Matthew A. Reynolds ’82

Matthew A. Reynolds is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative of the UN Refugee Agency to the United States of America and the Caribbean. Reynolds’ distinguished career includes more than 35 years in government service, humanitarian response, oversight, and management.

Before joining the UNHCR in 2017, Reynolds served as the North America Representative for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Earlier in his career, Reynolds served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs through January 20, 2009. In this capacity, he was the principal congressional advisor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and directed all State Department relations and operations with the U.S. Congress. Before his confirmation by the U.S. Senate, he served as the Bureau’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and intermittently, as Acting Assistant Secretary beginning in March 2005. Reynolds joined the Department of State in 2003 as Director of House Affairs during which time he received the Department’s Superior Honor Award for Service. He held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Senate Affairs from 2004 to 2005.

Before moving to the State Department, Reynolds spent 17 years in numerous senior positions in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He was the Staff Director of the powerful House Rules Committee, guiding all major legislation on the House floor, as well as professional staff on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees. In addition to his congressional committee assignments, Reynolds served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Jay Kim (CA) and Legislative Director to U.S. Representative Robert Lagomarsino (CA).

Reynolds is a native of Dover, Massachusetts and grew up in Kanpur, India and Beirut, Lebanon. He is a Senior Congressional Fellow with the Stennis Center for Public Service, and a trustee of International College in Beirut, Lebanon. He received his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service (BSFS) and the Dean’s Citation from the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.