On Wednesday, October 25, the Strauss Center and LBJ School of Public Affairs hosted Ambassador (ret) Larry André, Visiting Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, as he discussed how the State Department operates. What is an Ambassador? How does someone become an Ambassador? What is a Foreign Service Officer? What is a Civil Service employee? Who are locally recruited colleagues? What is an embassy? How is it organized?
Ambassador (Ret.) Larry E. André is an experienced ambassador who recently ended a remarkable 37-year career with the federal government, mostly in the Foreign Service of the State Department. His long service included roles in policymaking, management, and leadership in many areas. Among other important positions, he was Ambassador to Somalia, Djibouti, and Mauritania.
Ambassador Andre explained that the State Department works in a complex way. In his discussion, Ambassador André elaborated on the wide range of individuals and organizations he worked with in a variety of contexts. It was emphasized how important USAID is as an organization that works on many projects, especially in developing countries where the United States has diplomatic representation. Ambassador André also discussed the problems that governments with a history of coups, corruption, and favoritism face with disinformation. This includes how foreign media might spread disinformation for easy access. Ambassador André provided advice for prospective State Department officials including to prioritize working in smaller embassies so that diplomats can play more important roles in a less crowded setting and work on important issues with powerful stakeholders. Ultimately, Ambassador André provided a picture into how the State Department works. Today diplomacy is complicated, difficult, and changing, and it is critical to adapt to this volatile environment. Learning the foundation of how these relationships and systems work is important to comprehend the global environment.
Biography
Ambassador (Ret.) Larry E. André, Jr., retired from the State Department’s Senior Foreign Service in May 2023 after a 37-year career with the federal government (3 ½ years with Peace Corps, first as a volunteer for two years then as a staff member, then 33 ½ years with the State Department’s Foreign Service). He served in a mix of leadership, policy, and management positions.
Ambassador (Ret.) André’s leadership positions included Ambassador to Somalia (January 2022-May 2023), Ambassador to Djibouti (January 2018-January 2021), and Ambassador to Mauritania (September 2014-November 2017). He also served as Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy South Sudan; Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Tanzania; Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Sierra Leone; Director, Office of the Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, and Deputy Director, Office of West African Affairs.
Ambassador (Ret.) André’s management (“overseas operations”) positions included Deputy Director, African Affairs Bureau’s Executive Office; Management Officer, U.S. Embassy Guinea; Administrative Officer, U.S. Consulate Kaduna (northern Nigeria); Deputy Management Counselor, U.S. Embassy Iraq; and Supervisory General Services Officer, U.S. Embassy Bangladesh.
Ambassador (Ret.) André’s policy positions (advocacy, diplomatic reporting and programs) included Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy Kenya; Political/Consular Officer, U.S. Embassy Cameroon, Economic/Commercial officer, U.S. Embassy Bangladesh, and Regional Environment Officer for East Africa covering 14 countries from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador (Ret.) André worked in Chad to assist refugees returning home following the war with Libya, and served both as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal and as Peace Corps staff in Washington, DC. As an undergraduate, he was a researcher at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government in Claremont, California. He speaks French. He, his wife Ouroukou, and their son Isidore reside in Caldwell County, Texas. He has Cal-Tex roots, growing up initially in California and then relocating to Fort Worth, Texas in the 8th grade.