| Richard H. Riley IV | |
| Office: | United States Ambassador to Somalia |
| Term Start: | June 21, 2024[1] |
| President: | Joe Biden |
| Predecessor: | Larry Andre Jr. |
| Birth Name: | Richard H. Riley IV |
| Education: | University of Georgia (BBA) Harvard Business School (MBA) National War College (MS) |
Richard H. Riley IV is an American diplomat who is serving US Ambassador to Somalia.[2]
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.[3]
Riley is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He currently serves as Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the United States Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Riley previously served as Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Peshawar, Pakistan. He has also served as the Charge d'affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, Assistant Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen. Riley also performed leadership roles during multiple tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) for the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan and two tours of duty in Iraq, both in Nassiriyah (Dhi Qar) province and at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. His other leadership roles in the U.S. Foreign Service have included, Deputy Director of the Office of Egypt and Levant Affairs at the United States Department of State, as well as assignments in London, England, Moscow, Russia, Beijing and Chengdu, China, as well as Kingston, Jamaica. Riley also has extensive private sector experience, having worked as a Strategy Consultant for both Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, LLC in Hong Kong and San Francisco, California, following earning his MBA at Harvard in 1997.
On March 27, 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Riley to be the next ambassador to Somalia. His nomination was confirmed by the full United States Senate via voice vote on May 2, 2023. He arrived in Mogadishu on June 17, 2024.[4] He presented his credentials to President Hassan Sheik Mohamud on June 21, 2024[5]
Riley speaks Mandarin Chinese, French, Russian, Arabic, and Pashto.