U.S. Ambassador Examines U.S.-India Partnership in Lawrence University Convocation

APPLETON, WIS. — U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford discusses the roles of the two countries in the global economy and the need for bilateral cooperation Tuesday, Oct. 2 in the second address of Lawrence University’s 2007-08 convocation series.

Mulford presents “The United States and India: A Partnership for the 21st Century” at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

A 1959 graduate of Lawrence, Mulford has served as ambassador to India since January 2004, joining the U.S. Department of State from Credit Suisse First Boston, where he spent 11 years as chairman international of the London-based banking firm, directing worldwide, large-scale privatization business and other corporate and government advisory assignments.

In a June 2006 online interview with readers of Rediff.com, India’s leading Internet news portal, Mulford championed India as an attractive destination for foreign investment because “it has a strong economy, a large, articulate and well-educated population, it is a democracy, it believes in rule of law and it has a sophisticated and well-supervised financial system. It is also a large market with a relatively youthful population.”

Prior to his ambassadorial appointment, Mulford served as Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for International Affairs from 1984-92. As the senior international economic policy official at the Treasury, Mulford served under Secretaries Regan, Baker and Brady.

Mulford’s extensive financial experience includes eight years (1966-74) as managing director and head of international finance at White, Weld & Co., Inc., the Boston-based investment bank. In 1974, he was named senior investment advisor to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), where he served until 1983, overseeing the management and development of investment programs of Saudi oil revenues.

His service in both the public and private sectors has been recognized with numerous awards and honors. He has been the recipient of the Legion d’Honneur from the president of France, the Order of May for Merit from the president of Argentina, the Officer’s Cross of the Medal of Merit from the president of Poland and the Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Secretary of the Treasury in recognition of extraordinary service and benefit to the Treasury Department and the nation.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in economics from Lawrence, Mulford earned an M.A. in political science from Boston University and a Ph.D. from Oxford University. A football and basketball standout as an undergraduate, Mulford was inducted in Lawrence’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. He also was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by his alma mater in 1984.