H.E. Ms. Elizabeth Ward is the new Ambassador of Panama to The Netherlands. After serving at the Department of International Cooperation of the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Ward will represent the country to the Netherlands, while also acting as the Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
H.E. Ms. Ward brings with her all-around and adroit professional experience, having previously worked in various fields, from investment advisory branch, educational sector, interior design and architectural sphere, to occupying the position of Director of the International Technical Cooperation Department of Panama Pacific Training Center.
All of these posts led Ambassador Ward to ultimately enter the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the year 2018, whereas she proved her capacities while serving as the Executive Negotiator. Her main responsibilities at this post included analyzing and determining the strengths and weaknesses of all South American countries, in reference to multilateral cooperation plans of each country.
Furthermore, she was in charge of coordinating cooperation efforts in regards to the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA). Not least, she acted as the mentor for other team members, with the aim to obtain maximum performance of the respective MFA department.
Having the academic background in Education and Child Psychology, from which she obtained a degree at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, Ms. Ward expanded her scholarly purview with a Master´s Program in ESL (English as a Second Language) at the New Paltz University in New York, and ultimately with a Bachelor´s degree in Interior Design at Panama’s Santa María La Antigua University School of Architecture and Design, where she graduated summa cum laude.
All of the mentioned achievements contributed to Ms. Ward’s energetic and proactive character, whereby she has shown to be an executive with a strong analysis ability, adept at identifying areas of strength and weakness in an undertaking, as well as with a capacity to restructure an organization to maximize its economic and human resource potential.
In addition, H.E. Ms. Ward has superior communication and presentation skills with proficiency in English and Spanish, as well as excellent coaching, negotiation and organizational skills, that further her aptness for the new position at the Embassy of Panama to The Netherlands. Diplomat Magazine and the whole diplomatic community welcome her in this new experience!
