THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2024 89 Life After the Foreign Service From U.S. Diplomat to Diplomatic Educator RETIREMENT SUPPLEMENT Richard W. Mueller joined the Foreign Service in 1966. He served two tours as a political officer at Embassy Saigon during the Vietnam War, as an economic officer at the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing and in Hong Kong, and as deputy executive secretary and deputy assistant secretary in Legislative Affairs. His final assignment was as U.S. consul general in Hong Kong. After retirement, he served as head of school at Northfield Mount Hermon School, Hong Kong International School, and Shanghai American School. He and his wife, Claire—also retired Foreign Service—currently live in Golden, Colorado. Learn more about this experience in his memoir, From American Diplomat to Diplomatic Educator: Building Global Bridges to Understanding (2023). The following exchange took place in November 1997 in Hong Kong: Bill: I’d like to ask you a serious question. Please don’t say no right away! Richard: Sure. Bill: You know that our head of school of Northfield Mount Hermon School [NMH] is retiring next summer after 10 years. You should put your hat in the ring to replace her. You have experience and skills that could make you the right leader for the next chapter of our school’s history. This retired FSO made the move from diplomat to international educator. Here’s how it happened. BY RICHARD W. MUELLER Richard: Bill, I’m a diplomat, not an educator! Bill: Richard, I assure you that diplomacy will go a long way in the world of education. Bill Rhodes was chair of the Board of Trustees of NMH and senior vice chair of Citigroup. I was a 32-year career Foreign Service officer, Senior Foreign Service, FEMC, who had just finished up his tour as American consul general in Hong Kong and was awaiting an ambassadorial assignment. In the interim, I served as director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. How did we ever get to this conversation? In a word: serendipity. Shortly after becoming consul general, I had lunch with Bill to discuss China, Hong Kong, and the looming 1997 reversion of Hong Kong to China. Toward the end of the meal, Bill said he needed to catch a flight to New York, where he would chair a meeting of the trustees of a New England boarding school. I asked which school. Bill replied, “Northfield Mount Hermon School, do you know it?” I laughed and said in fact I was a graduate of the school. Bill was visibly surprised as he took in the news that we were both alumni. Bill and I stayed in touch. It never occurred to me that my next “assignment” might be as head of school. After our meeting in 1997, Bill invited me to meet with the school’s search
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