Cindy McCain, chair of the McCain Institute and widow of former U.S. Sen. John McCain, was nominated by President Joe Biden as ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture Wednesday.
As an ambassador, McCain would relocate to Rome to join the international fight against hunger.
"The communities this group serves need our support and focus, and I look forward to meeting the challenges this role presents," McCain said about the nomination in a statement Wednesday. "I care deeply about the effectiveness and capacity of the Rome-based food agencies to tackle these challenges. My work at the Institute has shown me the power of committed action to mobilize action for change to benefit the world’s most vulnerable."
McCain, a prominent Arizona Republican, was outspoken in her support for Biden in the 2020 presidential election and criticism of former President Donald Trump, which eventually led to the Arizona Republican Party censuring her in January.
In 2018, the board of trustees of the McCain Institute for International Leadership at ASU elected McCain as its chair. The Institute, located in ASU's Barrett & O’Connor Center in Washington, D.C., serves as a think tank focusing on global leadership and service.
According to the Institute’s website, McCain “oversees the organization's focus on advancing character-driven global leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom and human dignity.” She also serves as chair of the Institute’s Human Trafficking Advisory Council.
McCain has used her platform for humanitarian causes like cleft palate surgery, human trafficking and early childhood education. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Project C.U.R.E., which delivers medical supplies to underserved medical clinics.
She also serves on the advisory boards of Too Small to Fail and Warriors and Quiet Waters, organizations that focus on early childhood development and veteran rehabilitation, respectively.
The nomination will require confirmation from the U.S. Senate.
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Reagan Priest is a managing editor, overseeing and working with the six digital desks at The State Press. She previously worked as a social justice reporter for Cronkite News and as a digital production intern at The Arizona Republic.
