Richard Verma Discusses Global Challenges, Opportunities at Inaugural Presidential Distinguished Fellow Lecture

Reflecting on experiences from his distinguished career in public service and the private sector, Richard Verma ’90 told the audience gathered at Baker Hall in Zoellner Arts Center that although national and global challenges in a rapidly changing world can feel overwhelming, progress and the betterment of future generations starts close to home within communities like the Lehigh Valley.

The former U.S. ambassador to India and former U.S. deputy secretary of state for management and resources returned to Lehigh University to present the Presidential Distinguished Fellow Lecture titled “From South Mountain to the State Department: A Diplomat's View of Global Challenges and Opportunities” on Tuesday, April 15. The lecture began with remarks from Verma followed by a conversation and audience question-and-answer session led by President Joseph J. Helble ’82.

Verma, a former Lehigh University Trustee, is the university’s inaugural President’s Distinguished Fellow and began his six-month appointment in February. As the President’s Distinguished Fellow, Verma engages with Lehigh students and the broader university community through a variety of activities, drawing on his extensive experience in government, diplomacy and international relations.

In addition to his former role as deputy secretary of state, Verma served as the assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs and national security advisor to the senate majority leader. As a former general counsel and head of global public policy at Mastercard, Verma has also navigated complex international issues from the private sector. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he earned military honors, including the Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal. Verma attended Lehigh on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, and he earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering with a minor in international relations.

“I had the privilege of first meeting [Richard] early in my tenure as president [when he was] a member of Lehigh’s board of trustees,” Helble said before introducing Verma and welcoming him to the stage.

Some of the challenges he saw included renewed great power competition with China and Russia, the Middle East being consumed with instability, displacement and uncertainty, and global threats of terrorism.

Verma also noted a specific group of challenges that he said Bill Burns, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, referred to as “problems without passports.” Challenges like these include the impact of the world-wide, COVID-19 pandemic, massive advances in technology and the detrimental impact from climate change. Verma said these challenges have an ability to move quickly, yet know no border and have an outsized impact.

“All of these factors place added pressures on governments to deliver and most simply can’t, which leads to an erosion of confidence in democratic governance and institutions as the consequences of all these dizzying array of threats have wide-reaching implications,” Verma said.

While there are great challenges, Verma also mentioned promising developments and trends globally, specifically within global development indicators. Average life expectancy and global literacy rates continue to climb, child mortality rates are down 60% in the last 30 years and nearly 70 countries held elections in 2024 with over 2 billion people casting votes.

He also mentioned how technological advancements have resulted in a more connected, informed and interdependent world. Millions of people worldwide are selling goods and connecting to foreign markets all with a keystroke, making them engaged participants in the international economic systems, he said.

While the advancements in quantum computing and artificial intelligence have their share of risks, they also allow us to make findings, correlations and discoveries that were once thought to be out of reach, he said.

“We will be able to soon land on Mars, we will discover new cures for endemic diseases and we will continue to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty and into the middle class,” Verma said.

He said that Americans continue to do so much good in the world, from the work of the U.S. State Department, military and Peace Corps volunteers to workers aiding in charitable organizations. He also stressed that American engagement and leadership in the world matters more than ever before, and that foreign policy begins at home.

He told the audience that they have a greater role to play in the execution of U.S. foreign policy than they might even imagine, simply by traveling, trading, studying and visiting in a foreign country.

“The people-to-people contacts that you make, the friendships and relationships you build, the values you share… this will be the glue that holds us together,” Verma said. “This is the connective tissue that withstands political disruption and the noise of social media. You actually are practicing foreign policy whether you realize it or not, and I would simply say, ‘Thank you, and keep it up.’”

Verma recalled a time when he met with President Obama in the Oval Office ahead of a visit to India as the country’s U.S. ambassador.

“[President Obama] reminded me that when you consider the course of human history, we are in these jobs but for the blink of an eye, and that we just have to stay true to our values and make the place a little better for those who come after you,” Verma said.

He encouraged the audience to keep working for the betterment of future generations, even though progress may seem slow and uncertain.

“Thank you, Lehigh and the Lehigh Valley. You do have a lot of heart and outstanding character, and I know we all will keep laboring until the work is done to make things just a bit better for all those who come after us,” Verma said.

Following Verma’s remarks, Helble engaged in a conversation with Verma before opening it up to questions from the audience. Helble asked about Verma’s experience as U.S. ambassador to India, as well as the current state of relations between the U.S. and India.

Verma reflected on words that President Obama and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi had shared with him—that “the real measure of success in the relationship was not what we would do for each other, but what we were doing for others in the world.”

Verma explained that the U.S. and India working together to bring agriculture, health solutions, science, innovation and discoveries to other parts of the world sends a powerful message and measure of success that he wanted people to remember. He said that while the U.S. has done exceptionally well in working on key pillars of cooperation, there’s still progress to be made, and he feels optimistic about the future.

Over the course of his appointment as the President’s Distinguished Fellow, Verma will continue to lead discussions on key national and global issues, share insights on leadership in complex times, guest lecture classes and mentor students. Verma also will host programs in New York City and Washington, D.C., as well as on the Lehigh campus.