Richard Rahul Verma (born November 27, 1968) is an Indian-American lawyer, diplomat, and executive, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to India from 2014 to 2017. Verma previously served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs from 2009 to 2011. He is currently the Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at Mastercard, a position he has held since October 2020. In December 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate him for the role of Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. After leaving government, Verma served as 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. Early life and education Verma's 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. 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 (Ph.D.), Georgetown University Law Center (LLM), American University Washington College of Law (JD), and Lehigh University (BS, Industrial Engineering). At Lehigh, Verma was in ROTC, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, and his senior class president. Early career Verma began his career in the United States 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