#29 - Ambassador Kate Byrnes
Even though her classmates may have recognized her as a future ambassador before she did herself, Kate Byrnes' swift ascent from the U.S. Information Agency to the Department of State to, yes, becoming a U.S. Ambassador, left little to doubt. A big part of her success was learning at a young age (a very young age, in her case) the value of showing up, being present, listening, and finding the ever-present opportunities that present themselves daily as diplomats interact with people around the globe.
Ambassador (ret.) Kate Marie Byrnes is Principal of KMB Strategies LLC consulting services based in Sarasota, Florida, and a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Tennessee Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs in Knoxville, Tennessee. Drawing on her national security experience in the senior ranks of the U.S. Foreign Service, she provides strategic advice and pragmatic solutions to institutions and individuals working to address geopolitical challenges.
Prior to retiring from the U.S. State Department in September 2025, she was Civilian Deputy to the Commander and Foreign Policy Advisor to U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, from 2022 to 2025. She was appointed to this role after serving as U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia from 2019 to 2022, where she directed efforts to advance North Macedonia’s membership in NATO and the European Union.
Other assignments during her 32 years in the U.S. Foreign Service include: Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece; Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. and Deputy Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna, Austria; and Public Affairs Advisor at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium. As part of the International Security Assistance Force from 2010-2011, she supervised governance and development in eastern Afghanistan. She also served in Washington, DC, Spain, Hungary, Bolivia, and Türkiye.
As a U.S. Senior Foreign Service Officer, she received a Presidential Rank Award, and multiple Superior Honor and Meritorious Awards from the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of the Army, as well as the Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Medal. She was a Pearson Congressional Fellow on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an International Women’s Forum (IWF) Leadership Foundation Fellow. She holds a Bachelor of Science in International Relations and a Master's Degree in Policy Management from Georgetown University.
Ambassador (ret.) Kate Marie Byrnes
Presenting credentials as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia, 2019
Speaking at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Permanent Council as the Acting Permanent Representative of the U.S. Mission, 2017
Hosting U.S. forces with the Prime Minister at a NATO military display in Skopje, North Macedonia, 2022
With her father, Paul J. Byrnes, a retired Foreign Service Officer, at the State Department for "Flag Day," after receiving her first assignment as the assistant cultural attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey
Standing with her brothers during a reception aboard a visiting U.S. naval ship to Anitgua, Wesy Indies, 1980
SHOW CREDITS
SP/FS Producer & Host: Christopher Wurst
Opening Voices: Dmitri Wurst, Elena Wurst, Kjara Wurst, Christopher Wurst
Voice of Dubious Aunt Deb: Cathy Zielske
Cold Open Music: BWM – The Brina Band
Dubious Ant Deb Music: Cass County Beauty Queen – Alan Singley
Episode Music:
Alustrat – Blue Dot Sessions
Basketliner – Blue Dot Sessions
Bitter-Sweet Harmony – Liza Pirelli Jazztet
Shift of Currents – Blue Dot Sessions
Interview date: January 14, 2026