Mari-Luci Jaramillo (June 19, 1928 – November 20, 2019) was an American educator and diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras from 1977 to 1980. Upon her confirmation, Jaramillo became the first Mexican-American woman to serve as an American ambassador.^[2]

Jaramillo was native of Las Vegas, New Mexico.^[3] While attending school, she worked in her father's shop, shining shoes.^[3] Later, she cleaned houses and waited tables in order to help pay for her tuition at New Mexico Highlands University.^[3] In 1959, she graduated magna cum laude from Highlands University with a master's degree in education.^[3] In 1970, she earned a doctorate from the University of New Mexico.^[3] Her doctoral thesis was entitled In-service teacher education in a tri-ethnic community: a participant-observer study.^[4]

After graduation, she became an elementary school teacher.^[3] Later Jaramillo joined the faculty at the University of New Mexico and served in various roles, including associate dean, vice president, and assistant to the president of the university.^[3]

On April 1, 1977, President Carter asked Jaramillo to become the United States Ambassador to Honduras.^[3] She served as ambassador from 1977 to 1980.^[3] While serving as ambassador, Jaramillo oversaw the Peace Corps program in Honduras.^[5]

Since her ambassadorship, Jaramillo has worked for Educational Testing Service and spent several years at The Pentagon.^[3][6] She has also served on the board of trustees of the Children's Television Workshop^[6] and the Diversity External Advisory Council of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Jaramillo was later a member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

In 1992, Jaramillo was appointed deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Latin America during the Clinton Administration.^[3]

Jaramillo's first marriage to Horacio Ulibarrí ended in divorce after the couple had two sons and a daughter. Her second husband was Heriberto Jaramillo and her third husband was James Elliott.^[1][7][8]

Jaramillo died in Albuquerque, New Mexico on November 20, 2019. She was 91.^[9]

• Jaramiilo, Mari-Luci (1972). Cautions When Working with the Culturally Different Child. OCLC 95564950.
• Jaramillo, Mari-Luci (2002). Madam Ambassador: The Shoemaker's Daughter. Tempe, Ariz.: Bilingual Press. ISBN 1-931010-04-8. OCLC 45917194.
• Jaramillo, Mari-Luci (2019). Sacred Seeds: a Girl, her Abuelos, and the Heart of Northern New Mexico. Taos, NM.: Barranca Press. ISBN 9-7819-39604-34-7. OCLC 1128295966.