Brian Andrew Nichols (born 1965 in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

diplomat who served as

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs within the United States Department of State, the foreign affairs department of the United States federal government. The As ...

until his retirement in January 2025. He previously served as the

United States Ambassador to Peru The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to Peru. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.'' List of re ...

from 2014 until 2017, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe from 2018 until 2021.

Ambassadorships

During his time at the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

, Nichols had served as ambassadors to several countries.

Ambassador to Peru

Nichols served as the

from 2014 until 2017, when he was succeeded by Krishna Urs.

Ambassador to Zimbabwe

In June 2018, he was nominated to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe by President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. On June 28, 2018, his nomination was confirmed in the Senate by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...

. On July 19, 2018, Nichols presented his credentials to President

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa ( , ; born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as the president of Zimbabwe since 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former president Robert Mugabe, he held a series of cabin ...

. During the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

in the United States, Nichols was summoned by the government of Zimbabwe after U.S. Secretary Advisor

Robert C. O'Brien Robert Charles O'Brien Jr. (born June 18, 1966) is an American attorney who was the twenty-seventh United States national security advisor from 2019 to 2021. He was the fourth and final person to hold the position during the first presidency of ...

labeled Zimbabwe as a "foreign adversary" that was fomenting the protests and threatened with retaliatory action. In late July 2020, he was threatened with expulsion from the country and called a "thug" by the ruling party after accusations that he was helping organizers of an anti-government march against President

Biden administration

On March 26, 2021, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

announced his intent to nominate Nichols to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. On September 13, 2021, his nomination was confirmed in the Senate by voice vote. On 28 February 2023, Nichols urged Peru’s Congress to expedite early elections and Peru’s president to promptly end the country's political crisis, leading to criticism in Peru and from Mexican President

Andrés Manuel López Obrador Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican former politician, political scientist, public administrator and writer who served as the 65th president of Mexico from 2018 to 2024. He se ...

. Nichols retired from the

Foreign Service Foreign Service may refer to: * Diplomatic service, the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country * United States Foreign Service, the diplomatic service of the United States government **Foreign Service ...

on December 31, 2024, after 36 years of service.

Honors

* Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Sun of Peru The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...

*Two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards *2016 Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development

Personal life

Nichols and his wife, Geraldine Kam, have two daughters. He speaks

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Brian A. 1965 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century African-American people African-American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Peru Ambassadors of the United States to Zimbabwe Biden administration personnel Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Tufts University alumni United States assistant secretaries of state