President Biden nominates prominent SC lawyer to be ambassador to Slovenia
Columbia attorney and the wife of a state senator has been chosen for an ambassadorship in Europe.
Jamie Harpootlian was nominated Wednesday by President Joe Biden to be the U.S. ambassador to Slovenia, the White House announced.
Her nomination has to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
“As someone who has spent much of my life in public service, I am honored and delighted by the opportunity to serve my country as Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia,” Harpootlian said in a statement. “My sincere gratitude to President Biden for putting his trust in me for this important position, and if confirmed, I look forward to our bilateral cooperation with the people of Slovenia.”
Harpootlian is married to state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, D-Richland, who was a vocal Biden supporter leading up to the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary in South Carolina.
In May 2019, the Harpootlians held a fundraiser for Biden, which raised $115,000.
The couple also held a fundraiser in 2014 featuring the then vice president.
Jamie Harpootlian currently works at the Harpootlian law firm in Columbia. Jamie Harpootlian also served as a court-appointed Special Master to facilitate case resolution in complex, mass disaster class actions and as a hearing officer on the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.
She worked for 17 years as a judicial law clerk in the US District Court of Louisiana and has worked for non profit groups supporting the environment, the arts and historic resources, according to her biography provided by the White House.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 5:34 PM.
