[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[January 18, 1991]
[Pages 53-54]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Nomination of Melissa Foelsch Wells To Be United States Ambassador to 
Zaire
January 18, 1991

    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.

[[Page 54]]

    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.