Speakers

Rich Fitzmaurice is currently the head of the new Strategic Communications Unit on the China Desk (EAP/CM).  He joined the Foreign Service in 2007 and most recently was the Political-Economic Chief at U.S. Consulate General Chengdu.   He previously served as the Senior Political Officer in Slovakia, as an INL Counternarcotics Officer in Afghanistan, as the Human Rights Officer in Uzbekistan, and as a Vice Consul at U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou.   Before joining the Foreign Service, Rich taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Turkmenistan, recruited students for U.S. State Department-supported exchange programs in Kyrgyzstan, and attended Kazan State University and volunteered with civil society organizations in Russia on a State Department fellowship.  Rich is originally from the Hudson Valley region of New York State and holds a B.A. from McGill University and an MPA/MA in Russian and East European studies from Indiana University.  He lives in Virginia with his spouse Stephanie, who is also a Foreign Service Officer, and their two young children.  He speaks Mandarin, Russian, and Slovak.