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

The President today announced his intention to nominate Melissa Foelsch Wells, of Connecticut, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Zaire. She would succeed William Caldwell Harrop.

Currently Ambassador Wells serves as the United States Ambassador to the People's Republic of Mozambique. Prior to this, Ambassador Wells served as director of the IMPACT Program in Geneva, Switzerland, 1982 - 1986; resident representative of the United Nations Development Program and special representative to the United Nations Secretary-General for relief operations in Uganda, 1979 - 1982; U.S. Representative on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, 1977 - 1979; U.S. Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, 1976 - 1977; and commercial counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil, 1975 - 1976. She has also served as deputy director for major export projects at the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC, 1973 - 1975; chief of the business relations branch in the Bureau of Economic Affairs, 1972 - 1973; personnel officer for the Board of Examiners, 1971 - 1972; and economic officer at the U.S. Embassy in London, England, 1966 - 1970. Ambassador Wells has also served as an economic officer at the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, France, 1964 - 1966. From 1958 to 1961, Ambassador Wells served in several capacities at the Department of State.

Ambassador Wells graduated from Georgetown University (B.S., 1956). She was born November 18, 1932, in Tallinn, Estonia. Ambassador Wells is married and has two children.