Richard Carlton Paschall III

Richard Carlton Paschall III is an American diplomat who has served as the United States Ambassador to the Gambia since 2019.

Early life and education

Paschall earned a Bachelor of Arts from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Master of Science from the National Defense University.

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 at the State Department, at the U.S. Embassies in Iraq and Chad, 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 at the State Department.

On August 16, 2018, President Donald Trump 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 the United States Senate. 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 on April 9, 2019.

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 Colonel Jane Ellen Miller Paschall (U.S. Army, Judge Advocate, retired), an attorney with expertise in international law, military justice, and rule of law capacity building, and is the proud father of two adult sons. He speaks French and Arabic, and is studying Wolof and Mandinka.