Patricia A. Butenis most recently served as the Dean of the School of Professional and Area Studies in the Foreign Service Institute before retiring in 2014 with the rank of Career Minister. She was Ambassador to Sri Lanka and to Maldives from 2009 to 2012, Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad from 2007-2009, and before then Ambassador to Bangladesh and Deputy Chief of Mission in Islamabad. Ambassador Butenis served consular tours in Karachi, San Salvador, India, and Bogotá, attended the National War College, served in the Visa Office of the Consular Affairs Bureau, and as Consul General in Warsaw and Bogotá. She received the Baker-Wilkins Award as the Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission for her service in Iraq (2008). Raised in New Jersey, Ambassador Butenis received a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.A. in International Relations from Columbia University. Ambassador Butenis supports animal welfare and environmental conservation activities both abroad and at home. She is a member of the American Foreign Service Association and the American Academy of Diplomacy.