Alexandra Zavis comes from the Johannesburg bureau of Associated Press. Memo to the staff from foreign editor Marjorie Miller follows:

Hi All,

I am pleased to announce that Alexandra Zavis of AP's Johannesburg Bureau will be joining us in Baghad [sic].

As South Africa News Editor, Alex has directed coverage of 11 southern African countries with a staff of 13 reporters and stringers. She has tremendous experience reporting in Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Liberia, Israel and Iraq, among other countries. Before Johannesburg, she was a correspondent in West Africa from 1999-2003 and, of course, did an obligatory stint on the International Desk in New York. She also worked in Chicago--a somewhat foreign posting for her, since she grew up abroad.

Alex is a graduate of Oxford University and earned an MA in international journalism from City University, London. She is fluent in French. After some introductory Arabic lessons and a couple of weeks getting to know us in Los Angeles, she will arrive in Baghdad in October.

Best,
Marjorie