The new US Consul General in Casablanca, Lawrence Randolph, began his mission in Morocco earlier this week on January 4.
The diplomat’s appointment came only a few weeks after the US diplomatic mission to Morocco inaugurated the construction of a new consulate general in Casablanca.
The consulate will be one of the largest diplomatic buildings in Morocco. It will cover a total area of 2.8 hectares and cost a budget of $312 million.
As the new consul general in Casablanca, Lawrence Randolph will work on further promoting economic, cultural, and human links between Morocco and the US, at a time when bilateral relations are reaching unprecedented heights.
A consul is a diplomatic role that differs from that of an ambassador, although both enjoy diplomatic immunity. While an ambassador represents the country’s head of state, the consul is a diplomatic representative of the nation itself.
Read also: US Breaks Ground on New $300 Million Consulate General in Casablanca
Lawrence Randolph became a US diplomat in 2003 and has since held several senior positions, both in the US and abroad.
The diplomat last worked for the Director General of the Foreign Service where he helped establish TalentCare, an employee resilience and well-being program.
The appointment to Casablanca isn’t Randolph’s first mission in North Africa. The diplomat’s first mission abroad was in Cairo, Egypt. There, he managed the department responsible for issuing migration visas at the US Embassy, and worked as Staff Assistant to Ambassador Francis Ricciardone (2005-2008).
More recently, Lawrence Randolph was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Algeria, where he helped lead a team of over 400 people.
Other assignments took the diplomat to Germany, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, Brazil, and Mozambique.
Lawrence Randolph holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He also earned a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University in New York.
The diligent US diplomat spent one year studying advanced Arabic at the American University in Cairo to prepare for his missions in the Middle East and North Africa region.
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Lawrence Randolph is married and has a young daughter. He speaks Arabic, French, German, and Spanish.
