Mara Tekach, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service (rank of Minister Counselor), was the Chargée dâÂÂAffaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, from 2018 to 2020.
Tekach earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Masters of Arts in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University and a Doctor of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Dr. Tekach was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niamey, Niger prior to joining the Foreign Service. Immediately prior to her post in Cuba, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Public Diplomacy for the Department of StateâÂÂs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Other posts include DAS for Professional and Cultural Exchanges at the U.S. Department of StateâÂÂs Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and Deputy Director of Communications at the United States Mission to the United Nations in New York.
On November 20, 2019, Tekach was accused of âÂÂworking closelyâ with Cuban human rights activist José Daniel Ferrer. The Cuban government believes the purpose of the American mission in Cuba is to promote âÂÂpeaceful bilateral relationsâ but instead, it and âÂÂparticularly its chargé dâÂÂaffaires have focused in recent months on the failed purpose of recruiting mercenaries, promoting division and confusion among our people, identifying the areas of the economy against which to direct coercive measures, and trying to slander and discredit the work of the Cuban government and the Revolution.â The statement continued that âÂÂit was open instigation to violence.âÂÂ
The week before, the embassy posted a video on Twitter showing Tekach with Nelva Ismarays Ortega, who is a partner of Ferrer and leader of Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), described as the countryâÂÂs most active opposition organization. Tekach and Ortega pled for FerrerâÂÂs release from custody. American secretary of state Mike Pompeo condemned the accusations stating the US would continue to speak out against the treatment of human rights activists in Cuba and that this was an attempted distraction from their treatment of Ferrer.