After joining the U.S. Department of State in 1981, she served overseas at U.S. embassies in
Kinshasa,
Zaire (now the
Democratic Republic of the Congo) (1982–84) and
Jakarta, Indonesia (1984–87). From 1991 to 1994 she was assigned to the
U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai, where she was Acting Consul General from May to October 1994. From 1995 to 1997 she was deputy director of the U.S. Department of State Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs, the first woman to hold that position. Between 1997 and 1999 she was director of the Office of Regional and Security Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. She returned to Jakarta, Indonesia for a second tour as the Chief of the Political Section (1999–2001). in 2018 President George W. Bush nominated her to be
U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia (2003–2006), the first woman to hold that position. As Ambassador to Mongolia, Slutz hosted the first-ever visits to Mongolia by a sitting president and first lady (President and Mrs. George W. Bush). advocated for Mongolia to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, and shared the nature of Mongolia and North Korea interactions. In April 2015, Slutz was awarded the
Order of the Polar Star, the highest honor bestowed on non-Mongolian citizens by the President of Mongolia. Slutz then served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the
U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya (2006–2009). In mid-2010, Slutz and her embassy staff supported and monitored the first democratic elections in Burundi since 1993. After retiring, Slutz served on the board of directors of the North America-Mongolia Business Council (NAMBC), including as its chairman from 2013–2016; == Personal life ==