About Shefali
Shefali Razdan Duggal was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands on September 20, 2022, and presented her credentials to King Willem-Alexander on October 19, 2022. She is the first person of color to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Prior to serving as Ambassador, Shefali was a San Francisco Committee member of Human Rights Watch, served on the Leadership and Character Council at Wake Forest University and was on the National Advisory Board of Inside Washington at Miami University of Ohio. Shefali served on the National Finance Committee of Joe Biden for President 2020 and was a National Co-Chair of Women for Biden. She has also served as a Deputy National Finance Chair at the Democratic National Committee.
Previously, Shefali served on the National Board of Directors for Emily’s List 2014-2020. She was a Presidential Appointee to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council 2014-2018 and served as a Western Region Advisor to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She has held a variety of positions in several national-level political campaigns.
A Kashmiri Pandit born in Haridwar U.P. India, Shefali moved to the United States at age two and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. For love and loyalty to the United States, Shefali became a naturalized U.S. citizen on November 16, 1990. She has a B.S. in Mass Communication, with a minor in Political Science, from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and an M.A. in Media Ecology from New York University. She also has earned an honorary doctorate from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. On International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2024, the Dutch named a fuchsia pink tulip the “Tulipa Shefali” ( X post ). Shefali is the first Ambassador to the Netherlands, from any country worldwide, to have a tulip named after her. Shefali was also nominated for the 2024 State Department Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service for her work representing the United States in the Netherlands (first U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands to receive this nomination). Shefali believes in authenticity, kindness and service. She is married with two adult children.