Pictured above are Andreas Ellis, Director of Alumni & Development, Ambassador Lynne Tracy, Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen, student moderator Adrianna Globokar, and Dean Andrew Costigan

The University of Akron School of Law was pleased to host US Ambassador and Law School Alumni Lynne Tracy ’94 as she shared her experiences working in the diplomatic service. A native of Barberton, Ambassador Tracy earned her bachelor’s degree in Soviet Studies from the University of Georgia before returning home to Northeast Ohio to earn her J.D. from Akron Law in 1994.

She went on to an extraordinary 31-year career in the United States Foreign Service, serving our country in some of the world’s most complex and challenging diplomatic posts. Most recently, she served as United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2023 to 2025, following her service as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia from 2019 to 2022.

Over the course of her career, Ambassador Tracy also served Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asia, and in diplomatic assignments in Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Her distinguished service has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Presidential Rank Distinguished Service Award, the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, and the Secretary of State’s Award for Heroism, which she received for her courage and leadership while serving in Pakistan.

We appreciate her taking the time to share her career, expertise, and advice with our current law students and the University of Akron community.