Tom Lersten

Tom Lersten serves as Director of the Global Entrepreneurship Program in the U.S. Department of State. As such he provides strategic and policy guidance regarding entrepreneurship in the State Department. In addition, he is responsible for identifying key private sector partners to assist the Department in the promotion of entrepreneurship, and plays a major role planning the annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit and Global Entrepreneurship Week. Tom joined the Foreign Service in 1998, as an economic officer. He previously served overseas tours in Moscow, Dubai, and Nicaragua, along with a variety of assignments in the State Department, including in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and the Bureau of Counter Terrorism. He holds a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN, and an M.A. in International Relations from the American University. Tom grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico.