Ambassador John F. Maisto was nominated by President George W. Bush to be U.S. Permanent
Representative to the Organization of American States on March 25, 2003. He was sworn
in on July 31, 2003. He was named U.S. Coordinator for the Summit of the Americas
on July 18, 2003. Ambassador Maisto served as Special Assistant to President Bush
and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs for National Security Advisor Dr.
Condoleezza Rice from January 2001 to April 2003. He was Ambassador to Venezuela from
1997 – 2000, and served as Foreign Policy Advisor at the U.S. Southern Command in
2000-01. He previously served as Ambassador to Nicaragua from 1993-96. He was Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for Central American Affairs, 1992-93; and Deputy U.S.
Representative to the Organization of American States, 1989-92. Earlier, he served
in Panama as Deputy Chief of Mission, as Director of the State Department's Office
of Philippine Affairs, and at American Embassies in Manila, San Jose, and La Paz.
He was in the U.S. Information Agency in Argentina and Bolivia. He began his career
as a Foreign Service Officer in 1968.
A native of Braddock, Pennsylvania, Ambassador Maisto has a B.S. from Georgetown University's
School of Foreign Service, and an M.A. from the University of San Carlos, Guatemala.
Education:
- M.A., University of San Carlos
- B.S., Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
