Trans Pacific Partners

Ambassador (ret.) Al La Porta

Managing Partner

Ambassador La Porta is currently serving under TPP auspices as consultant to the widely respected military-security contractor, MPRI (a division of L3 Communications), to develop a “whole of government” approach to civil emergency preparedness.  He is leading the effort for MPRI to extend the concept and associated training methodology overseas, including Asia region, working with individual governments and regional organizations such as ASEAN and APEC.  In addition, Ambassador La Porta is working with a unit of the U.S. Department of State on the fusion of all-source information relating to national security developments overseas.

From November 2008 to April 2009, Ambassador La Porta was chief of party for Development Alternatives International (DAI) to advise the foreign ministry in Pristina, Kosovo. He is also co-chair of the Southeast Asia area studies intensive course at the Foreign Service Institute of the State Department.

Ambassador La Porta was president of the United States-Indonesia Society (USINDO) from 2004-2007 and directed all aspects of the NGO’s operations, including educational exchanges, economic and trade conferences and programs, and USINDO contributions to relief and recovery in Aceh after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami and the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake.

He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in the fall of 2003 after 38 years of service in the Department of State and an overall U.S. Government career of 44 years. His extensive experience in Indonesian affairs also included two tours of duty in country as a Foreign Service Officer: first as chief of the consular section and political officer in Jakarta, 1967-70, and later as principal officer of the U.S. Consulate in Medan, Sumatra from 1978 to 1981. During the latter tour of duty, Ambassador La Porta supervised an extensive USAID programs in provincial development, social and humanitarian affairs, and Cambodian refugee relief.

Subsequently Ambassador La Porta served as deputy director of the Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma and Singapore Office. His wide-ranging responsibilities included economic and trade development, relations with Islamic organizations, and political-military affairs. His experience in the NGO world not only included his time as USINDO president, but also developing cooperative programs with development and humanitarian assistance providers. During the Aceh tsunami disaster, Ambassador La Porta convened, at the request of the Indonesian Ambassador, an NGO coordinating group to work with the Embassy. USINDO also undertook to construct and set up a model high school in Banda Aceh; $2.8 million in private donations were raised for this project to promote educational innovation in cooperation with Syiah Kuala University.

During his time in the Foreign Service, Ambassador La Porta also served as Ambassador to Mongolia and Political Advisor to the Commander of NATO Forces in Southern Europe, Naples Italy. He also served overseas in Malaysia, New Zealand, and Turkey and is a graduate of the National War College. He worked extensively on the Philippines as executive director to the Special Envoy for the Multilateral Assistance Initiative- Philippine Assistance Program, and on Cambodia as director of the Office of Cambodian Genocide Investigations of the Department of State.

Ambassador La Porta has extensive contacts in Indonesia and Southeast Asia in government, business and economic affairs, social organizations, development assistance providers, the chief political parties, and government. He has written on Indonesia and regional affairs for East-West Center, CSIS Pacific Forum, and National Defense University publications. He is a board member of the Malaysian-American Society and the Friends of Mongolia, and a member of USINDO, the U.S. Committee of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific (U.S. CSCAP), and the Asia Society.

Contact Ambassador (ret.) Al La Porta: a_laporta@transpacpartners.com

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