Molly L. Stephenson, a seasoned member of the Senior Foreign Service, began her role as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique on July 14, 2025.
Previously, Stephenson led the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. She provided strategic direction to teams working on advancing U.S. policy in South and Central Asia. Her past assignments include roles in Hanoi as Counselor for Public Diplomacy for Mission Vietnam, and positions in Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and the Philippines.
In Washington D.C., she served as a Career Development Officer in the Bureau of Human Resources and as a Public Diplomacy Desk Officer for Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia within European and Eurasian Affairs. Stephenson holds an M.S. from the National War College and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service along with a B.A. from Michigan State University. She is fluent in German from her time as an exchange student during high school and university years; she also learned Russian, Vietnamese, and Portuguese for her diplomatic work.
Stephenson is married with two daughters. The family enjoys singing, swimming, skiing, and walking their cockapoo together.