In this special episode, Alex Rozenfeld sits down with Ambassador Larry André, a veteran of more than 33 years in the U.S. Foreign Service. From his beginnings as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal to serving as U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, Djibouti, and Mauritania, Ambassador shares what diplomacy really looks like day to day: building trust, leading teams under pressure, and pushing progress forward in some of the world’s toughest environments. He reflects on Somalia’s hard-won gains, the human side of crisis work, and the lessons he now brings to the classroom at UT Austin’s LBJ School—especially the idea that you can love your country and still show up for the broader human community.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-edward-andr%C3%A9-jr-8066a0245/

https://so.usembassy.gov/thank-you-somalia/

Ambassador (ret.) Larry E. André, Jr. retired from the State Department’s Senior Foreign Service in May 2023 after a 38-year career in global public affairs. During his 33 years at the U.S. State Department, he served in a mix of leadership, policy, and management positions.

Ambassador André's leadership positions included Ambassador to Somalia, Ambassador to Djibouti, and Ambassador to Mauritania. 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 André's management positions included Deputy Director, African Affairs 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 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 State Department’s Foreign Service, Ambassador André worked in Chad for USAID as an institutional contractor assisting refugees returning home following the war with Libya. Before that, he 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.

Ambassador André is a recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award, Global Reporting Award, and several other honors. In 2023, Amb. André was inducted into the American Academy of Diplomacy.

Ambassador André, his wife Ouroukou, and their sons Isidore and Amiel reside in Caldwell County, Texas. His daughter, Ruhiyyih, joined the State Department Foreign Service in 2024. He has Cal-Tex roots: born in California then relocating to Fort Worth, Texas in the 8th grade. He speaks French.

This podcast is sponsored by Freshwater Investments