Professor Frank O. Mora confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Organization of American States

Professor Frank O. Mora was confirmed this week by the Senate as permanent representative of the United States to the Organization of American States (OAS), a position that carries the rank of ambassador.

The OAS is a leading multilateral organization that works to strengthen peace and security in the Western Hemisphere. As ambassador, Mora will help guide diplomatic efforts for the U.S. on matters affecting the region. Mora, who was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden last year, previously served as U.S. deputy assistant secretary for defense for the Western Hemisphere, from 2009 to 2013.

“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Mora and know he will lead with distinction in this new role,’’ said FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell. “He is an academic with deep experience and understanding of the region.”

Before Mora's confirmation, Carlos Trujillo, a member of the FIU Board of Trustees, served as the last permanent ambassador to the OAS under the Trump Administration.

At FIU, Mora served as director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center from 2013 to 2019, where his understanding of the region helped elevate the center nationally and internationally. LACC is considered one of the top centers of its kind in the country, serving as a nexus between academia and public policy.

“Professor Mora helped LACC become a solution center on major issues facing the region and I know he will do the same at OAS,’’ said Shlomi Dinar, interim dean of the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs at FIU, which houses LACC. “It is a testament to the caliber of Green School faculty with direct policy experience like Dr. Mora, who are able to provide critical real-world solutions in the area of foreign policy and international affairs.”

A professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations, as well as senior researcher at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, Mora previously taught national security strategy and Latin American studies at the National War College, National Defense University and served as chair of the department of international studies at Rhodes College.

“I am grateful to FIU for the almost 10 years I have been director and professor at this great institution,” said Mora. “I am also grateful to the Biden administration and the Senate for the opportunity to serve our country in this new role.

Mora has worked as a consultant to the Library of Congress, the U.S. State Department, U.S. Southern Command, as well as the Organization of American States.

At FIU, he worked with a team of scholars to provide research and projections for government entities including the U.S. Department of Defense, publishing numerous studies offering political forecasts on the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

"Ambassador (Steven J.) Green, Mrs. (Dorothea) Green and I congratulate Dr. Mora on his well-deserved appointment as the United States ambassador to the OAS,'' said Kimberly Green. "His work and leadership in the Americas benefitted both FIU and the region, and we are proud to have worked with him during his leadership as director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center."