The Honorable Mattie R. Sharpless
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Biography
Ambassador Mattie R. Sharpless, an independent consultant, works to expand US/African agribusiness trade and investment. After a distinguished 41-year career in the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and as a charter member of the US Trade Representative's Trade Advisory Committee on Africa, she closely monitors and fosters US/African agribusiness policies and trade relations.
During her tenure as US ambassador to the Central African Republic (2001-2003), she gave priority emphasis to sustenance agricultural development. She served as the FAS acting administrator during the transition of Presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations, managing over 1,000 employees worldwide and over a $100 million budget. She served as the agricultural minister counselor, agricultural counselor, or agricultural attaché at the US embassy in Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and at the US Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. She also served as administrative assistant at the US Mission to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France, and in numerous senior positions at USDA Headquarters in Washington, DC.
A native of Hampstead, North Carolina, Ambassador Sharpless actively participates in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Pearl and Ivy Educational Foundation, Inc., the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., the Association of Black American Ambassadors, the DACOR House Foundation, the American Academy of Diplomacy, Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) Alumni Association, among others.
In May 2018, a portion of US Highway 17 in Hampstead/Surf City, North Carolina, was designated as the “Ambassador Mattie R. Sharpless Highway” in recognition of her lifetime achievements. In July 2019, the “Ambassador Mattie R. Sharpless Highway Scholarship” was launched honoring The Life and Legacy of Pender County Natives.
Other awards included the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, Presidential Meritorious Service Award, LBJ Living Legend Award, NCCU’s Distinguished Alumni Award, NCCU’s Shepard Medallion, and the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Distinguished Alumni Award. Ambassador Sharpless holds a bachelor's degree in business education from North Carolina College and a master's degree in business administration and economics from North Carolina Central University (NCCU).