During Mel Harrison’s twenty-eight-year career with the U.S. Department of State, he won both the Department’s Award for Valor and the worldwide Regional Security Officer of the Year award. Serving most of career in the Diplomatic Security Service, Mel was assigned to embassies in Saigon, Quito, Rome, London, Seoul, and Islamabad, Pakistan.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Economics, and he completed post-graduate work at The American University. The Department of State assigned him to the NATO Defense College in Rome for political-military studies.
Following government retirement, Mel spent ten years in corporate security or consulting work, with assignments often taking him throughout Latin America and the Middle East.