Meet Brian Nichols, new U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe

Nichols

The U.S. Embassy in Harare is delighted to welcome the Honorable Brian A. Nichols as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Zimbabwe. 

Ambassador Nichols presented his credentials to President Emmerson Mnangagwa who officially accepted them on July 19, 2018.

Nichols joins the U.S. Mission in Harare from Washington D.C. where he most recently served as a Senior Advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.  He led the American Embassy in Honduras in February and March 2018 as Chargé d’Affaires. 

He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru from 2014 to 2017.  He led an Embassy with over 1,000 employees and directed a comprehensive effort to combat transnational organized crime in Peru.  He pioneered strategies against illegal gold mining and illegal logging. 

He supported American trade and investment in Peru, including major sales to Peru’s security forces, increasing agricultural sales to over $1 billion annually, defending the rights of American investors, and building the Hemisphere’s largest public-private partnership—the U.S.-Peru Cacao Alliance.  He also pioneered programs to combat environmental degradation in the Amazon.

He was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) from 2011 to 2013.   In that capacity, he oversaw the full range of rule of law programs, counter-narcotics and multilateral issues managed by the bureau. 

He directed INL programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Europe, and Asia.  He also led U.S. delegations to the United Nations in various counter-narcotics and anti-crime fora.  From 2007 to 2010, he served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, where he managed day-to-day U.S. diplomatic activities in Colombia including overseeing over $500 million in annual U.S. development, rule of law and security assistance.  Mr. Nichols previously served as the Director of the Office of Caribbean Affairs, coordinating U.S. policy toward 14 Caribbean countries, including Haiti.   He contributed to U.S. efforts to re-establish democratic governance in Haiti and also served as Counselor for Political Affairs at the American Embassy in Indonesia from 2001 to 2004.  There he worked to assist the Indonesian government to respond to the Bali bombing terrorist attack, strengthen its rule of law institutions, and consolidate its democracy.  He has also served in Mexico and El Salvador during major democratic transitions.  He began his Foreign Service career as a Consular Officer in Lima in 1989.

He earned the 2016 Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development for his efforts in Peru, a 2011 Presidential Meritorious Service Award, six Superior Honor Awards, and multiple other Department of State awards. 

He received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun —the highest State distinction bestowed by Peru in 2017.  A native of Rhode Island, he is a graduate of Moses Brown School and Tufts University. He is married to Foreign Service Officer Geri Kam.  They have two daughters.