About Us
Deputy Chief of Mission Helen La Lime
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor, she arrived in Pretoria on August 31, 2008 as Deputy Chief of the Mission.
Prior to this assignment she was Consul General in Cape Town (2006-2008), U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique (2003-2006), Deputy Chief of Mission of U.S. Embassy Rabat (2001-2003), and Director of the Office of Central African Affairs (2000-2001).
Previous assignments include a tour as Deputy Chief of Mission of our Embassy in N’djamena, Chad (96-99), a year at the National War College (95-96), an assignment in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs in the Department of State (93-95), and service as Consul General in Zurich Switzerland (93). She has also held a range of consular and administrative positions at U.S. missions in Warsaw, Bern, and Stuttgart.
Ms. La Lime joined the Foreign Service in 1980. She is a graduate of Georgetown University (BS) and of the National Defense University (MS). She speaks French, Portuguese, Spanish, German and Polish.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ms. La Lime worked as a teacher in France, Portugal and Holland.