Assistant Chief of Mission
Joseph A. Mussomeli
Assistant Chief of Mission
Kabul, Afghanistan
Ambassador Joseph Adamo Mussomeli is currently the Assistant Chief of Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Mussomeli served as the Director of Entry Level Career Development and Assignments in Human Resources from September 2008. Before joining Human Resources, Mr. Mussomeli was the Ambassador to the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from June 24, 2005 to August 25, 2008. As such, he received the 2008 Presidential Distinguished Service Award for “sustained extraordinary accomplishments” in furthering the bilateral relationship.
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 one year as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey.
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), 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). He served as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Philippines (2002-2005) before becoming Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia.
Ambassador Mussomeli's wife, Sharon Flack Mussomeli, is a retired Foreign Service officer. They have two-and-a-half children: Isaac (25), Alexis (23), and Thomas (5).