Mussomeli, Joseph Adamo, 1952-

<p>Joseph Adamo Mussomeli (born May 26, 1952) was an employee of the United States Department of State and is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia and the Kingdom of Cambodia.</p>

<p>Mussomeli's grandparents on both sides of the family immigrated to America from Sicily around the turn of the 19th century. Mussomeli was born in New York City on May 26, 1952. His father, Mariano Mussomeli, was an officer in the United States Army and served in both World War II and the Korean War. As such, Joseph moved around the US somewhat in his youth, and also lived for some time in Germany.</p>

<p>By his high school years, his family had settled down in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He graduated from Camden Catholic High School in 1970, going from there to Rutgers University for two years before taking time off to hitch-hike through Europe. Upon returning to the United States, he attended Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) and graduated summa cum laude in 1975, earning a BA in Political Science. In 1978, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law-Newark.</p>

<p>After law school, Mussomeli spent some years working in the legal field, working as a Deputy Attorney General of New Jersey, before entering the US Foreign Service in September 1980. His first overseas posting was in Cairo, Egypt, as a general service officer (GSO). After that, he returned to Washington, D.C., where he worked at the Department of State as staff assistant to the Undersecretary for Security Assistance. His next overseas assignment was in Manila, Philippines, as a consular officer from 1984–1986, to which he would later return in 2002 as Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM). Before that time, however, his tours included: North Korea Desk Officer (1986–1988), Senior Watch Officer (1989–1990), Economic Counselor in Colombo, Sri Lanka, (1990–1992), Inspector for the Office of Inspector General (1992–1994), Political Counselor in Rabat, Morocco (1995–1998), Deputy Chief of Mission in Manama, Bahrain (1998–2001), and as a member of the Senior Seminar (2001–2002). During his second tour in the Philippines as DCM, he served as Chargé d'affaires for a year while the Ambassador, Frank Ricciardone, was away. On June 24, 2005, the United States Senate confirmed him as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia. He then went on to serving as the Director of Human Resources/ELCDA at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., for one year. In May 2008, he served for one year in Kabul, Afghanistan as the Assistant Chief of Mission. On September 29, 2010, the United States Senate confirmed him as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia. He left Slovenia in 2015.</p>

<p>Mussomeli has received several awards including the 2010 Arnie Raphael Award, the 2008 Presidential Distinguished Service Award, two Superior Honor Awards, one Group Superior Honor Award, and two Meritorious Honor Awards.</p>

<p>Mussomeli's wife, Sharon Flack Mussomeli, is a retired foreign service officer. They have three children: Isaac, Alessia, and Thomas.</p>

<p>Joseph Adamo Mussomeli was Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia from November 2010 until January 2015 and the Ambassador to the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia from June 2005 to August 2008. He was the Assistant Chief of Mission in Kabul from May 2009 to May 2010. Prior to that assignment, Mr. Mussomeli served as the Director of Entry Level Career Development and Assignments. He received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award in 2009 and the Raphel Award in 2010 for developing, mentoring, and supporting his staff. Since his retirement in April 2015 he has given lectures on a variety of topics including leadership, foreign policy, and interagency cooperation at FSI, DOD, and various universities.</p>

<p>Mr. Mussomeli was born in New York City on May 26, 1952. He graduated from Camden Catholic High School in 1970. He then went to Rutgers University for two years before dropping out and becoming an upholsterer, and then spending several months hitch-hiking through Europe. Upon returning to the United States, he attended Trenton State College and graduated summa cum laude in 1975, earning a BA in Political Science. In 1978, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers Law School. Following law school Mr. Mussomeli served as a law clerk to the Appellate Court of New Jersey from 1978-1979, and then worked as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey.</p>

<p>Mr. Mussomeli entered the Foreign Service in September 1980 and began his career serving in Cairo, Egypt, as a General Service Officer. Following Cairo, Mr. Mussomeli served in the Department as staff assistant to the Undersecretary for Security Assistance. He then served in Manila, Philippines as a consular officer from 1984-1986. His subsequent tours included: North Korea Desk Officer (1986-1988), Senior Watch Officer (1989-1990), Economic Counselor in Colombo, Sri Lanka (1990-1992), Office of Inspector General (1992-1994), Political Counselor in Rabat, Morocco (1995-1998), Deputy Chief of Mission in Manama, Bahrain (1998-2001), and as a member of the Senior Seminar (2001-2002). He served as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Philippines (2002-2005).</p>

<p>Ambassador Mussomeli’s wife, Sharon Flack Mussomeli, is a retired Foreign Service officer. They have three children: Isaac, Alessia, and Thomas.</p>