Newsletters
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY TODAY NEWSLETTER
Until May 2024, PDCA published four newsletters each year. Public Diplomacy Today was intended to provide news about the organization as well as feature stories focusing on practitioners past and present. It carried on a tradition begun by the USIA Alumni Association and its successor the Public Diplomacy Association of America.
The May 2024 issue of Public Diplomacy Today was the final issue of the newsletter. In a front-page editorial note, editor Michael Korff announced that the organization believed that it can keep our membership informed about PDCA’s activities and the currents in public diplomacy via its Weekly Update and other electronic means. The front-page also announces that the June 3 FIRST MONDAY FORUM will feature the four recipients of this year's Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Public Diplomacy. The four recipients are: Wren Elhai, Spokesperson, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) at the Department of State; Patricia Muñoz, Strategic Content Specialist, U.S. Consulate General Ciudad Juarez; Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy Bratislava, consisting of four American officers and 10 locally-employed staffers led by Public Affairs Officer Tamara Sternberg-Greller; and Josh Lustig, Public Diplomacy Officer for Emerging Voices, U.S. Embassy Seoul. In his President's Column, Joel Fischman notes that PDCA recently dropped 130 members from the organization's roster of members after numerous reminders to renew. Joel lists the many ways that PDCA serves its members, and concludes that the organization would like to hear from its members about ways it can better serve their needs and interests. In a reminiscence, Alan Kotok notes that this is the final issue of the newsletter that he founded in 2005. He reviews the lessons he learned from his experience. Current editor Michael Korff seconds Alan's comments and thanks the two Member News Editors, Claude Porsella and Domenick DiPasquale, with whom he worked during his six years leading the newsletter. Former PDAA Vice President Jon Schaffer shares his experiences as a volunteer with the American Councils for International Understanding. He evaluates applications from high school students across 22 European and Eurasian countries for the State Department-funded Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) and also engages closely with these students and alumni both in the United States and abroad. Member News Editor Domenick DiPasquale shares information about the deaths of five members of the public diplomacy fraternity. He adds that Remembrances of Jodie Lewinsohn (by former President Michael Schneider) and former PDAA President Fred Coffey (by former President Robert Chatten) have been posted on PDCA's website. We note that although the newsletter will no longer appear in print, we plan to include a quarterly update of obituaries in the Weekly Update. Judith R. Baroody, PDCA's representative on one of the advisory committees planning the 2026 celebration of America's semiquincentennial, shares some of the activities that are foreseen. She notes that, "From its beginning, the U.S. reached out to foreign governments for political, financial, and military support." The committee on which she serves hopes to encourage an understanding of the extent to which working with other nations on shared goals is essential to U.S. and global security and prosperity. As a first step, she urges PDCA members to share their reflections on what it means to be an American.
