President Barack Obama Name Richard Verma Deputy Michael P. Pelletier Role Lawyer | President Barack Obama Spouse Pinky Verma Preceded by Matthew Reynolds Succeeded by Joseph Macmanus | |
 | ||
Preceded by Kathleen Stephens (Acting) Born November 27, 1968 (age 55)
Edmonton, Canada ( 1968-11-27 ) Alma mater Lehigh University
American University
Georgetown University Children Lucy Verma, Dylan Verma, Zoe Verma Parents Kamal Verma, Savitri Verma Education Lehigh University, Washington College of Law, Georgetown University, Georgetown University Law Center Similar People Barack Obama, Nancy Jo Powell, Timothy J Roemer, Rajiv Shah, Vinai K Thummalapally Profiles | ||
U s ambassador richard verma s october blog
Richard Rahul Verma (born November 27, 1968) is an American diplomat and the former United States Ambassador to India from 2015 to 2017. Verma was previously nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009 to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, a position he held until March 2011. Verma began his career as a lawyer with extensive experience in national security and nonproliferation issues.
Contents
- U s ambassador richard verma s october blog
- USIndia relations A conversation with US Ambassador to India Richard Verma
- Early life and education
- Career
- US Ambassador to India
- Personal
- References
U.S.–India relations: A conversation with U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma
Early life and education
Verma’s parents were born in India and lived through the Partition of India. Verma’s father became a professor of English, specializing in Indian Literature, at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for 40 years and his late mother, Savitri, was a special needs school teacher. Richard, the youngest of their five children growing up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, attended public school in the Westmont Hilltop School District. Verma graduated from Lehigh University (BS, Industrial Engineering), American University Washington College of Law (JD), and Georgetown University (LLM). 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. Verma subsequently worked as a lawyer at Steptoe & Johnson until he became a senior adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from 2002 to 2007. In 2007, he was named by the organization "India Abroad" as one of the 50 most influential Indian-Americans. In 2008, he was a member of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD proliferation and terrorism, and co-authored World at Risk (2008).
He joined the State Department in 2007 as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs. After leaving the State Department in 2011, he joined the Washington, D.C. office of Steptoe & Johnson as a senior counselor. He also served as a member of the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
US Ambassador to India
In September 2014 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, the U.S. Senate confirmed Verma in a voice vote. Verma presented his credentials to President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 16, 2015.
Verma was the first person of Indian descent to hold the position.
Personal
Verma is married to Melineh Verma, an attorney. Prior to relocating to New Delhi, both lived in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC. They have six-year-old twins and a nine-year-old daughter.