Eleni Kounalakis is the California Lieutenant Governor-Elect. She previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary under President Barack Obama, promoting democracy alongside President Obama and Secretary Hillary Clinton. Her diplomatic experience is chronicled in her 2015 book, "Madam Ambassador, Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties and Democracy in Budapest."

Prior to her political and diplomatic career, Kounalakis was a businesswoman.