Carla Sands
Carla Sands was confirmed by the United States Senate on November 2, 2017 as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. She presented her credentials to Her Majesty Queen Margrethe on December 15, 2017 and completed her tour of duty on January 20, 2021.
In January 2021, Ambassador Sands received the U.S. Department of Defense’s highest Civilian Honor, the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, for her work to increase security in the Arctic region.
During her tenure as Ambassador, she helped establish a U.S. Consulate in Nuuk, Greenland and assisted with resolving the Thule Maintenance Contract issue with the Greenlanders and the Danes. She facilitated partnership agreements between the United States and the people of Greenland and the Faroe Islands and increased the United States presence in the Kingdom of Denmark to include the United States Coast Guard. During this time, Denmark increased its defense budget and U.S. exports to the Kingdom of Denmark rose over 20% resulting in the creation of additional U.S. jobs.
Prior to her diplomatic service, she served as Chairman of Vintage Capital Group, LLC, and its subsidiary companies Vintage Fund Management, LLC and Vintage Real Estate, LLC specializing in the acquisition and redevelopment of regional malls and shopping centers across the United States.
Sands served as President and then Chairman of The Blue Ribbon, a volunteer organization that supports the Los Angeles Music Center. She was a member of the Board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and served as a member of the Los Angeles Music Center Board from 2012 to 2015. She was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Board of the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, which disburses monies from Proposition 40 to support cultural treasures, historical buildings, museums and learning centers in California. Until her appointment as Ambassador she also served on the boards of Pepperdine University, the Los Angeles Police Foundation, the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and the Board of Visitors of the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture.