The February 2024 issue of Public Diplomacy Today announces that PDCA has named U.S. Ambassador to Chile Bernadette M. Meehan and Deputy Assistant Secretary Camille Dawson as 2024 recipients of its Awards for Public Diplomacy Leadership by Senior Officers. PDCA's Vice President, Larry Wohlers, describes the new webinar series for Entry Level Officers (ELOs) in the PD cone. He notes that unlike PDCA members who joined USIA, the majority of newly appointed PD officers can expect that it will be 3-5 years before they get their first assignment as a PD officer, with many doing their first two tours in consular jobs. He includes reaction from two participants in the first webinar in the series. In his column, PDCA President Joel Fischman explores the many opportunities PDCA members have to serve the organization. He especially encourages members to renew their membership dues for 2024. He also thanks Life members who have made voluntary contributions. Former PDCA Co-President Sherry Mueller describes the partnership between PDCA and the Council of American Ambassadors to provide mentors to Kathryn Davis Fellows. A previous fellow, Nelson Wen, describes the benefits he derived from his year as a Fellow. Peter Kovach, who chairs PDCA's Training, Mentoring, and Professional Development Committee, describes the mentoring program and the process the committee employs to match mentors with mentees. He notes that the relationship between the two groups is "reciprocal," with both the mentor and the mentee deriving benefits. Board Member Adam Footlik describes the impact of the Mentoring Program on his own professional development. Peter encourages more PDCA members to get involved in the program. Board Member Shaz Akram describes the challenges and opportunities facing PDCA. The Board’s biggest challenge is to increase support for and understanding of public diplomacy and the ways in which its values, standards, and practices achieve national objectives and win support for our country’s policies. Building support to educate our target audience needs continuing financial support, Shaz says. We carry a reminder that the Lois Roth Awards for Excellence in Cultural Diplomacy will be featured on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, at a webinar. Member News Editor Domenick DiPasquale reports on the passing of 19 public diplomacy practioners. He reminds readers that Remembrances are posted on the PDCA website and may be submitted to editor@publicdiplomacy.org. Finally, the front page carries an editorial note about the future: At its December meeting, the Board of Directors reviewed the organization’s finances and decided that the costs associated with a printed and mailed quarterly newsletter outweighed the benefit to members. The Communication Committee reviewed the options available to the organization and is recommending that Public Diplomacy Today in its present form be replaced by an electronic newsletter that will continue to provide much of the content of the printed newsletter. Members who have comments about this decision may address those comments to editor@publicdiplomacy.org.
The November 2023 newsletter highlights Election Cybersecurity as Public Diplomacy as the focus of the November First Monday Forum at which former PDC President Adam Clayton Powell and USC Election Cybersecurity Manager Judy Kang. In his President's Column, Joel Fischman warns us that a government shutdown continues to be a real possibility. He argues that a shutdown would have damaging repercussions on our country’s security and global leadership. As the world watches, resulting chaos will erode America’s global image as a strong and successful democracy and a reliable partner. He alerts us to the possible need to muster our forces to contact Congressional representatives and urges us to stand by. PDCA Vice President Larry Wohlers asks if PDCA could host a conversation that might reshape America’s public diplomacy priorities. He argues that such a conversation cannot be limited to just ourselves. Rather, it must fully engage the larger foreign affairs community, possibly in partnership with one or more better-known organizations. He concludes: Perhaps we do not have the time or desire to take on such an undertaking. However, the question remains, if not PDCA, then who? Clearly, the need exists. In There’s (Archival) Gold In Them Thar Memorabilia! PDCA Member News Editor Domenick DiPasquale notes that, Of late, whether inspired by pandemic-era lockdowns, worship at the altar of Marie Kondo, Scandinavian-style death cleaning, or the simple imperative of downsizing to smaller quarters, decluttering seems to have become a national pastime. He continues: Public diplomacy practitioners most likely are not immune. Those of us with a Foreign Service background in fact may have accumulated a significant amount of memorabilia over the course of our careers. He suggests potential recipients of the memorabilia. Domenick also notes the passing of 15 members of the Public Diplomacy fraternity.
The focus of the August 2023 newsletter is on ways that Americans, and especially Rising Professionals, can gain entry into the world of foreign affairs. Four Rising Professionals and a recent graduate outline their experiences. Adam Footlik, a new member of the PDCA Board of Directors, provides the perspective of a Civil Service employee. Aaron Franke, a former Board member, speaks as a new FSO. Loren Hurst went the route of a contractor. Jeffrey Simmons describes his experience with the Rangel Fellowship. Riley Busbee describes her efforts to secure an undergraduate internship in the State Department. In his President's Column, PDCA President Joel Fischman introduces the seven new members of PDCA's Board. The front-page introduces the August First Monday Forum with Dr. Kate Wright of Edinburgh University, who will speak about the new book that she co-authored about Capturing the News: Trump and the Voice of America. It also announces that USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett will be the featured speaker at the September First Monday Forum.
