“War Clouds in the Caribbean: A Changing U.S. Global Strategy”
Mark Wells
former Deputy Assistant of State
Mark Wells, a native Tulsan, returned to his hometown in 2025 after more than 30
years as an American diplomat, concluding his career as a Minister Counselor in the
Senior Foreign Service. Most recently, he served as Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs,
where he oversaw regional political and economic policy. Earlier senior roles included
Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for South America, as well as Deputy Chief of
Mission at U.S. embassies in Bogotá, Colombia, and Lima, Peru. His overseas
assignments also included postings in Colombia, Venezuela, Iraq, Bolivia, and Mexico.
In Washington, Mr. Wells held several senior policy and management positions,
including Coordinator for Cuban Affairs, Office Director for Western Hemisphere
Programs in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and
senior desk officer for Colombia and Venezuela. Earlier in his career, he worked on
hemispheric diplomacy as a coordinator for the first two Summits of the Americas in
Miami and Santiago, Chile.
Mr. Wells currently serves as the Director of Global Trade and Investment for the
Oklahoma Department of Commerce, where he leads a team dedicated to recruiting
foreign investment, promoting international trade, and creating quality jobs for
Oklahomans.
Mr. Wells holds master’s degrees from the National War College (National Security
Strategy) and The George Washington University (International Economics), and a
bachelor’s degree in government from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He
and his wife, Tabitha, have four adult children and live in Tulsa. He speaks fluent
Spanish.