Richard Verma


Richard Rahul Verma is a Canadian-born Indian-American lawyer and the former U.S. Ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017. Verma previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of State from 2009 to 2011.
Verma currently serves as Vice Chairman of The Asia Group.

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 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. Verma holds degrees from Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law Center, American University Washington College of Law, and Lehigh University. At Lehigh, Verma was in ROTC, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, and his senior class president.

Career

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 Meritious 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. In 2008, he was a member of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism, and co-authored World at Risk.
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.

U.S. Ambassador to India

In September 2014, President Obama nominated Verma as the next U.S. Ambassador to India. 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
Verma was the first person of Indian descent to hold the position.
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.
Verma currently serves as Vice Chairman of The Asia Group. Verma is also an active thought leader and commentator on international relations, international law, trade, and diplomacy. He is a Centennial Fellow at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He also co-chairs the Center for American Progress’ U.S.-India Task Force and serves on the boards of T. Rowe Price and the National Endowment for Democracy. He is a trustee of Lehigh University, where he gave the 151st commencement address in May 2019.

Personal life

Verma is married with three children and has 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.