The U.S. Senate confirmed Linda S. Taglialatela, a career member of the Senior Executive Service, as Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean on December 9, 2015. Since 2002, Ms. Taglialatela served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Human Resources overseeing the Department of State’s Civil Service human resources management program, including policy and program development, implementation, accountability, and legal and regulatory compliance.

Ms. Taglialatela began her government career as a management analyst with the Government Accountability Office, where she initially focused on federal personnel and compensation reviews. She transferred to the international audit group which led to her interest in the State Department and foreign affairs. She joined the Foreign Service, beginning her career in the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of State. She inspected some 45 embassies and consulates, evaluating post operations and providing solutions to improve effectiveness and efficiencies. She also served as Special Assistant to the Inspector General, where she focused on strategic planning, congressional affairs, and interagency coordination.

Following several assignments, including a tour as the Management Counselor at the United States Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, Ms. Taglialatela, returned to Washington converting to the Civil Service to serve first as the Deputy Director and then the Director of the Office of Resource Management and Organization Analysis in the Bureau of Human Resources. As the Director of the Office Resource Management and Organization Analysis and the Department’s senior most workforce planner, she developed workforce analytics to assess human capital policies and to align resources more closely with Department-wide priorities. Serving as the Department’s Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer, she is recognized government-wide as a leader in the Human Resources community. Ms. Taglialatela has led the Department’s efforts to transform the way HR services are delivered globally, standing up the Department’s first-ever HR Service Center in Charleston, SC.

Ms. Taglialatela has received numerous awards and recognition for her performance. In 2004 and 2014 she was the recipient of a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, and in 2008 she received the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award. She has been a sponsor and mentor to countless Foreign Service Officers and Civil Service employees during the course of her career. A native of New York, Ms. Taglialatela attended the State University of New York in Oneonta where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Two years later she earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.