Since he graduated from Lehigh in 1990 with a B.S. in industrial engineering and a minor in international relations, Richard Verma’s life has been on an upward trajectory.

Verma attended Lehigh on an Air Force ROTC scholarship. He earned a law degree from American University and an international law degree from Georgetown, and then served as a judge advocate for the Air Force and a national security adviser to members of Congress.

As assistant secretary of state under Hillary Clinton, Verma led the Obama administration’s negotiations with Congress for new sanctions on Iran while working for passage of the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia. He received the Distinguished Service Medal, the State Department’s highest civilian honor.

In 2014, President Obama nominated Verma to be U.S. ambassador to India, the world’s largest democracy. Unanimously confirmed by the Senate, Verma became the first Indian-American to serve as ambassador in a major country.