United States Agency for Global Media

Jeffrey Scott Shapiro takes the lead at Office of Cuba Broadcasting as Director

December 18, 2020

Washington, D.C. — Michael Pack, CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), today appointed Jeffrey Scott Shapiro Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), which oversees Radio Televisión Martí at its headquarters in Miami, Florida. Mr. Shapiro has been with OCB since July 2017, most recently serving as Acting Director.

“Jeffrey is a tremendous civil servant, thoroughly committed to advancing America’s principles and the cause of freedom in Cuba,” CEO Pack said. “He has spent much of his career in South Florida and is deeply knowledgeable of and connected to its local communities. He has succeeded at bringing objective news to audiences in innovative and captivating ways, and he will continue to excel at advancing freedom and democracy in this next chapter of OCB.”

“For the past three and a half years, I have had the honor of serving at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting in Miami, Florida,” said Mr. Shapiro. “I have met Cuban citizens, dissidents, opposition leaders, and refugees who have shared their stories about how Radio Televisión Martí touched their lives and gave them hope. Transmitting objective news and information to the island plays a critical role in moving toward a free Cuba, and it is a privilege to be a part of such an important mission, especially at a time when so many democracy activists are taking a public stand for freedom of expression.”

Mr. Shapiro is an investigative attorney and nationally-recognized journalist who has worked as a White House-appointed official, criminal prosecutor, and private-sector lawyer on cases related to criminal justice, complex litigation, and crisis management. He has written for a number of national publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Times, and has investigated stories for Gannett News, TIME, and CBS News.

Mr. Shapiro is also a Judge Advocate with the U.S. Army Reserve Legal Command. He has earned bar admissions to the Florida Bar, the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the State Bar of California, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He received a B.S. in political science from Florida State University and a J.D. from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law.

OCB is a federal network of USAGM. Its multimedia outlet, Radio Televisión Martí, is a hub of news, information, and analysis that provides the people of Cuba with interactive programs seven days a week through satellite television and shortwave and medium wave radio as well as through flash drives, emails, DVDs, and SMS text. Combined with its website, Radio Televisión Martí is a one-of-a-kind service that brings unbiased, objective information to all Cubans.