{{Short description|American diplomat}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Richard K. Bell | honorific_suffix = | image = Richard_K._Bell_official_photo_(cropped).jpg | alt = | order = | ambassador_from = United States | country = Ivory Coast | president = Donald Trump<br>Joe Biden | term_start = October 10, 2019 | term_end = January 31, 2023<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.koaci.com/article/2023/01/31/cote-divoire/politique/cote-divoire-usa-en-fin-de-mission-bell-felicite-ouattara-et-le-peuple-ivoirien-pour-les-progres-realises-au-moment-ou-tous-ses-voisins-ont-de-serieux-problemes_166685.html | title=Côte d'Ivoire-USA : En fin de mission, Bell félicite Ouattara et le peuple ivoirien pour les progrès réalisés au moment où tous ses voisins ont de sérieux problèmes }}</ref> | predecessor = Katherine Brucker<br>{{small|Chargé d'affaires}} | successor = Jessica Davis Ba | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | party = | relations = | children = | education = Pennsylvania State University (B.A.)<br>Boston University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (M.S.) | occupation = | profession = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes = }}
'''Richard Keith Bell''' is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Ivory Coast from October 10, 2019, to January 31, 2023.
== Education ==
Bell earned his Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University in French and a Master of Science in Management<ref name="cie">{{cite web |title=Ambassador Richard K. Bell |url=https://ci.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |website=U.S. Embassy in Cote d'Ivoire |access-date=31 January 2020 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090414/https://ci.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> from Boston University’s International Program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, in Beersheba, Israel.<ref name="WHBio">[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-appoint-personnel-key-administration-posts-22/ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts" White House, November 26, 2018] {{PD-notice}}</ref>
== Career ==
Early in his career, Bell was Team Leader of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Salahaddin, Iraq, and the regional coordinator for Northeast Iraq and provincial reconstruction team leader in Kirkuk, Iraq. Previous assignments include as foreign policy advisor to the United States Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany, Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Niamey, Niger, and head of the Political and Economic Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Most recently he served as Chargé d'affaires for the Embassy in N’Djamena, Chad.<ref name="WHBio" />
===Ambassador to Cote d'Ivoire=== On November 26, 2018, President Trump nominated Bell as the next United States Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ci.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |title=President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts |date=November 26, 2018 |website=White House |access-date=June 28, 2020 |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327090414/https://ci.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Hearings were held on his nomination before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 17, 2019. The committee reported his nomination favorably on July 25, 2019. On August 1, 2019, Bell's nomination was confirmed by voice vote in the United States Senate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/4 |title=PN4 - Nomination of Richard K. Bell for Department of State, 116th Congress (2019-2020) |date=August 1, 2019 |website=www.congress.gov |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref> He presented his credentials to President Alassane Ouattara on October 10, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fr.africanews.com/2019/10/10/lambassadeur-des-etats-unis-richard-k-bell-presente-ses-lettres-de-creances-au-president-alassane-ouattara/ |title=L'Ambassadeur des Etats-Unis Richard K. Bell présente ses lettres de créances au Président Alassane Ouattara |date=October 10, 2019 |website=Africanews |language=fr |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/bell-richard-k |title=Richard K. Bell - People - Department History - Office of the Historian |website=history.state.gov |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref>
== Personal life ==
Bell speaks French and Arabic.<ref name="WHBio" />
==See also== *List of ambassadors of the United States
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef|before=Katherine Brucker<br>{{small|Chargé d'affaires}}}} {{s-ttl|title=United States Ambassador to Ivory Coast|years=2019–2023}} {{s-aft|after=Jessica Davis Ba}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Richard K.}} Category:21st-century American diplomats Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Ivory Coast Category:Ben-Gurion University of the Negev alumni Category:Pennsylvania State University alumni Category:Boston University School of Management alumni Category:Diplomats from Pennsylvania Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Place of birth missing (living people)