Carol van Voorst

Carol Lee van Voorst (born 1952) is the former United States Ambassador to Iceland. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 18, 2005, after being nominated by President George W. Bush on October 28, 2005. Her mission was terminated on January 20, 2009.

Van Voorst was born in Holland, Michigan. She attended Hope College, where she received her B.A. She also has an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Princeton University, and an M.A. in international security policy from the National War College. She is married to William Garland.

Before she joined the Foreign Service, van Voorst was an American history teacher at the City University of New York. She was also a congressional aide for the Helsinki Commission. In 1980, van Voorst joined the Foreign Service. She then served as an Embassy Officer to the Netherlands. From 1999 to 2002, she served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland after previously serving as the Deputy High Representative in Sarajevo, Bosnia. She also served as the Director of the Office of Nordic and Baltic Affairs from 1995 to 1997, and as the Director of Austrian, German, and Swiss Affairs, from 2002 to 2004. Van Voorst was sworn in as the United States ambassador to Iceland on January 3, 2006 and terminated her mission on April 30, 2009. In July 2009 she was appointed Deputy Commandant for International Affairs at the Army War College.