Richard R. Verma

Richard Verma
Official portrait, 2023
5th United States Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
In office
April 5, 2023 – January 20, 2025
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byBrian P. McKeon
Succeeded byMichael Rigas
United States Ambassador to India
In office
January 16, 2015 – January 20, 2017
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byKathleen Stephens (Acting)
Succeeded byMaryKay Carlson (Acting)
28th Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
In office
April 6, 2009 – March 14, 2011
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byMatthew Reynolds
Succeeded byDavid S. Adams
Personal details
BornRichard Rahul Verma
(1968-11-27) November 27, 1968 (age 57)
Edmonton, Canada
PartyDemocratic
SpouseMelineh Verma
Children3
EducationLehigh University (BS)
American University (JD)
Georgetown University (LLM, PhD)
Military service
Branch/service United States Air Force
Years of service
1994–1998
UnitUnited States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps

Richard Rahul Verma (born November 27, 1968) is an American diplomat, who served as the deputy secretary of state for management and resources, a position he held from April 5, 2023, to January 20, 2025. He served as the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs from 2009 to 2011, and as the U.S. ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017. He served as the chief legal officer and head of global public policy at Mastercard, from 2020 to 2023, and as the vice chair of the Asia Group from 2017 to 2020, where he oversaw the firm's South Asia practice. He also practiced law for many years at Steptoe & Johnson LLP in Washington DC, and served as a Senior Counselor and Lead of the India and South Asia practice at Albright Stonebridge Group.

Early life and education

Verma's Punjabi 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, and was originally from Apra, Punjab, India. 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 (PhD), Georgetown University Law Center (LLM), American University Washington College of Law (JD), and Lehigh University (BS, Industrial Engineering). At Lehigh, Verma was an ROTC cadet, member of Lambda Chi Alpha, and senior class president.

Early career

Barack Obama with Richard Verma
Verma with then-president Barack Obama in December 2014
Verma with India's then-revenue secretary Shaktikanta Das at the signing of FATCA in 2015

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

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 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 India–United States relations. He oversaw several meetings between President Obama and Prime Minister Narendra 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-ambassador career

Verma stepped down from his post as ambassador on January 20, 2017, following the inauguration of President Donald Trump.

Verma went on to serve as chief legal officer at Mastercard. Verma is also an active thought leader and commentator on international relations, international law, trade, and diplomacy. He served as a senior fellow the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and served 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. He was a centennial fellow at the Walsh School of Foreign Service and co-chaired the Center for American Progress U.S.-India Task Force.

In May 2022, Verma was appointed to serve as a member of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources

In December 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Verma for the role of deputy secretary of state for management and resources. His nomination was praised by the Indian American Impact Fund. On March 30, 2023, the United States Senate confirmed him by a 67–26 vote. Verma was sworn in on April 5, 2023. On August 16, 2024, he took over the responsibilities of the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery from former Commerce Secretary, Penny Pritzker.

Personal life

Verma is married and has three children.

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Know About Ex-US Ambassador Richard Verma, Nominated By Joe Biden For New Role". The Economic Times. December 24, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "President Biden Announces Nominee for Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources". The White House. December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  3. ↑ Revesz, Rachel (January 20, 2017). "Donald Trump has fired all foreign US ambassadors with nobody to replace them". The Independent. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Verma, Richard R". State.gov. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Mastercard Names Richard Verma Executive Vice President of Global Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs". investor.mastercard.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. ↑ Haniffa, Aziz. "Former envoy Verma joins The Asia Group". IndiaAbroad.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  7. ↑ The Indian Imagination: Critical Essays on Indian Writing in English, K.D. Verma, Palgrave Macmillan, Jun 3, 2000
  8. ↑ Gram (January 28, 2016). "US envoy Richard R Verma wraps up his 'productive' visit to Haryana and Punjab". NewsGram. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  9. ↑ Haniffa, Aziz. "Obama names Richard Verma as new US envoy to India". Rediff. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Decision Makers - Richard Verma - National Journal Online". Nationaljournal.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  11. ↑ 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 September 27, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Obama names envoys to Afghanistan, Iraq". The Daily Herald. March 12, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Obama nominates Indian-American as ambassador to India". Reuters. September 18, 2014. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  14. ↑ Harris, Gardiner (September 19, 2014). "Lawyer Nominated as Ambassador to India". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  15. ↑ Desai, Ronak D. (December 12, 2014). "Understanding Richard Verma's Swift Senate Confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to India". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Rich Verma confirmed as US ambassador to India". Hindustan Times. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  17. ↑ Desai, Ronak D. "U.S. Ambassador To India Richard Verma Leaves A Lasting Legacy To Follow". Forbes. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  18. 1 2 Reporter, SUNITA SOHRABJI, India-West Staff. "Rich Verma, Former U.S. Ambassador to India, Joins USISPF Board". India West. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ "T. Rowe Price bio". T. Rowe Price.
  20. ↑ "Former U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma to Deliver 2019 Commencement Address". Lehigh University. March 6, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  21. ↑ "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. March 24, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  22. ↑ "President Biden Announces Appointments to the President's Intelligence Advisory Board and the National Science Board". The White House. May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Indian American body celebrates Biden nomination of Richard Verma for Deputy Secretary of State". The Indian Express. January 7, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  24. ↑ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Richard R. Verma, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources)". Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  25. ↑ Gowen, Annie (April 9, 2023). "For a new American ambassador, India is a kind of homecoming". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  26. ↑ "A new U.S. ambassador to India". Lehigh University. Retrieved July 23, 2019.