk Officer in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs in Washington, D.C.; Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine; Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; Political Officer and Front Office Staff Assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia; and Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica," the embassy notes.
Hawkins holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign affairs and economics from the University of Virginia. She speaks Turkmen, Russian, Ukrainian and French.
Elizabeth Rood, a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, served as U.S. Ambassador to Turkmenistan from July 2024. The U.S. Embassy stated that it will continue its work to develop bilateral cooperation between the United States and Turkmenistan.
