Jamie Harpootlian
Jamie Lindler Harpootlian is an American lawyer and diplomat. She was appointed United States Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia by United States President Joe Biden in 2021.
Early life and education
Harpootlian was born in California to US Navy Cmdr. Charles R. Lindler and his wife, Margaret. Her father was a naval aviator who served in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Harpootlian lived her early life along coastal California and in the Philippines. Upon her father's retirement, they moved to South Carolina to live near family, and her father started a new career in the hotel business.Harpootlian's military family moved frequently. She attended six different schools in 12 years, ultimately graduating from public high school in Columbia, South Carolina. Four years later in 1981 she was graduated from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and Art History with distinction, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, America's oldest honor society for excellence in liberal arts and sciences. While a student at Mary Baldwin, Harpootlian spent a semester abroad studying British Foreign Policy and Modern British History at University College, Oxford University, and another semester abroad studying French Civilization at the American University in Paris.
Harpootlian received her J.D. from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1984. After law school, she clerked for United States District Judge Henry A. Mentz, Jr., in the Eastern District of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Legal career
Harpootlian has most recently worked as counsel to the law firm of Richard A. Harpootlian, P.A. She previously served as a hearing officer for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and was a career judicial law clerk in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.United States ambassador to Slovenia
On July 21, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Harpootlian to be the next United States ambassador to Slovenia. On August 4, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. Hearings on her nomination were held before the [United States United States Senate|Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|Senate Foreign Relations Committee] on November 2, 2021. On December 15, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee. On December 18, 2021, her nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote. She was appointed the 10th U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia on December 20, 2021, and was sworn in on December 30, 2021. She presented her credentials to President of Slovenia Borut Pahor on February 17, 2022.Harpootlian resigned as U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia on July 31, 2024 and returned to the U.S.