The May 2023 newsletter focuses on the 2023 Awards for Excellence in Public Diplomacy and announces that two programs featuring recipients of the awards will be presented in June via Zoom. PDCA Co-President Joel Fischman devotes his column to A Salute to Sherry Mueller. National Correspondent Steve Herman reports that VOA's even-handed reporting about America and the world remains relevant. In Reporting Obituaries to PDCA and to the Media, Interim Member News Editor Domenick DiPasquale explains how to report the passing of PDCA members. In a front-page Editorial Note, we invite members to share reflections on the direction of the profession and comments on trends and innovations in the practice of public diplomacy. These will be carried in PDCA's Member Views Blog.
As PDCA returns to a normal schedule of in-person programs, the February 2023 newsletter reports that the March First Monday Forum will focus on Capturing the Legacy of Public Diplomacy using the oral history program of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Speakers will be Ambassador Susan Rockwell Johnson, President of ADST; Donald M. Bishop, holder of the Donald Bren Chair of Strategic Communications at the Marine Corps University and President Emeritus of the Public Diplomacy Council; and Dr. Judith R. Baroody, former Executive Director of ADST. The program will also be available via Zoom. The newsletter also announces that nominations for the 2023 Awards for Achievement in Public Diplomacy are now being accepted. In the President's Column, Joel Fischman discusses the value of obituaries, while arguing that PDCA is a professional organization with roots in a past that builds on its roots as a fraternal organization. In the Power of Partnerships, Sherry Mueller and Claudia Del Pozo point to the importance of partnerships to the health of the Council. Judith Baroody notes in From Journalism to Public Diplomacy that many Public Diplomacy Officers began their professional lives as journalists before joining the Foreign Service. In Public Diplomacy, USAGM, and the Firewall, John Lennon warns that "In years to come, a new Congress and a new President might see things differently and take a wrecking ball to the firewall" that separates the news gathering and reporting side of USAGM operations from the editorial and advocacy propounding side of the internatioonal broadcsters. "It’s an open question whether, as [Founding VOA Director] John Houseman warned, VOA’s reputation and credibility would be tarnished" if that happened.
The November 2022 newsletter reports that PDCA Board Member Nick Cull has arranged for the authors of three recent books on Broadcasting to the USSR to discuss their books at the December First Monday Forum. The January First Monday Forum will feature Nancy Snow on the lasting legacy of Shinzo Abe. In his President's column, Joel Fischman reports that the PDCA Program Committee has appointed a working group to review options for a return to effective in-person and hybrid programs. Alistair Somerville reports on the two programs that took place on October 3 to celebrate the merger of the Public Diplomacy Association of America and the Public Diplomacy Council. Several short videos submitted by PDCA members were shown at the noon program on their experiences with Public Diplomacy Works. A recording of the program may be viewed here. Judith Baroody continues her series on notable Public Diplomacy practitioners, focusing in this edition on men. If you missed her discussion of Foreign Service women, past issues of the newsletter are available here. Greta Morris reflects on the passing of Career Minister David Hitchcock, whose obituary is included in this edition. Joe Johnson explains that PDCA relies on a self-service system for updating addresses, paying dues, and other functions. Past editions of the newsletter going back to May of 2005 are available on the website, but you need your password. Joe explains how to request your password.
August 2022 The newsletter announces two programs on October 3 to celebrate the launch of PDCA. It also announces a September 12 program with former Senior Counter-Disinformation Advisor on Disinformation, Democracy, and Public Diplomacy Todd Leventhal. Co-President Joel Fischman announces the launch of a new website for the organization. Domenick DiPasquale regales readers with the question: "Anchors Aweigh or Anchors Awry?" Judith Baroody looks at Ten Notable USIA Foreign Service Women through the lens of their oral histories at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.
