Madame Ambassador

We SAS travelers are lucky when an American diplomat comes on board the Explorer to tell us about the country in which he or she represents the U.S.  We were especially impressed to have Shari Villarosa talk to use before we disembarked in Port Louis.

Ms. Villarosa came aboard the MV Explorer when we pulled into harbor and gave us a brief history of relations with the United States, as well as an overview of the country's economy. 

"The first U.S. consulate was established here in 1794," she said. "Mauritius' second-largest export is textiles to the United States, then jewellery. The island is participating in the Las Vegas jewellery show in May. The island sells most of its sugar to Europe." 

She described a country that is environmentally conscientious and active at the United Nations in promoting climate change problems. "Since 1998, Mauritius has been cultivating new ways of protecting its coral reefs and protecting marine life," Ms. Villarosa said.  

Ms. Villarosa was confirmed as ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles in September 2012. She has served in a variety of jobs in Washington and overseas over the course of her foreign service career. Previously she was deputy coordinator for regional affairs for the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the Department of State. She also served as chief of mission in Rangoon, Burma. Prior to that assignment she served as director of Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore Affairs in the Department of State’s East Asia and Pacific Bureau; economic counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia; and chargé d’affaires in Dili, East Timor.

 Other overseas assignments have been in Songkhla, Thailand; Brasilia, Brazil; Quito, Ecuador; and Bogota, Colombia. Her assignments at the State Department in Washington have included special assistant to the undersecretary for Economic Affairs; deputy director of the Office of Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam Affairs; Singapore and Indonesia desk officer; and in the Office of Investment Affairs. In addition, she spent a year at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii as Diplomat-in-Residence.

Ms. Villarosa graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in International Studies. She also has a law degree from William and Mary. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Indonesian.