Richard Verma

Rich Verma serves as senior counselor to the Albright Stonebridge Group as well as to the global law firm of Steptoe & Johnson. His practice focuses on international law and regulatory issues, with a specialization in Asia and emerging markets. Rich was most recently an assistant secretary of state in the Obama Administration where he was a senior member of Secretary Clinton’s team. Rich previously worked in the Senate as the senior national security advisor to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He also worked in the House of Representatives for Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Committee Jack Murtha. Rich is veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he served on active duty as a judge advocate. Rich was also a country director for the National Democratic Institute in Bucharest, Romania. In 2008, Rich was appointed a commissioner to the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Commission chaired by Senators Graham and Talent. He is a co-author of their landmark report, “World at Risk.” Rich is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the boards of the National Democratic Institute and Human Rights First. Rich is the recipient of the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award, the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, and his military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal. Rich currently serves as a National Security Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and he holds degrees from the Georgetown University Law Center (LLM), American University’s Washington College of Law (JD), and Lehigh University (BS).