May 2022: The newsletter advertises a Conversation with Marie Yovanovitch set for May 25 and a June 6 First Monday program with George Stevens, Jr., focusing on the release of his new book on My Place in the Sun: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington. PDCA Co-Presidents Joel Fischman and Sherry Mueller announce the launch of a "New Era" with the creation of PDCA. Olivia Sanchez and Sherry Mueller explain that the Rising Professional membership category is a way to build multi-generational leadership. Bruce Gregory explores the history of the Public Diplomacy Council. Joel Fischman and Sherry Mueller define the role of standing committees as the Heart of PDCA Planning and Implementation.
February 2022. Promoting Democracy in a Turbulent World with Carnegie Endowment Vice President Thomas Carothers is the topic of the March 7 First Monday Program. Joel Fischman announces that PDAA and PDC are entering into the transition toward the launch of the Public Diplomacy Council of America PDCA. Joe Johnson describes the process for Branding a New Organization. Former Presidents Fred Coffey and Kathy Brion and former Editor Alan Kotok describe the early years of PDAA and the USIA Alumni Association. The proposed Board of Directors for the new PDCA is announced.
October 2021. PDAA President Joel Fischman updates the membership on the merger of PDAA and the Public Diplomacy Council: He indicates that the merger is on track to take place on January 1, 2022. Former PDAA President Robert Chatten provides an appreciation of the life of Jerry Chirichigno. PDAA member Anne Barbaro provides an overview of the work of the Lois Roth Endowment. Former PDAA Board member Bruce K. Byers reviews his 1978-79 assignment as Information Officer in Afghanistan; former PDC President Donald M. Bishop describes his year as PAO in Kabul; and Patricia McArdle explores her efforts to obtain the extraction of a former FSN from Afghanistan.
August 2021. The August 2021 issue announces that the first post-pandemic luncheon would focus on the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program: It was to take place at DACOR/Bacon House on September 13. The recipients of the 2021 Awards for Excellence in Public Diplomacy Programs are announced. Articles feature the career of Dick Arndt, a Fulbright-to-France recipient who subsequently joined the Foreign Service; Evelyn Early describes her career after her Fulbright-to-Syria experience; Judith Baroody explains what it was like to chair a tri-national Fulbright Commission in Cyprus; and John Quintus explores Senator Fulbright’s visit to Germany on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Fulbright when Fulbright undermined U.S. foreign policy in Germany. We note the passing of Michael Anderson, a former PDAA Board member.
March 2021. PDAA President Joel Fischman leads off with an outline of the working groups that have been established to shepherd the merger of PDAA with its cousin, the Public Diplomacy Council. He notes that the report of the group that recommended the merger is available on the PDAA website. In an excerpt from his full article on the PDAA website, Michael Anderson describes the official residences he occupied while serving at nine posts in seven countries. Judith Baroody, with help from nine colleagues, describes the drama that goes into supporting VIP visits to overseas posts. She notes that, Careers can tank or soar as a result of these encounters with the mighty and famous, and the key to success can be as simple as maintaining a sense of courtesy and humor. Judy’s article, with links to the nine articles by her co-authors, is available on the PDAA website. In his obituaries for this issue, Member News Editor Claude Porsella reports the passing of former USIA Director Joseph Duffey. In addition, he announces that 103-year-old Frances Kolarek has passed away. Her husband, the late Joseph Kolarek, began his career in the Office of War Information. In an editor’s note, PDC Members are encouraged to update their contact information in MemberPlanet so that they can receive the printed version of the newsletter. All PDC and PDAA members are encouraged to include admin@publicdiplomacy.org in their e-mail address books so that the newsletter does not get deposited in their junk folders.
