The Ford School welcomes Ambassador Richard Boucher as Winter 2014 Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence

January 16, 2014

The Ford School community is delighted to welcome Ambassador Richard Boucher as the Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence during Winter 2014.

The Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence program (T-PMR) was established in 2002 to bring individuals with significant national and/or international policymaking experience to campus to interact with students and faculty. The T-PMR program enhances our curriculum and strengthens our ties to the policy community.

Richard Boucher comes to us following his retirement as Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Prior to joining OECD, Richard enjoyed an extremely successful career with the State Department, becoming the longest-serving Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, serving as spokesman under Secretaries of State Larry Eagleburger, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice. Richard was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in 2006, serving until his retirement from the Foreign Service in 2009.

Among his many diplomatic posts, Richard served as Ambassador to Cyprus (1993-1996), Consul General in Hong Kong (1996-1999), and led U.S. efforts for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) from 1999-2000. Fluent in Chinese, Richard contributed to developing U.S.-China relations throughout his Foreign Service career. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal from 1973-1975. Richard obtained his Bachelor's degree from Tufts University and did graduate work in economics at the George Washington University.

Richard will join the Ford School for the full semester, teaching two graduate level half-semester courses: "Doing Diplomacy" and "Wielding Economic Power." He will deliver a Policy Talks @ the Ford School lecture in March 2014.

In March 2014, the Ford School will welcome a second Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence: Margo Picken, human rights scholar and former director of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia from 2001 to 2007. Margo will teach a graduate level course on human rights and participate in a Policy Talks @ the Ford School event in April 2014.