Wilbert John Le Melle (November 11, 1931 – January 11, 2003) was an American diplomat, author and academician.

Between 1963 until 1965 he worked in the Department of Government at Boston University as an assistant professor and research associate in the African Studies Program.

[4][5] In February 1965 he started work at the Ford Foundation, as a program officer for West Africa.

[5] He spent the next nine years living in various parts of Africa with his family while his job location changed, places like Kenya, Maghreb, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.

[5] In 1977, president Jimmy Carter asked Le Melle to serve as Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Kenya and the Seychelles.