Nomination of Harriet Winsar Isom To Be United States Ambassador to Benin

The President today announced his intention to nominate Harriet Winsar Isom, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People's Republic of Benin. She would succeed Walter Edward Stadtler.

Since 1986 Ms. Isom has served as Charge d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane, Laos. Prior to this, she served as Director of Korean Affairs in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State, 1984 - 1986; senior assignments officer for the Bureau of Personnel at the Department of State, 1982 - 1984; and senior seminar at the Department of State, 1981 - 1982. In addition, she has served as political counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, 1978 - 1981; consul at the U.S. consulate in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, 1977 - 1978; deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Bujumbura, Burundi, 1974 - 1977; Asian regional affairs officer at the Department of State, 1973 - 1974; consular and political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, 1969 - 1973; economic officer at the U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger, 1967 - 1969; and personnel officer for the Bureau of Personnel at the Department of State, 1965 - 1966. In addition, she served as a watch officer for the operations center at the Department of State, 1964 - 1965; consular and economic officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1961 - 1964; and a foreign affairs analyst in the U.S. Air Force, 1960 - 1961.

Ms. Isom graduated from Mills College (B.A., 1958) and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (M.A.L.D., 1960). She was born November 4, 1936, in Oregon.