Biden picks Mills Jr to replace Leonard after 3 years in the post
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Mary Beth Leonard is to be replaced as United States Ambassador to Nigeria after three years of a very effective tenure during which she championed a plethora of activities to strengthen relations between the two nations separated by the Atlantic.
US President Joe Biden has nominated Richard Mills Jr to replace Leonard who was appointed by former President Donald Trump on 24 June 2019.
The nomination of Mills was contained in a release by the White House website, presenting his service in prominent diplomacy capacities for US.
The notice reads:
“Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following leaders to serve as key leaders in his administration:
“Richard Mills, Jr., Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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Career diplomat
“Richard Mills, Jr., a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor, currently serves as the U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
“Previously, he was Deputy Chief of Mission and then Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the U.S. Mission to Canada, the notice added, per Vanguard.
“Prior to that, Mills served as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. He has also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon and as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at U.S. Embassy Valetta, Malta.
“Other assignments include Senior Democracy Advisor at U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy London, and Political Officer at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
“Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mills was an Associate Attorney with the firm of Duncan, Allen and Mitchell in Washington, D.C.
“A native of Louisiana, Mills earned a B.A. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and a M.S. in National Security Policy from the National Defense University.
“He is the recipient of multiple State Department awards and speaks French and Russian.”