Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts began her tour at the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas on New Year’s Day, 2021. In the past, she served at diplomatic posts in Russia, Cuba, Italy, Austria, Panama, and Brazil. She also served in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
As the Diplomat in Residence for New York City, Ms. Pitts recruited aspiring diplomats, advocated for public service, and taught courses in diplomacy. As head of the U.S. Consulate General in Recife, Ms. Pitts promoted commercial ties and social inclusion in Brazil’s growing Northeast region. Ms. Pitts worked in Rome and Vienna as a liaison to international organizations dealing with food security and atomic energy.
During her tour in Washington, Ms. Pitts supervised a team in the State Department’s Operations Center, a 24-hour crisis management and communications center. Earlier in her career, Ms. Pitts reported on the Cuban economy from Havana. She began her career at U.S. Embassies in Moscow and Panama City.
Ms. Pitts was born and raised in Massachusetts, the daughter of an interracial marriage. She visited India at age 11, an experience that led to a lifetime of travel and eventual career in the Foreign Service. She holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts, the George Washington University, and the Naval War College. She speaks Chinese, Russian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese (to varying degrees). She is married to Paul Nicklin, a British citizen, and has two adult children from a previous marriage.