His early assignments included postings to the United States embassies in Cameroon ( 1979 -- 1981 ) and in Malawi ( 1981 -- 1984 ) .
Meece joined the State Department in 1979 .
Meece 's early assignments included postings to the United States embassies in Cameroon ( 1979 -- 1981 ) and in Malawi ( 1981 -- 1984 ) .
Meece joined the State Department in 1979 .