# List of ambassadors of the United States to Burkina Faso

This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta).
Until 1960 Upper Volta was a French possession as a part of French West Africa. In 1958 Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community (Communauté française), and achieved independence as the Republic of Upper Volta on August 5, 1960.
The United States recognized Upper Volta immediately and assigned its first envoy on the nation's independence day, August 5. The envoy, Donald R. Norland, had presented his credentials as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim on the previous day, August 4, to take effect on the day of independence. Norland was also the Chargé d'Affaires a.i. to the newly independent nations: Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), Dahomey (Benin) and Niger while resident in Abidjan.
The first ranking ambassador, R. Borden Reams, was appointed October 17, 1960. He was also the ambassador to the aforementioned countries while resident in Abidjan. On December 31, 1960, an embassy was established in Ouagadougou with a resident Chargé d'affaires. On May 29, 1961, the first ambassador solely accredited to Upper Volta was appointed.
On August 4, 1984, the nation's name was changed to Burkina Faso.
The United States Embassy in Burkina Faso is located in Ouagadougou.

## Ambassadors

| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission |
| R. Borden Reams– Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 17, 1960 | December 6, 1960 | June 26, 1961 |
| Thomas S. Estes – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 29, 1961 | June 26, 1961 | July 13, 1966 |
| Elliott P. Skinner – political appointee | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 27, 1966 | September 14, 1966 | July 16, 1969 |
| William E. Schaufele, Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 29, 1969 | October 16, 1969 | July 10, 1971 |
| Donald B. Easum – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 5, 1971 | December 8, 1971 | January 19, 1974 |
| Pierre R. Graham – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 20, 1974 | July 30, 1974 | June 13, 1978 |
| Thomas D. Boyatt – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 18, 1978 | September 21, 1978 | October 23, 1980 |
| Larry C. Grahl | Chargé d'affaires ad interim | October 23, 1980 | | November 18, 1981 |
| Julius Waring Walker, Jr. – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 18, 1981 | November 18, 1981 | July 5, 1984 |
| Leonardo Neher – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | June 28, 1984 | September 21, 1984 | August 1, 1987 |
| David H. Shinn – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 6, 1987 | November 28, 1987 | August 6, 1990 |
| Edward P. Brynn – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 22, 1990 | January 14, 1991 | April 17, 1993 |
| Donald J. McConnell – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 9, 1993 | November 22, 1993 | June 4, 1996 |
| Sharon P. Wilkinson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 11, 1996 | October 24, 1996 | July 12, 1999 |
| Jimmy J. Kolker – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | November 16, 1999 | January 11, 2000 | August 2, 2002 |
| J. Anthony Holmes – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | October 3, 2002 | December 23, 2002 | July 9, 2005 |
| Jeanine E. Jackson – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | February 21, 2006 | March 24, 2006 | March 7, 2009 |
| J. Thomas Dougherty – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 5, 2010 | September 30, 2010 | September 30, 2013 |
| Tulinabo S. Mushingi - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 9, 2013 | September 17, 2013 | October 27, 2016 |
| Andrew Robert Young - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | September 28, 2016 | November 20, 2016 | March 26, 2020 |
| Sandra E. Clark - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | August 12, 2020 | September 25, 2020 | December 18, 2023 |
| Eric Whitaker - Career FSO | Chargé d'affaires ad interim | December 19, 2023 | | June 27, 2024 |
| Joann M. Lockard - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | May 2, 2024 | June 28, 2024 | January 20, 2025 |