Elizabeth Lee has assumed the position of the director of the American Center Kolkata, and the public affairs officer (PAO) of the US Consulate General in Kolkata, as of August 9, 2023, succeeding former director and PAO Adrian Pratt.
“I am delighted to be here in Kolkata and to represent the United States of America in the East and Northeast India,” said Lee. “I look forward to engaging with the people and learning about their heritage and culture as we work together to advance the U.S.-India partnership in this region.”
Elizabeth Lee has served in various public affairs roles in Riyadh, Tokyo, Islamabad, and Lahore. In Washington D.C., she joined the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) focusing on Europe, including working in Moldova on refugee issues. She was the unit chief in the Counterterrorism Bureau’s Office of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (CT/SECI) and covered humanitarian issues in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). She joined the State Department in 2009.
Elizabeth Lee hails from southwestern West Virginia. She has a degree in journalism from Marshall University, and can speak Japanese, Urdu, and some Arabic.