Stephanie E. Holmes
U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission

Stephanie Holmes assumed duties as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in September 2023. She is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Counselor.

Before coming to Moscow, Ms. Holmes served as the Director of the State Department Operations Center, the Secretary of State’s 24-hour crisis management and communications center. There, she coordinated the Department’s response to crises, including in Ukraine and Sudan, and facilitated communications between Department leadership and the rest of the world. Previously, Ms. Holmes served as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary in the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) bureau and the Director of INL’s Office of Europe and Asia Programs, managing an annual budget of $200 million in 35 countries across Europe and Asia. She also served as the INL Director for Ukraine at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, and as the Director for Russia at the National Security Council. Ms. Holmes’ other overseas tours include the U.S. Embassies in Moscow, Russia; New Delhi, India; and Bucharest, Romania. Domestically, she served as a Senior Watch Officer in the Operations Center and as a political-military affairs officer in the NATO Office at the State Department.

Ms. Holmes is a Distinguished Graduate of the National Defense University, where she received a Master’s degree in National Resource Strategy. She also holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College. She speaks Russian and Ukrainian. She is married to fellow Foreign Service Officer Gregory Pfleger, and they have three children.