About

John Cotton Richmond

Ambassador Richmond is an attorney and diplomat focused on ethical business, human rights, democracy, and rule of law. His career has taken him to the front lines in the global battle against human trafficking. Ambassador Richmond currently leads the Libertas Council that works to galvanize global leaders to shape solutions that affirm human dignity by combatting human trafficking. He also serves as the Chief Impact Officer at Atlas Free, working to resource and accelerate organizations fighting human trafficking.  

Previously, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Ambassador Richmond and he served as the U.S. Ambassador to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons from 2018 to 2021. Serving in the nation’s highest-ranking position dedicated to human trafficking, he led U.S. foreign policy related to modern slavery and coordinated the U.S. government’s response to the crime.

Ambassador Richmond also served for over a decade as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, where he prosecuted numerous victim-centered labor and sex trafficking cases. He also lived in India for three years pioneering International Justice Mission’s slavery work.

Ambassador Richmond has received numerous honors and commendations, including being named a “Prosecutor of the Year” and receiving the “Wilberforce Award for Exceptional Leadership in the Fight Against Human Trafficking” and the “David Alred Award for exceptional contributions to civil rights”. His work caused the former head of the FBI’s human trafficking program to call him “every trafficker’s worst nightmare”.

Ambassador Richmond received his undergraduate degree from the University of Mary Washington and his law degree from Wake Forest University. He is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, Senior Advisor to Love Does, and frequent speaker on topics of faith, justice, and vocation. He lives in Virginia with his talented wife and they have three wonderful children.

"We are not powerless to do something about human trafficking."

- John Cotton Richmond

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