Diplomat Richard Verma Joins Georgetown University as Distinguished Ambassadorial Fellow
LOS ANGELES:- Diplomat Richard Verma, a former U.S. Ambassador to India, has joined Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service as a Distinguished Ambassador Fellow and Dean’s Fellow.
Verma will serve as a fellow with the school’s Asian Studies Program. He will teach a course on U.S.-India relations to graduate students, focusing on career paths in international affairs and current issues.
He will also work with students, participate in public events, and continue his scholarship and teaching at the school.
Verma served as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources from 2023 to 2025. Prior to that, he was the U.S. Ambassador to India, where he led the U.S. diplomatic mission.
He is currently the Chief Administrative Officer at Mastercard, overseeing the company’s legal, government affairs and policy, franchise, corporate security, and community and related functions. He previously served as Mastercard’s Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy.
Verma is the Chair of the Advisory Board for Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. He was a Centennial Fellow at the School of Foreign Service in 2017–18.
Early in his government career, Verma served as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs and as National Security Advisor to the Senate Majority Leader. He also served as a member of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board, and the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Verma has received the Meritorious Service Medal and the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award, among other military and civilian honors.
Verma holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from Georgetown University, a law degree (*cum laude*) from American University, a Master of Laws with distinction in International Law from Georgetown University Law Center, and a Bachelor of Science from Lehigh University.
