Drop-in hours: Th 9:00–10:00am and 3:30–5:30pm

Ronald McMullen CV

Ron McMullen is the University of Iowa’s Ambassador in Residence and teaches a variety of courses on comparative politics, diplomacy, and international politics.  

Ron is a former career diplomat with over 30 years of experience as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, including serving as ambassador to the State of Eritrea.  He has lived, worked, or traveled in 105 countries.  In Burma he worked closely with Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and pro-democracy groups.  While posted in Fiji he helped prevent civil conflict after an armed takeover of parliament.  He was shot at during a riot in Sri Lanka and helped train mongooses to detect heroin.  He survived a voodoo curse in the Dominican Republic and took Hillary Clinton on a tour of South Africa’s Robben Island with Nelson Mandela.  

Between foreign assignments, Ron served for three years as Visiting Professor at the Military Academy at West Point, where he taught international relations and comparative politics.  He was Diplomat-In-Residence at the University of Texas at Austin 2010-2012.  He has authored many scholarly works, is a three-time recipient of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award, and holds the U.S. Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.  

A native of Northwood, Iowa, he earned his doctorate in political science from the University of Iowa.