Biden intends to nominate Florida International University professor as ambassador to OAS

Biden wants Francisco O. Mora to be next U.S. ambassador to Organization of American States

President Joe Biden announced Thursday his intent to nominate Francisco O. Mora to be his next U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States. (FIU staff photo)

MIAMI – President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate a trilingual Florida International University professor to serve in a key role as a U.S. ambassador.

Biden wants Francisco O. Mora, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere affairs, to become the permanent U.S. representative to the Organization of American States. He was the recipient of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.

Mora, who speaks Spanish and Portuguese, is an FIU professor of politics and international relations and a senior researcher at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. He was the director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center at FIU’s Green School of International and Public Affairs.

Mora has also taught national security strategy and Latin American studies at the National War College at the National Defense University, and at Rhodes College. He earned a doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of Miami and a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University.

Related afternoon report

Related Biden stories


About the Authors:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba. 

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.