President Biden nominated Elizabeth Richard, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, to serve as Coordinator for Counterterrorism, with the rank and status of Ambassador at Large, at the State Department.
With the class of Career Minister, Richard currently serves as a Senior Fellow of the Department of State on detail to Georgetown University. Prior to that, Richard was the U.S. Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic.
She has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen. Earlier in her career, she was the Border Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan and Director for Counter-Narcotics, Law Enforcement and Rule of Law Programs at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan.
Her service has also included tours in Italy, Thailand, Singapore and Ecuador and as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Richard earned a B.A. and J.D. from Southern Methodist University and an M.S. from the National War College. She is the recipient of a Presidential Meritorious Service Award and speaks Italian, Spanish, and French.
