HB Tamrakar,Kathmandu — Dean Richard Thompson, a seasoned American diplomat, has been serving as the United States Ambassador to Nepal since October 21, 2022.
Born in 1967, Ambassador Thompson is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, holding the rank of Minister-Counselor. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has held several key positions within the U.S. Department of State and diplomatic missions around the world.
Thompson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wittenberg University, a Master of Arts from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, and a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College, National Defense University.
He has served as Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Kolkata, India, Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In Washington, he has worked as Director of the State Department’s Executive Secretariat Staff, Deputy Director of the Operations Center, and Director of the Crisis Management Staff, among other leadership roles.
Before joining the Foreign Service, Thompson worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, focusing on counterproliferation issues and U.S. security assistance to South Korea. He speaks Romanian and Bengali.
On March 29, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Thompson as the next U.S. Ambassador to Nepal. Following confirmation by the U.S. Senate on August 5, 2022, he officially presented his credentials to then-President Bidya Devi Bhandari on October 21, 2022.
Ambassador Thompson’s leadership is viewed as a vital link in further strengthening bilateral relations between Nepal and the United States, with a focus on democratic partnership, development cooperation, and regional stability.
