Ambassador Dan Mozena was accredited as Ambassador to Angola upon presentation of his credentials to President José Eduardo dos Santos on January 9, 2008. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on August 15, 2007, and was sworn in by Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer on November 19, 2007. Ambassador Josefina Diakité represented her country, Angola, at the swearing-in ceremony.

A member of the Senior Foreign Service, Dan Mozena served as Director for the Office of Southern African Affairs from 2004 to 2007, when, among other responsibilities, he provided leadership to the U.S. bilateral relationship with Angola.

As Director, Mozena established as his highest priorities developing and supporting U.S. policies to help southern Africa fight and win the war against HIV/AIDS, strengthen democracy and improve governance, enhance regional stability, and promote economic growth to reduce poverty.

Ambassador Mozena has had a range of experience in Africa. Immediately prior to returning to Washington as Director, Mozena was Deputy Chief of Mission in Lusaka, Zambia, where he had begun his Foreign Service career in 1982. In what proved to be his most rewarding Foreign Service assignment, Mozena served as Officer-in-Charge for South Africa and as Deputy Director for Southern African Affairs during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy. Mozena assisted with then-President Mandela’s historic state visit to Washington. Mozena was also posted to then-Zaire, where he and his wife had earlier served as Peace Corps Volunteers, helping local farmers develop better ways to raise chickens.

Ambassador Mozena was born and raised on a family dairy farm in northeast Iowa and spent the first couple of decades of his life milking cows, slopping hogs, and doing the daily chores that are part of life on a family farm. His academic life began in a one-room country school, which had a total of 12 students spread over eight grades. He graduated from Iowa State University (Political Science and History), and later from graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (Public Administration and Political Science).

Ambassador Mozena’s wife of 36 years, Grace, is a retired elementary school teacher with professional interests spanning from elementary education to health service delivery, particularly malaria treatment and prevention. The Mozena’s are proud parents of two adult children, Anne and Mark, who have finished their university studies and reside in the United States.