Howard Potts is a former employee of the United States Department of State. He was a foreign service officer for over 30 years and served as the Director of the Office of Special Consular Services (OSCS).

Potts was born in 1950 in Princeton, New Jersey, to William and Gloria Potts. He attended Princeton University from 1968 to 1972 and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Politics. Potts entered the Foreign Service in 1973 and began his career as a vice consul at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan before transferring to Seoul, South Korea where he served as political officer until 1976.

Potts remained in South Korea until 1979 when he returned to Washington DC where he worked in the Office of Chinese Affairs and later served as administrative assistant to Ambassador Philip Habib during negotiations over Iran’s seizure of hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. In 1982 he was assigned to Islamabad, Pakistan where he served as political counselor until 1985 when he returned to Washington DC again where he worked as desk officer for Nepal until 1987 when he transferred back to Tokyo becoming deputy chief of mission there until 1991 when he returned once more to Washington DC where.

Last modified: October 9, 2022