January 2021. Former PDAA President Michael Schneider laid out an agenda for the organization for 2021. In his President’s Notes, PDAA President Joel Fischman announces that the Public Diplomacy Coalition Working Group has recommended that PDAA and the Public Diplomacy Council be merged. The Boards of the two organizations will be meeting soon to consider the recommendation. 2021 would be a year of transition before the full merger would take place. Joel also calls attention to the joint PDAA/PDC memorandum submitted to the Office of the President-Elect on November 29, 2020. The memo on Public Diplomacy: Re-engaging the World points to the need for consistent senior leadership in public diplomacy (i.e., an undersecretary who understands public diplomacy and commits to stay on the job). The Newsletter features a two-page spread focused on the sixtieth anniversary of the Peace Corps. PDAA Board member Bill Wanlund points to the PC’s role as an incubator for future public diplomacy officers. He introduces 12 PDAA members who are returned Peace Corps Volunteers whose stories are carried here. Also in the Newsletter, PDAA member Mike Anderson describes an unusual use of Zoom: He recently participated in a socially distanced farewell to New Delhi FSN Unni Menon, who retired after a 32-year career with USIS/PD. As Mike notes, We may get tired of using Zoom, but we should never get tired of listening to the advice of local Embassy staffers. Finally, the Newsletter announced that on January 19, 2021, the eve of the Inauguration, Richard Wike, the Director of Global Research at the Pew Research Center, will delve into new findings from overseas at a program entitled, How President-elect Biden is viewed from Abroad.
October 2020. The Newsletter invited PDAA members to a Nov. 16 program with Michael McCurry and Michael Gerson discussing the implications of the 2020 Presidential Election. The November First Monday program, scheduled for Nov. 2, was also announced. It features the new director of GMU’s School of Media and Public Affairs.PDAA Secretary Dom DiPasquale paints a picture of the organization that existed between the end of the Office of War Information in 1945 and the establishment of USIA in 1953. Board Member Bill Wanlund reports on the September 18 event with Pew Global Attitudes Research Director Richard Wike. The U.S. image has plummeted. Leonard Baldyga remembers Public Diplomacy stalwart Tom Tuch. Paul Denig reviews Casablanca Blue, Judy Baroody’s new book.
August 2020. The Newsletter carried the revised date for the Paul Richter/Karen Tumulty program that had to be postponed from the spring because of the cancellation of all activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also carried the recipients of the 2020 PDAA Awards for Achievement in Public Diplomacy. Mark Jacobs reported on his life after the Foreign Service, noting that he finally had time that he had long struggled to find in order to undertake the writing that he focuses on today. Several obituaries were reported in the issue, including a memory by Michael Kristula of his request for tea and liver paté while being held hostage in Bolivia.
March 2020. The Newsletter announced three programs that were later canceled: The April 20, 2020, program on Covering Foreign Affairs in the Changing World, the Annual Awards Brunch scheduled for May 3 at the Army and Navy Club, and the May 4 First Monday program at the National Museum of American Diplomacy focusing on the presentation of Public Diplomacy at the Museum. Judith Baroody provided an overview of a new book, From Quills to Tweets: How America Communicates about War and Revolution, to which she and the late Martin Manning contributed chapters. There was also a collection of photos from the March 2 First Monday program that focused on 80th anniversary of the International Visitor Leadership Program. Peter Becskehazy provided his observations on Life After the Foreign Service: The View from Tucson.
January 2020. The Feb. 24, 2020, PDAA luncheon discussion will focus on The Power of Public Diplomacy: Leading Today’s Challenges and will feature PDAA Achievement Award recipient Jean Manes. PDAA members remember the late Linda Jewell. PDC President, and new PDAA Board Member, Sherry Mueller recalls her memories of Senator Fulbright. She says his legacy gives her hope in turbulent times. PDAA Board Member Dom DiPasquale continues his exploration of USIA in popular culture. PDAA Member News Editor Claude Porsella shares the latest group of PD alumni who have left us. The PDAA Board has awarded honorary one-year memberships to Roth Endowment honorees. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has received the 2019 Edward R. Murrow Award for Multimedia in the Television Network category from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
October 2019. Two top State Department officials will discuss the Trump Administration’s reorganization of Public Diplomacy offices in the State Department; it is the first major overhaul of the PD sector since USIA was dissolved in October 1999. The Future of PDAA and of PDC was the focus of a Sep. 9, 2019, meeting. New PDAA Board Member Patricia Kushlis describes her role in representing beyond-the-beltway members of the association. PDAA Board Member Domenick DiPasquale informs us that USIA Lives (At Least in the Daily Crossword Puzzle).
