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W&L Alumnus Nominated as Ambassador to Lesotho

Washington and Lee alumnus Matthew T. Harrington, of the Class of 1988, was nominated by President Obama this month to become Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Lesotho.

The nomination went to the U.S. Senate on Aug. 1.

Matt, a history major at W&L, was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania following his graduation. He then worked as a program associate with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities before entering the foreign service in 1992, as a consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana.

He has served in various capacities around the world, including Brazil, Zimbabwe, Togo, Portugal and Namibia, and was most recently director of the Office of Analysis for Africa in the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

From 2010 to 2012, he served as foreign policy advisor to the commander of the U.S. Army South, providing the commander with information on the development of foreign policies as well as implications of issues that relate to decisions the commander has to make.

Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa and ranks as the highest country on the planet, since the lowest point is more than 1,000 meters above sea level.

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