Know about ex-US ambassador Richard Verma, nominated by President Joe Biden for new role

According to a White House press release, President Joe Biden announced on Friday his intention to nominate Richard R. Verma, a former US ambassador to India, to be deputy secretary of state for management and resources. During the Obama administration, he was the US Ambassador to India and the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, according to the release.

Early life and education

Verma, who was born in 1968 to an Indian immigrant, grew up in Pennsylvania. He attended a private college on a US Air Force scholarship. In 1990, he graduated with honours from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Later, in 1993, he graduated with honours from the American University Law School, and in 1998, he received his LLM with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Career

He worked as a distinction in the United States Air Force. From 2002 to 2007, Verma served as senior national security advisor to the Senate majority leader, and from 2014 to 2017, he served as US Ambassador to India. Verma is credited with championing historic progress in defence, trade, and clean energy cooperation during his tenure as ambassador. Verma has served as Mastercard's chief legal officer and global head of public policy, as a partner at international law firm Steptoe & Johnson, and as a senior counsellor with the strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group. He has also held executive positions at T. Rowe Price, an investment management firm, and The Asia Group, a business advisory firm. Verma also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Ford Foundation.

Awards and honours

Richard Verma received the Meritorious Service Medal in 1998, the Air Force Commendation Medal in 1996, and the National Defense Service Medal in 2007. (1994). In 2013, he received the State Department's Distinguished Service Award. A leading community newspaper named him one of the 50 Most Influential Indian Americans in the United States in June 2007.

FAQs:

Q1. Where was Richard Verma Born?
Richard Verma was born in 1968 to an Indian immigrant in Edmonton, Canada.

Q2. Which new position is appointed to Richard Verma?
Richard R. Verma was nominated as a deputy secretary of state for management and resources.