The Ford School mourns the loss of Ambassador (ret.) Richard A. Boucher, who was a frequent presence at Weill Hall Ann Arbor for many years. He died on June 27 at his home in Arlington, Va.
During his thirty-two years career in U.S. diplomacy, he served longer than anyone else as a State Department spokesman, working for six secretaries of state, from George H.W. Bush’s administration to George W. Bush’s. He served in numerous other leadership positions, including Ambassador to Cyprus (1993-1996) and U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong (1996-1999). From 2006 to 2009 he served as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. After retiring from the State Department Ambassador Boucher served as Deputy Secretary-General for Global Affairs at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris.
With the Ford School, he was a Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence in Winter terms of 2014 and 2016, and also returned to Ann Arbor in Winter 2020 and Autumn 2022.