| Post: | Ambassador |
| Body: | the United States to Sri Lanka and the Maldives |
| Insignia: | US Department of State official seal.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 120 |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the United States Department of State |
| Incumbent: | Julie J. Chung |
| Incumbentsince: | February 25, 2022 |
| Nominator: | The President of the United States |
| Appointer: | The President |
| Appointer Qualified: | with Senate advice and consent |
| Inaugural: | Felix Cole as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary |
| Formation: | August 3, 1949 |
| Website: | U.S. Embassy – Colombo |
The position of United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives has existed since 1949.[1] Sri Lanka–United States relations and Maldives–United States relations have been friendly throughout the history of Sri Lanka and the history of the Maldives. The diplomatic mission representing the United States in both countries is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Jefferson House is the ambassadorial residence of the ambassador in Colombo.
| Name | Start date | Finish date | References | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 3, 1949 | October 30, 1949 | Harry S. Truman | |||
| 2 | November 19, 1949 | July 25, 1953 | Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower | |||
| 3 | September 19, 1953 | September 27, 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |||
| 4 | September 19, 1957 | October 2, 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |||
| 5 | James Lampton Berry | November 22, 1958 | June 3, 1959 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||
| 6 | August 24, 1959 | March 1, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | |||
| 7 | May 11, 1961 | September 20, 1964 | John F. Kennedy | |||
| 8 | October 30, 1964 | June 17, 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson | |||
| 9 | May 24, 1967 | March 21, 1970 | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
| Name | Image | Career track | Start date | Finish date | President(s) | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Robert Strausz-Hupé | Political appointee | May 3, 1970 | December 12, 1971 | Richard Nixon | |||
| 11 | Christopher Van Hollen | Career FSO | October 27, 1972 | April 21, 1976 | Richard Nixon | |||
| 12 | John H. Reed | Political appointee | July 2, 1976 | June 1, 1977 | Gerald Ford | |||
| 13 | William Howard Wriggins | Political appointee | August 18, 1977 | December 13, 1979 | Jimmy Carter | |||
| 14 | Career FSO | January 21, 1980 | January 17, 1982 | Jimmy CarterRonald Reagan | ||||
| 15 | Political appointee | February 8, 1982 | September 3, 1985 | Ronald Reagan | ||||
| 16 | James W. Spain | Career FSO | November 21, 1985 | June 16, 1989 | Ronald ReaganGeorge H. W. Bush | |||
| 17 | Marion V. Creekmore, Jr. | Career FSO | November 29, 1989 | August 27, 1992 | George H. W. Bush | |||
| 18 | Teresita Currie Schaffer | Career FSO | October 7, 1992 | August 15, 1995 | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton | |||
| 19 | Career FSO | January 19, 1996 | August 1, 1997 | Bill Clinton | ||||
| 20 | Shaun E. Donnelly | December 19, 1997 | August 16, 2000 | Bill Clinton | ||||
| 21 | E. Ashley Wills[2] | November 13, 2000 | June 17, 2003 | Bill Clinton | ||||
| 22 | Jeffrey Lunstead | September 26, 2003 | September 9, 2006 | George W. Bush | ||||
| 23 | Robert O. Blake, Jr. | Career FSO | September 9, 2006 | May 21, 2009 | George W. BushBarack Obama | |||
| 24 | Patricia A. Butenis | Career FSO | September 17, 2009 | August 1, 2012 | Barack Obama | |||
| 25 | Michele J. Sison | Career FSO | September 14, 2012 | December 6, 2014 | Barack Obama | |||
| 26 | Atul Keshap | Career FSO | August 21, 2015 | July 15, 2018 | Barack Obama | |||
| 27 | Alaina B. Teplitz | Career FSO | November 1, 2018 | December 6, 2021 | Donald Trump Joe Biden | |||
| 28 | Julie J. Chung | Career FSO | February 25, 2022 | Incumbent | Joe Biden |