Mora, Francisco O. – Organization of American States – August 2021

REPORT FOR THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE

SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of
Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service
Act, Section 304(a)(4)

POST: Organization of American States
CANDIDATE: Francisco O. Mora

Francisco Mora is Professor of Politics and International Relations, and Senior Researcher, Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Previously he directed the university’s Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center and, from 2009 – 2013 he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere during the Obama administration.

Previously, Professor Mora was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University. He also served as a Professor in the Department of National Security Strategy, National War College; National Defense University, Ft. McNair; Washington, D.C. As a scholar with decades of analysis and research on Latin America, his in-depth understanding of the region, coupled with his experience as a policy maker on Western Hemisphere issues, makes him a well-qualified candidate to serve as Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, with the rank of Ambassador.

Among his other positions earlier in his career, Professor Mora was Chair of the Department of International Studies at Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee and a Visiting Lecturer, Department of National Security and Civil-Military Affairs, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation; Ft. Benning, Georgia.

A prolific author and commentator on U.S. – Latin American relations, Professor Mora earned his B.A. degree from The George Washington University, and his M.A. and PhD from the University of Miami. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.