[Watch] New US Consul General Pitches For Stronger Bond With Odisha, Telangana & Andhra

Hyderabad: Jennifer Larson, who assumed charge as new US Consulate General in Hyderabad on Monday, said that she would explore opportunities to strengthen the bond between Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and the US.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be here in Hyderabad having spent the last five years working on the US-India relationship from Mumbai and Washington. I cannot wait to get to work on the US-India partnership in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. From joint military exercises and business ties to cultural exchanges and higher education, the US-India relationship is only growing broader and deeper in Hyderabad.”

She also hoped to meet new people and try delicious food during the festive season while exploring ‘this amazing part’ of the world.

Larson, who previously served as Deputy Principal Officer at the US Consulate General in Mumbai and as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for India, arrived at the US Consulate on Monday to begin her tenure, according to an official press release.

Before heading to India, she interacted with a group of eminent Indian Americans from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha. She said that the new US Consulate building in Hyderabad with 55 windows for visa interviews will improve the services dramatically.

Larson brings nineteen years of diplomatic experience with her to Hyderabad. She was most recently overseas as Deputy Principal Officer at the US Consulate General in Mumbai from 2016-2020, the second-highest ranking official in the consulate. In addition to serving as a spokesperson in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in Washington, DC, she has also served in Libya, Pakistan, France, Sudan, Jerusalem, and Lebanon.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Consul General Larson worked for National Public Radio’s San Francisco affiliate as a talk show producer. She completed her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley in Comparative Literature (Arabic, Spanish and French) and Middle East Studies.