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 Somalia
CANDIDATE: Richard H. Riley
Richard H. Riley, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Previously, Riley was the Consul General at U.S. Consulate General Peshawar, Pakistan, Assistant Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Sana’a, Yemen, and Senior Civilian Representative (Team Leader) at the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Nangahar Province, Afghanistan. Earlier, he was Deputy Director of the Office of Egypt and Levant Affairs at the Department of State, Senior Coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights at U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq, and Deputy Team Leader of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Dhi Qar (Nassiriyah), Iraq. His extensive senior leadership experience, including in Washington and at high-threat posts throughout the region, makes Riley well-qualified to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Somalia.
During thirty years as a Foreign Service officer, Riley has also served as Charge d’Affaires a.i. and Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Oslo, Norway, and in Beijing and Chengdu, China; London, Moscow, and Kingston, Jamaica. He is a recipient of the Matilda Sinclaire Language Award (Russian).
Riley earned a B.B.A. from the University of Georgia at Athens, an M.B.A. at Harvard Business School, and an M.S. (Distinguished Graduate) at the National War College. He speaks Mandarin Chinese, French, Russian, Arabic and Pashto.