Martha Elena Federica Bárcena Coqui

Martha Bárcena Coqui became Mexico's first woman ambassador to the United States after a career spanning consular protection, international organizations, and security policy. Her early ministry work dealt with migrant workers and border cooperation. She later served in Barcelona, represented Mexico in Denmark and Turkey with additional regional accreditations, and headed its mission to the UN agencies in Rome before going to Washington in December 2018. ^{1, 2}

Her Washington assignment included work toward the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement and the confrontation over migration and threatened American tariffs in June 2019. In a Duke University discussion, she identified those negotiations as her most difficult challenge and argued that trade should not be tied to migration enforcement. Her public diplomacy emphasized the dependence of American agriculture, manufacturing, and health services on Mexican workers, including undocumented workers whose labor and human rights she defended. ^{3, 1}

Bárcena also taught international relations and security, and wrote on bilateral cooperation and globalization. Before diplomacy, she had danced professionally with Mexico's National Dance Company. Her education combined communications, philosophy, and international studies in Mexico, Rome, and Madrid. Following her embassy service, which ended in February 2021, she joined policy discussions through institutions including the Atlantic Council and Wilson Center. ^{1, 2}