LATVIA, 2005 – 2008

U.S. President George W. Bush nominated Catherine Todd Bailey to become U.S. Ambassador to Latvia on September 8, 2004. She was confirmed by the Senate on November 21 and was sworn in as Ambassador by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on January 13, 2005. She presented her credentials to President Vaira Vike-Freiberga as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Latvia on February 4.

From 2000 through 2004, Catherine Todd Bailey was a Republican National Committee (RNC) member from Kentucky. She also served as the co-chairman of the Republican Regents, an RNC donor organization. Ms. Bailey served on the boards of directors of PACA (Presidential Advisory Committee) to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the McConnell Center for Political Leadership and Excellence at the University of Louisville.

A native of Indiana, Ms. Bailey worked for eight years as an elementary school teacher. She was the co-founder in 1984 of the Louisville Ronald McDonald House, a home away from home for the families of critically and terminally ill children who are receiving care from nearby hospitals. In 2000, Ambassador Bailey and her husband founded Operation Open Arms, a charity dedicated to providing homes for children whose mothers are in prison. For this effort, she received the 2003 Unsung Heroine Award sponsored by Mitsubishi Motors. Since her return from Latvia, she has resumed her position as Chairman of the Board of Operation Open Arms.

Ms. Bailey has worked as a volunteer on the board of directors of the Kentucky Opera and the Kentucky Arts and Crafts Foundation, and serves on the board of the World Affairs Council in Kentucky. She actively participated in the Mitch McConnell campaign for United States Senate, the Republican National Senatorial Committee, and the Republican Governors Association.

In 2002, she received the S. Tilford Payne, Jr. Award for outstanding political volunteer services and contributions. In July of 2007, she received the Order of the Three Star from the President of Latvia.  That represents the highest order given to a civilian in that country. Ambassador Bailey was the first American Ambassador to have received that high honor.

She is married to Irving W. Bailey II. They have four children and six grandchildren.