Portland State alumnus Joseph LeBaron '69, was sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to Qatar, at the Simon Benson House on Friday, July 18, 2008. Read the full story in the Sunday Oregonian.

A career diplomat, LeBaron began his diplomatic career in Doha in 1980. From 2003 to 2006, he was the U.S. ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. LeBaron also has served as the U.S. deputy chief of Mission in Manama, and as U.S. consul general in Dubai.

LeBaron holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, and a B.S. in Sociology from Portland State University. He is a fluent Arabic speaker, and also studied at the American University of Beirut and the University of Khartoum.