President Joe Biden has named Tom Nides, a deputy secretary of state in the Obama administration, to be his ambassador to Israel.

Nides, a banker, whose responsibilities focused on management and resources, served in the State Department from 2011 to 2013, and developed a reputation of good relations with Israeli diplomats. Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States, in his book Ally, which chronicles his ambassadorship, described Nides as “irreverent, hard-working, highly intelligent and warm.” Oren said Nides quickly earned his “affection and trust.”