Speaker: Lawrence (Larry) Bartlett
Topic: From Persecution to Protection: How U.S. Refugee Resettlement Has Worked to Change Lives
Bio: Mr. Bartlett is a senior executive with decades of experience in refugee protection and resettlement. He is on the Board of Directors of Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area. Prior to this, he served as a career member of the Senior Executive Service at the U.S. Department of State. He directed the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration for over 15 years. Under Mr. Bartlett's leadership, the program led the international community by resettling over one million refugees for permanent resettlement to the U.S. While at the State Department, he directed all humanitarian assistance programs inside Syria and Turkey in 2018 and the resettlement to U.S. communities of 80,000 Afghans evacuated to U.S. military bases in 2021. He is the recipient of the Secretary of State’s Career Achievement Award and two Presidential Rank Awards for senior leadership in refugee protection and resettlement.
Before joining the State Department, Mr. Bartlett served as U.S. Peace Corps Country Director in Jordan and Bulgaria and worked with non-governmental organizations in international education and earthquake relief. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer and trainer in Yemen, helping implement the first national immunization campaign. He holds a B.S. degree in Psychology and Zoology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
