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Jovita Neliupšienė became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States on January 1, 2024. Before that, she was a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from September 2022, where she was responsible for the coordination of European Affairs, European bilateral and regional issues, as well as national sanctions coordinator.

From 2020-2022, she was Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, tasked with investment and export promotion, international cooperation, including policy coordination of state-owned enterprises, as well as chairing the interagency commission for export control.

In 2020, she held the post of Chancellor and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. This position included responsibility for staff coordination, legal and consular affairs. Between 2015-2020, she served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU. These years were marked by the migration crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2009-2015, she worked as an advisor and chief foreign policy advisor to the President of the Republic of Lithuania Ms. Dalia Grybauskaite. She was responsible for foreign policy coordination, inter-institutional relations, as well as the role of sherpa/EU advisor, and in this respect took a leading position in preparing and coordinating the Lithuanian presidency of the EU Council in 2013. In 2014, she was awarded the State Decoration Order "For Merit to Lithuania" Commander's Cross.

Read her full biography here.

Ruth Bajada is the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Washington.

Ms. Bajada has over 23 years of experience in EU affairs and 20 years in foreign policy. Between 2020-2024, she was the Deputy Director/Head of Division United States and Canada in the European External Action Service (EEAS). She has also served as the Political Advisor to the EEAS Secretary General (2019-2020) and was posted in Chile (2015-2019) and Lebanon (2012-2015).

Ms. Bajada joined the European institutions in 2002 and worked at the European Parliament and the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Malta, a master's degree in European studies from the College of Europe (Bruges-Belgium), and a master's degree in International Relations from ULB/Paris II.