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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 25, 1996

THE PRESIDENT NAMES AMBASSADOR TO LAOS

The President today announced his intent to nominate Wendy Jean Chamberlin of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, as Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

She currently serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at our Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ms. Chamberlin started her diplomatic career in 1975 with her first posting to the country for which she is now being nominated to serve as Ambassador. During the intervening years she worked on Asian affairs as special assistant to the then-Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Richard Holbrooke in 1978 and for the then-Deputy Secretary Warren Christopher in 1979. In addition to Laos, Malaysia, Ms. Chamberlin served in Kinshasa, Zaire and Rabat, Morocco. She had a position on the staff of the National Security Council during the Bush Administration and worked on Middle Eastern affairs in the Near East Bureau on several occasions.

Ms. Chamberlin was born in Bethesda, Maryland, on October 12, 1948. She is the daughter of a retired U.S. Marine Colonel. After graduating from Northwestern University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree and Boston University in 1971 with a masters degree, she volunteered to teach at the Lao National Teachers College in Nietiane, Laos. She is fluent in Lao and French. Ms. Chamberlin is married to retired diplomat John H. Hawes and has two daughters, Chynna and Jade Hawes.

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