Richard Carlton Paschall III is an American diplomat who served as the

United States ambassador to the Gambia This is a list of United States ambassadors to the Gambia, the first of who was appointed on May 18, 1965, exactly three months after it attained independence from the United Kingdom. Ambassadors Notes See also *The Gambia–United States r ...

from 2019 to 2022.

Early life and education

Paschall earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

and a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

."President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate, Designate, and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts" White House, August 16, 2018

Career

Paschall is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor. He has served with the Foreign Service since 1991. He served in leadership positions in the

Bureau of African Affairs In the United States government, the Bureau of African Affairs (AF) is part of the U.S. Department of State and is charged with advising the Secretary of State on matters of Sub-Saharan Africa. The bureau was established in 1958. It is headed b ...

at the State Department, at the U.S. Embassies in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

, and as Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commander of the Special Operations Command-Africa. He was also the Deputy Coordinator for Military Coordination and Operations in the

Bureau of Counterterrorism The Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism (CT) is a bureau of the United States Department of State. It coordinates all U.S. Government efforts to improve counter-terrorism cooperation with foreign governments and participate ...

at the State Department. On August 16, 2018, President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

announced his intent to nominate Paschall to be the next United States Ambassador to the Gambia. On January 2, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. He was sworn into office on January 15, 2019. Paschall arrived in The Gambia on March 14, 2019, and presented his credentials to President

Adama Barrow Adama Barrow ( ff, 𞤀𞥄𞤣𞤢𞤥𞤢 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤪𞤮, Aadama Baaro, born 15 February 1965) is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of the Gambia since 2017. Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village ...

on April 9, 2019. His mission ended on February 15, 2022.

Awards

He is the recipient of numerous notable State Department awards as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

Personal life

Paschall is married to Jane Ellen Miller Paschall, an attorney with expertise in international law, military justice, and rule of law capacity building, and father of two sons: His namesake, Richard Carlton Paschall IV, and William Currie Paschall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paschall, Richard Carlton III Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to the Gambia National Defense University alumni United States Foreign Service personnel University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Year of birth missing (living people)