Cynthia Ann Telles is an American academic and psychologist who served as the United States ambassador to Costa Rica under Joe Biden.

[1] She was raised in El Paso and moved to Costa Rica in 1961, when her father served as the U.S.

[1] After living in Costa Rica for six years, the family moved to Washington, D.C.[2] Telles received a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College and a Doctor of Philosophy in clinical psychology from Boston University.

However, in 1992, Telles insisted that she had no long term political agenda and declined to run for U.S. Representative Edward R. Roybal's seat after he announced his retirement.

[4] On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Telles to be the next US Ambassador to Costa Rica.

[7] On December 18, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate via voice vote.

[citation needed] 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.