Ambassador Eric M. Garcetti serves as the 26th U.S. Ambassador to India. He is a committed public servant, educator, and diplomat. After serving on the Los Angeles City Council for 12 years, Ambassador Garcetti won election in 2013 as the youngest mayor in the city’s history. He then won re-election in 2017. As Mayor, Garcetti oversaw a period of economic growth and opportunity, won a bid for Los Angeles to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, and pursued an aggressive health and climate agenda. Ambassador Garcetti served as a naval officer in the reserve component for 12 years.
Ambassador Garcetti earned a B.A. as a John Jay Scholar from Columbia University, where he studied Hindi and Indian culture. He holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and was a Rhodes Scholar at The Queen’s College, Oxford. He is married to Amy Elaine Wakeland, a fellow member of his Rhodes Scholar class. They have one daughter and have been foster parents for more than a decade. A fourth-generation native of Los Angeles, Ambassador Garcetti is a proud card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild and is an avid pianist and photographer.