Eleni Kounalakis

Eleni Kounalakis is an American politician, businesswoman, and diplomat serving as the 50th Lieutenant Governor of California since 2019. She is the first woman elected to this office in the state's history. Previously, she served as the United States Ambassador to Hungary from 2010 to 2013 and held a long-standing leadership role at the real estate firm AKT Development Corporation. A member of the Democratic Party, she has been active in national politics as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and has focused on issues including education, housing, and international relations.