REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)
POST: Federal Republic of Nigeria
CANDIDATE: Richard Mills, Jr.
Richard Mills, Jr., a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations. Previously, he was Deputy Chief of Mission and then Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at U.S. Embassy Ottawa, Canada. Prior to that, Mills served as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. He has also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon and as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at U.S. Embassy Valetta, Malta. Other assignments include Senior Democracy Advisor at U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy London, and Political Officer at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Mills’ thirty-year career in the Foreign Service, including tours in challenging security and policy environments, work on sub-Saharan Africa issues, and his management experience and demonstrated ability to lead large interagency teams, make him a well-qualified candidate to be the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mills was an Associate Attorney with the firm of Duncan, Allen and Mitchell in Washington, D.C. A native of Louisiana, Mills earned a B.A. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and a M.S. in National Security Policy from the National Defense University. He is the recipient of multiple State Department awards including five Senior Foreign Service Performance awards and eight Superior Honor Awards. Mills speaks French.