RICHARD Rahul Verma has been nominated as the next US Ambassador to India, becoming the first Indian-American to be appointed for the top diplomatic position in Delhi days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden visit to US.
45-year-old Verma's nomination was announced by President Barack Obama on Friday (September 12) along with several other key administration appointments.
“I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country. I look forward
to working with them in the months and years ahead,” Obama said in a statement.
If confirmed by the Senate, Verma, who earlier served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs and is now in the private sector, would be the first Indian-American to serve as the top US diplomat in New Delhi.
The post in US Embassy in New Delhi has been vacant since the resignation of the ambassador Nancy Powell, during whose stint Indo-US relations witnessed a bitter row over diplomatic privileges. The US Embassy in New Delhi is currently headed by a Charge d'affaires, Kathleen Stephens.
Verma, said to be a close confidant of the President and also former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, currently serves as Senior Counselor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP and
Albright Stonebridge Group. He is also a Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Verma served on active duty in the US Air Force from 1994 to 1998 and received, among other decorations, the Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal.
Verma was also a Field Representative for the National Democratic Institute in Eastern Europe and worked in the House of Representatives for Congressman John P Murtha.
He served on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism in 2008 and has been a member of the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
Verma currently serves on the boards of Human Rights First, the Clinton Foundation, and the National Democratic Institute. He received a BS from Lehigh University, a JD from American University, and an LLM from Georgetown University Law
Center.
