Nomination of Melissa Foelsch Wells To Be United States Ambassador to Mozambique

The President today announced his intention to nominate Melissa Foelsch Wells, of New York, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, as Ambassador to the People's Republic of Mozambique. She succeeds Peter Jon de Vos.

Mrs. Wells entered the Foreign Service in 1958 after working in various secretarial positions, including secretary to the Bolivian Ambassador in Washington, DC. From 1958 to 1961, she was an analyst in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research in the Department. She was assigned in 1961 as consular/ visa officer at the U.S. Embassy in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Following that assignment, in 1964-1966 she was economic officer at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France. From 1966 to 1970, she served as economic officer in London, England, and then returned to Washington in 1971 as personnel officer for the Board of Examiners. She became Chief of the Business Relations Branch in the Bureau of Economic Affairs, 1972-1973. In 1973 she was detailed to the Department of Commerce as Deputy Director for Major Export Projects. In 1975 she was assigned as commercial counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil, and served there until she was appointed in 1976 as the U.S. Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde. In June of 1977 she was appointed the United States Representative on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador. In 1979 Mrs. Wells left the Foreign Service to become Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Uganda and Special Representative to the United Nations Secretary General for relief operations in Uganda. From 1982 to 1986, she was Director, IMPACT Program, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mrs. Wells graduated from Georgetown University (B.S.F.S., 1956). She is married, has two children, and resides in New York City. Mrs. Wells was born November 18, 1932, in Tallinn, Estonia.