Richard Verma

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Richard Verma
Richard Verma.jpg
United States Ambassador to India
In office
January 16, 2015 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byKathleen Stephens (Acting)
Succeeded byKenneth I. Juster
Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
In office
April 6, 2009 – March 14, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byMatthew Reynolds
Succeeded byJoseph Macmanus (Acting)
Personal details
Born
Richard Rahul Verma

(1968-11-27) November 27, 1968 (age 53)
Edmonton, Canada
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Melineh Verma
Children3
EducationLehigh University (BS)
American University (JD)
Georgetown University (LLM) Georgetown University (Ph.D.)

Richard Rahul Verma (born November 27, 1968) is an Indian-American lawyer and the former U.S. Ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017.[1] Verma previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 2009 to 2011.[2] He is currently the Executive Vice President of Global Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Mastercard, a position he has held since October 2020.[3]

After leaving government, Verma served as Vice Chair of The Asia Group from 2017 to 2020, where he oversaw the firm's South Asia practice.[4] He also practiced law for many years at Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Washington DC.

Early life and education[]

Verma's parents were born in India and lived through the Partition of India. They first immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s. Verma's father was an English professor[5] at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for forty years. His late mother was a special education teacher.

The youngest of five children, Verma grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and attended public school in the Westmont Hilltop School District.[6] Verma holds degrees from Georgetown University (Ph.D.), Georgetown University Law Center (LLM), American University Washington College of Law (JD), and Lehigh University (BS, Industrial Engineering). At Lehigh, Verma was in ROTC, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, and his senior class president.

Career[]

Barack Obama with Richard Verma
Barack Obama with Richard Verma, December 2014
Richard Verma with India's then Revenue Secretary, Shaktikanta Das at the signing of FATCA.

Verma began his career in the U.S. Air Force as an Air Force judge advocate, serving on active duty from 1994 to 1998. His military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

Verma later served as the Senior National Security Advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 2002 to 2007.[7] In 2008, he was a member of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism, and co-authored World at Risk (2008).[8]

After the inauguration of President Barack Obama, he joined the State Department in 2009 as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under Secretary Hillary Clinton, replacing Matthew A. Reynolds.[9]

Richard Verma US Ambassador to India at Gymmkhana Club

U.S. Ambassador to India[]

In September 2014, President Obama nominated Verma as the next U.S. Ambassador to India.[10][11] On December 4, 2014, the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations voted to forward Verma's nomination to the full Senate. On December 9, 2014, Verma was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate[12]

Verma was the first person of Indian descent to hold the position.[13]

As U.S. Ambassador to India, Verma is credited with the historic deepening and expansion of U.S.-India bilateral ties. Verma oversaw one of the largest U.S. diplomatic missions in the world, including four consulates with staff from nearly every agency in the U.S. Government. During his tenure, he championed historic progress in U.S.-India relations. He oversaw several meetings between President Obama and Prime Minister Modi, and created over 100 new initiatives and more than 40 government-to-government dialogues. He was also the first U.S. Ambassador to travel to every Indian state.

Post Ambassadorship[]

Verma stepped down from his post as Ambassador on January 20, 2017 following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.[14][15]

Verma currently serves as Executive Vice President of Global Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Mastercard. Verma is also an active thought leader and commentator on international relations, international law, trade, and diplomacy. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and serves on the boards of T. Rowe Price[16] and the National Endowment for Democracy. He is a trustee of Lehigh University, where he gave the 151st commencement address in May 2019.[17] He was a Centennial Fellow at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service[18] and co-chaired the Center for American Progress’ U.S.-India Task Force. [15]

Personal life[]

Secretary of State John Kerry greets members of Verma's family in New Delhi.

Verma is married and has three children and a pet fox terrier named Arlo.

He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the State Department's Distinguished Service Medal, the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, and the Chief Justice John Marshall Lifetime Service Award. He was named by India Abroad magazine as one of the fifty most influential Indian-Americans in the country.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ Revesz, Rachel (January 20, 2017). "Donald Trump has fired all foreign US ambassadors with nobody to replace them". The Independent. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  2. ^ "Verma, Richard R". State.gov. 2009-04-06. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  3. ^ "Mastercard Names Richard Verma Executive Vice President of Global Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs". investor.mastercard.com. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  4. ^ Haniffa, Aziz. "Former envoy Verma joins The Asia Group". IndiaAbroad.com. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  5. ^ The Indian Imagination: Critical Essays on Indian Writing in English, K.D. Verma, Palgrave Macmillan, Jun 3, 2000
  6. ^ Obama names Richard Verma as new US envoy to India on rediff
  7. ^ "Decision Makers - Richard Verma - National Journal Online". Nationaljournal.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  8. ^ Verma, Richard; Graham, Bob; Talent, Jim; Allison, Graham; Roemer, Tim; Sherman, Wendy (December 3, 2008). World at Risk: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism (2008 ed.). Vintage. pp. 132. ISBN 978-0307473264. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  9. ^ "Obama names envoys to Afghanistan, Iraq". The Daily Herald. 12 Mar 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Obama nominates Indian-American as ambassador to India". Reuters. Retrieved 2014-09-19.
  11. ^ Harris, Gardiner (19 September 2014). "Lawyer Nominated as Ambassador to India". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  12. ^ Desai, Ronak D. (2014-12-12). "Understanding Richard Verma's Swift Senate Confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to India". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  13. ^ "Rich Verma confirmed as US ambassador to India". Hindustan Times. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  14. ^ Desai, Ronak D. "U.S. Ambassador To India Richard Verma Leaves A Lasting Legacy To Follow". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  15. ^ a b Reporter, SUNITA SOHRABJI, India-West Staff. "Rich Verma, Former U.S. Ambassador to India, Joins USISPF Board". India West. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  16. ^ "T. Rowe Price bio". T. Rowe Price.
  17. ^ University, Lehigh (2019-03-06). "Former U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma to Deliver 2019 Commencement Address". Lehigh University. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  18. ^ "Former U.S. Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, Joins SFS as a Centennial Fellow - School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University". School of Foreign Service - Georgetown University. 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  19. ^ "A new U.S. ambassador to India". Lehigh University. Retrieved 2019-07-23.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
2009–2011 		Succeeded by
Joseph Macmanus
Acting
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to India
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Kenneth I. Juster
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