Ambassador Espinal previously served as ambassador to the Organization of American States 1996-2000), for which he was chair of the Permanent Council, the Committee on Legal and Political Issues, and the Committee on Hemispheric Security. He was also co-coordinator of the Civil Society Agenda during the Summits of the Americas. In addition, Ambassador Espinal is the former dean of the Law School at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Recinto Santo Tomás de Aquino, in Santo Domingo, where he was also a professor of law and director of the University Center of Political and Social Studies as well as of the Center for the Study, Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts. He has practiced law in the cities of Santiago and Santo Domingo, and has served as a consultant for both the private sector and various international organizations. He is the author of "Constitutionalism and Political Processes in the Dominican Republic," and has published numerous articles and essays on political and constitutional issues in different academic journals.

Before his current appointment, Ambassador Espinal published a weekly op-ed column in the newspaper El Caribe and co-produced the television program "En Contexto." He obtained his law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.

Ambassador Espinal also holds a master’s degree in political sciences from the University of Essex, England, and a doctorate in government from the University of Virginia.