VICKI HUDDLESTON served as a career diplomat in Africa and Latin America. She was ambassador to Madagascar and to Mali, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Africa. Huddleston was the chief U.S. diplomat in Cuba from 1999 to 2002 and Deputy Chief of Mission in Port au Prince, Haiti during the deployment of the Multinational Forces in 1994-95. Huddleston was an American Political Science Association (APSA) Congressional Fellow on the staff of Senator Jeff Bingaman, D-NM. She began her overseas life as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru. She also worked for the American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD) in Peru and Brazil. Huddleston earned a Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins School Advanced Internationals Studies and a BA from the University of Colorado. She has received various Department of State awards, including a Distinguished Honor Award and a Presidential Meritorious Service Award.