Alfonso Lenhardt
Alfonso E. Lenhardt served 32 years in the Army, retiring in 1997 as a highly decorated Major General, the highest peacetime rank a uniformed services officer may achieve. During his service, Lenhardt commanded a platoon in Vietnam and earned several medals including a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and two Air Medals. During his military career, he also earned the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, two awards of the Legion of Merit and three awards of the Meritorious Service Medal.
Following his military career, Lenhardt accepted a position as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Council of Foundations, a nonprofit leadership association of grant-making foundations and corporations. On September 4, 2001, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate as Sergeant at Arms, the first African American to serve as an officer of Congress. A week after beginning his appointment, he was responsible for managing the Senate’s response to increase security following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He also worked with the Senate’s response the next month during the anthrax attack in the Hart Senate Office Building. Lenhardt was recognized by Congress in 2013 with a resolution for his service: “keeping the Senate community safe during the most devastating terrorist attack on American soil; and during the largest bioterrorism attack in our Nation’s history; and enabling the business of democracy to continue.”
In 2003, Lenhardt became senior vice president for government relations for the Shaw Group, Inc., a global firm that works on environmental and infrastructure projects. A short time later, he became president and CEO of the National Crime Prevention Council.
Lenhardt represented the United States as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Tanzania from 2009-2013, serving under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. While serving as ambassador, he also served as the U.S. representative to the East African Community, a regional political and economic organization of five African nations: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. After completing his post as ambassador, Lenhardt was confirmed as deputy administrator for the United States Agency of International Development, and for a short period, served as its acting administrator. USAID is the world’s largest bilateral aid agency working to eliminate poverty while supporting democracies in developing nations.
Lenhardt holds a bachelor of science in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska; a master of arts in public administration from Central Michigan University and a master of science in administration of justice from Wichita State. Additionally, he graduated from the FBI National Academy, The National War College and the National Defense University. He completed additional post-graduate study at the Kennedy School of Government and the University of Michigan School of Business.