Ambassador Richard J. Schmierer served as U.S. ambassador to Oman from 2009-12. He completed his Foreign Service career in 2014 as the deputy assistant secretary of state for public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern affairs. In 2013, Schmierer served as acting principal deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern Affairs. Previously, he was deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and director of the Office of Iraq Affairs. Schmierer taught at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service from 2005-07, where he published the book Iraq: Policy and Perceptions. He also held diplomatic postings in Iraq, Germany, and Saudi Arabia. Schmierer holds a BA from Lehigh University and an MA and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.