John Cotton Richmond

Ambassador John Cotton Richmond serves as a senior adviser for the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is an attorney and diplomat dedicated to combating human trafficking, fortifying national security, and supporting economic prosperity. The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed John to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat trafficking in persons, the nation’s highest-ranking position in the fight for human freedom. For over a decade, he was a federal prosecutor and founding member of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, where he was named one of the Federal Prosecutors of the Year. John pioneered International Justice Mission’s human trafficking work in India and currently teaches Human Trafficking Law at Pepperdine’s and Vanderbilt’s law schools. Richmond works with governments, companies, and nonprofits to eliminate forced labor from supply chains and sex trafficking from communities. He is the chief impact officer of Atlas Free, the founder of the Libertas Council, a senior adviser to Love Does, a fellow at the C.S. Lewis Institute, and regularly speaks on public justice systems, foreign policy, leadership, vocation, and meaningful work.