Katherine L. Ho is currently the Regional Director of the Office of Foreign Missions in Houston. She leads a team overseeing over 350 foreign missions and 3,200 foreign mission personnel spread throughout eight states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas). Under her leadership, the number of foreign missions and bilateral engagements increased for offices of mayors, governors, and many U.S. partners. In 2024, the Houston Federal Executive Board awarded her with leadership excellence in advancing regional collaboration. Also, the City of Houston’s International District gave her the Diplomatic Impact Award for her outstanding contributions in leveraging the diplomatic community to promote economic, cultural, and educational ties to Houston and Texas.

As an American diplomat (commissioned Foreign Service Officer) with over 14 years of experience within the U.S. Department of State, Katherine served in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe in various challenging positions. Her previous positions managed global crises and threats in coordination with Congress, State’s 24/7 Operations Center, and the White House.

While serving as Economic Director on the United Kingdom Desk during Brexit, she coordinated with the National Security Council and National Economic Council to launch the U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement negotiations. While serving in Riyadh, she finalized the U.S.-Saudi Open Skies Agreement that opened commercial aviation between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Katherine is the recipient of numerous awards for her outstanding contributions in advancing diplomacy for the United States.

She is a published author and frequent speaker on American foreign policy. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Katherine practiced business law at one of Houston’s largest law firm. A native Texan, she is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese, and has working proficiency in Arabic. She has a Juris Doctor (JD) from UCLA School of Law, Master of Arts (MA) from Johns Hopkins University, and Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Vanderbilt University. Katherine specializes in international economics, law, and national security.