Richa Bhala

Richa is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. As Deputy Political Counselor at the Venezuela Affairs Unit in Bogota (2019-2021), she helped stand up the remote diplomatic post following the 2019 suspension of operations at U.S. Embassy Caracas (2018-2019). Previously, she served as Line Officer in the Executive Secretariat, supporting the execution of the Secretary of State's global travel agenda (2017-18); Political Officer at U.S. Embassy Brasilia, covering the Operation Carwash corruption scandal (2014-17); Vice-Consul at U.S. Embassy Islamabad (2013-14); and Narcotics Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Bogota (2010-2012) supporting Plan Colombia implementation. Prior to joining the State Department, Richa studied economics at Amherst College in Massachusetts. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, and Urdu. Richa and her husband enjoy cooking and travel.