Richard K. Bell is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Ivory Coast from October 10, 2019, to January 31, 2023.

Richard K. Bell
United States Ambassador to Ivory Coast
In office
October 10, 2019 – January 31, 2023[1]
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byKatherine Brucker
Chargé d'affaires
Succeeded byJessica Davis Ba
Personal details
NationalityAmerican
EducationPennsylvania State University (B.A.)
Boston University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (M.S.)

Education

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Bell earned his Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University in French and a Master of Science in Management[2] from Boston University’s International Program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Beersheba, Israel.[3]

Career

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Early in his career, Bell was Team Leader of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Salahaddin, Iraq, and the regional coordinator for Northeast Iraq and provincial reconstruction team leader in Kirkuk, Iraq. Previous assignments include as foreign policy advisor to the United States Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany, Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Niamey, Niger, and head of the Political and Economic Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Most recently he served as Chargé d'affaires for the Embassy in N’Djamena, Chad.[3]

Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire

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On November 26, 2018, President Trump nominated Bell as the next United States Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire.[4] Hearings were held on his nomination before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 17, 2019. The committee reported his nomination favorably on July 25, 2019. On August 1, 2019, Bell's nomination was confirmed by voice vote in the United States Senate.[5] He presented his credentials to President Alassane Ouattara on October 10, 2019.[6][7]

Personal life

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Bell speaks French and Arabic.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Côte d'Ivoire-USA : En fin de mission, Bell félicite Ouattara et le peuple ivoirien pour les progrès réalisés au moment où tous ses voisins ont de sérieux problèmes".
  2. ^ "Ambassador Richard K. Bell". U.S. Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts" White House, November 26, 2018   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts". www.whitehouse.gov. November 26, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  5. ^ "PN4 - Nomination of Richard K. Bell for Department of State, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. August 1, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "L'Ambassadeur des Etats-Unis Richard K. Bell présente ses lettres de créances au Président Alassane Ouattara". Africanews (in French). October 10, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "Richard K. Bell - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Katherine Brucker
Chargé d'affaires
United States Ambassador to Ivory Coast
2019–2023
Succeeded by