Early in his career, Bell was Team Leader of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in
Salahaddin, Iraq, and the regional coordinator for Northeast Iraq and provincial reconstruction team leader in
Kirkuk, Iraq. Previous assignments include as foreign policy advisor to the
United States Africa Command,
Stuttgart, Germany, Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in
Niamey, Niger, and head of the Political and Economic Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in
Copenhagen, Denmark. Most recently he served as Chargé d'affaires for the Embassy in
N’Djamena,
Chad. Hearings were held on his nomination before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 17, 2019. The committee reported his nomination favorably on July 25, 2019. On August 1, 2019, Bell's nomination was confirmed by
voice vote in the
United States Senate. He presented his credentials to President
Alassane Ouattara on October 10, 2019. == Personal life ==