Wells, Alice G., 1963-

<p>On April 10, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Alice G. Wells to be the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, replacing Stuart Jones, who was confirmed ase ambassador to Iraq. It will be the first ambassadorial post for Wells, a career Foreign Service officer. Wells’ nomination was confirmed by the Senate on June 16.</p>

<p>Wells, 51, was born in Beirut, Lebanon, where her father, a U.S. Army officer, was stationed. She earned a B.A. from Stanford and an M.A. jointly from UCLA and the RAND Corporation.</p>

<p>Wells came into the State Department as an expert on the Soviet Union. She was among the first U.S. diplomats to serve in the new republic of Tajikistan, helping to open the embassy there. Wells subsequently served as the political-military officer at the embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While there, she was lauded for an analysis on how branches of the Saudi royal family competed with one another.</p>

<p>In 1998, Wells was named deputy political counselor at the U.S. embassy in Pakistan, serving until 2000. She was named to a similar post at the embassy in India in 2001, returning home to a staff job as senior desk officer for Egypt affairs in 2002. She later was director of Maghreb affairs and acting director of Egypt and North African affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs until 2005.</p>

<p>Wells finally got to Russia in 2006, serving as minister counselor for political affairs in the U.S. embassy in Moscow.</p>

<p>Wells returned to the United States in 2009 and served in several high-profile staff positions. Until 2011, she was executive assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs William J. Burns. Wells was then named executive assistant to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, working with her until 2012. At that time, she moved to the White House, becoming special assistant to the president for Russia and Central Asia. Since 2013, Wells has served as an assessor at the Foreign Service Board of Examiners.</p>

<p>Wells is married to Kurt Amend, another career Foreign Service officer who was principal deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. He is now director of international business development for defense contractor Raytheon. The couple has three daughters.</p>

<p>Wells speaks Russian and has studied Arabic, Urdu and Hindi.</p>

<p>Alice G. Wells<br>
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary<br>
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs<br>
November 12, 2019 - June 1, 2020</p>

<p>Alice G. Wells's term ended on June 1, 2020.</p>

<p>Alice G. Wells, a career Foreign Service Officer, assumed her duties as Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia on June 26, 2017. She previously served as the United States Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; a senior adviser in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau in the Department of State, as Special Assistant to the President for Russia and Central Asia in the White House (2012-2013); Executive Assistant to Secretary of State Clinton (2011-2012); and Executive Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs William J. Burns (2009-2011).</p>

<p>From 2006 to 2009, Ambassador Wells served as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at U.S. Embassy Moscow, and previously worked as Director of Maghreb Affairs and as Acting Director of Egypt and North African Affairs in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.</p>

<p>Ambassador Wells also served as a political officer at U.S. Embassy New Delhi, U.S. Embassy Islamabad and U.S. Embassy Riyadh.</p>

<p>Ambassador Wells has a B.A. from Stanford University and a joint M.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles/Rand Corporation. She speaks Russian and has studied Arabic, Urdu and Hindi.</p>

<p>Alice G. Wells is an American diplomat and former Ambassador of the United States of America to Jordan.</p>

<p>Wells was born in Beirut, Lebanon to Heidi and Wes Wells. Her father was at the time a U.S. Army officer stationed there as part of President Eisenhower's 1958 Middle East Task Force. After attending Bainbridge Island High School, she earned a BA from Stanford University in 1985 and a joint MA from the University of California at Los Angeles/Rand Corporation.</p>

<p>Wells is a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service. Wells served as a political officer and a political-military officer at the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as a political and economic officer at the US embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. She was acting director of Egypt and North African Affairs in the bureau of Near Eastern affairs from 2003 to 2005. She served as minister counsellor for political affairs at the US embassy in Moscow from 2006 to 2009 and was director of Maghreb affairs. Wells also served as executive assistant to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from 2011 to 2012, and to Undersecretary for Political Affairs William J. Burns from 2009 to 2011. She served as an assessor at the foreign service board of examiners in 2013 and was special assistant to the president for Russia and Central Asia in the White House from 2012 to 2013.</p>

<p>When nominated to become the U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, she was serving as senior adviser in the bureau of Near Eastern affairs at the Department of State. She began her assignment as ambassador on July 28, 2014. In January 2016 Wells announced at a press briefing in Amman that the US Congress has approved “an unprecedented” $1.275 billion in assistance to Jordan in its 2016 budget bill. The amount includes economic aid, security assistance and assistance with the country's water supply. Wells noted that the aid was approved with bi-partisan support of Republicans and Democrats.</p>

<p>President Donald Trump removed her as Ambassador, at the request of King Abdullah II.</p>

<p>She was then appointed Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.</p>

<p>Wells speaks English, Russian and has studied Arabic, Urdu and Hindi. She is married to Kurt E. Amend. Together, they have three children.</p>