Walter North

Walter North is an American diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu between 2012 and 2016 . He began his service as ambassador on December 4, 2012. Early life and education North grew up in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts. In 1972 he received a BA in Theatre-Drama at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. He graduated from the George Washington University Law School with a J.D. In 1990 he earned an MPA at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Career North joined the Peace Corps after college graduation and served as a volunteer in Ethiopia for two years. He worked in Bonga and Addis Ababa. He also served as a project manager in India and Bangladesh for CARE International, a humanitarian non-profit. North joined USAID in 1980 and held a variety of roles in that organization before becoming confirmed as a U.S. ambassador. Between 1992 and 2004, he held several assignments outside the U.S., including ones in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Lusaka, Zambia and in New Delhi, India.