# Cynthia A. Telles

Cynthia Ann Telles is an American academic psychologist and diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Costa Rica under President Joe Biden. Before her appointment she was a clinical professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and served on the executive committee of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She is the founding director of UCLA's Hispanic Neuropsychiatric Center of Excellence.

## Early life and education

Cynthia was raised in El Paso. In 1961, she moved to Costa Rica when her father Raymond L. Telles, the first Mexican American mayor of a major American city, El Paso, Texas was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to serve as the first Hispanic Ambassador from the United States. Telles served as the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica from 1961-1967 under the John F. Kennedy administration. When Cynthia was 10 years old, she contracted viral encephalitis from a mosquito bite and almost died. She volunteered at the age of 12 at the Hospital Nacional de Ninos (Children’s Hospital) in San Jose. After living in Costa Rica for six years, the family moved to Washington, D.C.
Telles received a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College and a Doctor of Philosophy in clinical psychology from Boston University. She moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s to work on her doctoral dissertation.

## Career

Telles served on the faculty of the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and as the director of the UCLA Spanish-Speaking Psychosocial Clinic. She was also the founding director of the UCLA Hispanic Neuropsychiatric Center of Excellence.
Given her prominence within the Latino political circle in Los Angeles, commentators expected her to eventually enter a career in politics. However, in 1992, Telles insisted that she had no long term political agenda and declined the request of U.S. Representative Edward R. Roybal to run for his seat after he announced his retirement.

### Ambassador to Costa Rica

On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Telles to be the next US Ambassador to Costa Rica. On June 23, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee On September 22, 2021. On October 19, 2021, her nomination was reported favorably out of committee. On December 18, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate via voice vote. She presented her credentials to the Vice Minister for Bilateral Affairs and International Cooperation, Adriana Bolaños Argueta, on March 10, 2022, and to the President of Costa Rica Carlos Alvarado Quesada on March 11, 2022.

### Boards
#### International

* In Los Angeles, Telles served on the Board of the Pacific Council on International Policy. She was also the Chair of the Los Angeles/U.S. Section of the Mexico-Los Angeles Commission.

#### Government service

* On the national level, Telles was appointed by President Barack Obama to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 2010 and has served on the National Advisory Council of SAMHSA during the Clinton administration.
* She has served on numerous City of Los Angeles Commissions, including on the Board of Airport Commissioners since 2013 and the ethics commission.

#### Corporate

* Telles was a founding board member of Americas United Bank and was a board member of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, LLC.
* Telles served on the board of directors of Kaiser Permanente from 2009 until 2021.
* Telles was on the board of directors of General Motors from 2010 to June 2014.

#### Not-for-Profit

* Telles served on the Governing Board of the Los Angeles Olympics and Paralymics Committee (LA2028).
* Telles also served as chairperson for both the California Community Foundation and The California Endowment.

## Personal life

Since 2014, Telles has been married to Joseph Waz, a telecommunications executive.
Telles was married to California State Senator Robert Hertzberg. They divorced in 2005. Telles is cousins with Robert Telles, disgraced former Clark County Public Administrator who was found guilty of fatally stabbing Las Vegas investigative reporter Jeff German after a series of critical stories.
Telles is fluent in Spanish. She is related to Monica C. Lozano.

## Select awards and recognition

* First Annual Achievement Award for Mental Health Public Service
* American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program
* Leadership Award — National Hispanic Medical Association/National Hispanic Health Foundation
* Benjamin Joy Award — honoring Ambassador Telles and Mission San Jose team for advancing US commercial diplomacy. x.com
* Condecoracion for Peace and Democracy, presented by the Government of Costa Rica
* Condecoracion Juan Mora Fernandez -- bestowed upon a foreign citizen by the Government of Costa Rica
* Gold Medal of Honor for Exceptional Service, presented by Ministry of Public Security of the Government of Costa Rica