August 2019. Voice of America Director Amanda Bennett will be the speaker at the first luncheon meeting of the program year on Sept. 16, whereas a special roundtable discussion among members of the Public Diplomacy Association of America, the Public Diplomacy Council, and other interested professionals has been set for Mon., Sep. 9, 2019, at noon. It will focus on the past, present, and future of organizations focused on Public Diplomacy. Dues for PDAA membership are going up effective September 1, Ambassador Sally Grooms Cowal describes A Life After the Foreign Service, New PDAA Officers and Directors are announced, and PDAA honors outstanding public diplomacy initiatives in its annual awards brunch.
March 2019. The Challenges of International Exchanges: The Last Three Feet Revisited will be the focus of the April 8 luncheon program. PDAA announces that its annual awards brunch will take place on May 5 and will focus on Excellence in Public Diplomacy. PDAA President Cynthia Efird reports on the PDAA-cosponsored February 25 event at American University that dealt with Making the Hard Case for Soft Power. In her President’s Notes, Amb. Efird asks out-of-town members how PDAA might better serve them and asks them and other PDAA members if they would be willing to serve on the PDAA Board of Directors. She also raises the possibility that PDAA may have to raise its dues in order to cover rising costs. Ambassador Greta Morris reports on the February 28 program on Engaging North Korea and Other Hard-to-Reach Audiences, and she summarizes some of the comments of Sungiu Lee, a North Korean defector who is in the U.S. on a Fulbright grant and who attended the Feb. 28 event.
January 2019. PDAA focuses on Engaging North Korea and other hard-to-reach audiences. Mike Anderson reports on a recent special PDAA program with veteran NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell. PDAA members recall their experiences with George H.W. Bush. PDAA President Cynthia Efird reports that PDAA has changed its official name to Public Diplomacy Association of America.
October 2018. Prospects for the Ramaphosa Administration Focus of November 19 PDAA Lunch Program. Mike Anderson describes his return to former posts and provides tips on You can go home again. Harriet McGuire describes her life after the Foreign Service and her experience with the Children’s Africana Book Awards. PDAA President Cynthia Efird describes the September program at which LTC Greg Tomlin pointed to his concern that DOD, by ceasing to appoint information officers at the Brigade level in 2017, downgraded our military’s ability to coordinate with State and others at the working level. Claude Porsella has an appreciation of the late Leo Sarkisian.
August 2018. The Departments of Defense and State cooperation on strategic communications to be discussed at September luncheon. Public Diplomacy creativity was highlighted at the annual Awards Ceremony in May. Leslie Nolan describes her life after the Foreign Service. PDAA President Cynthia Efird highlights the close cooperation between PDAA and the Public Diplomacy Council.
March 2018. Some China observers have coined a new phrase ‘sharp power’ to complement already recognized ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ power. Two respected experts explore these and related questions. Ambassador Cynthia Efird, PDAA’s President, notes the firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steven Goldstein.
January 2018. Should promoting human rights and democracy be an important part of U.S. foreign policy? Can the efforts of the U.S. (and other countries) to promote democracy and human rights in other countries succeed, or can democracy develop and thrive only if promoted from within a country? Do democratic states, in turn, contribute to a more secure and stable world, or can democratic transitions lead to instability or even chaos? Two experts address these questions. Also, PDAA member Dick Virden write on Writing, Teaching, Speaking: Using Critical Skills in Retirement.
October 2017. U.S. correspondents for various European media discuss rising populism in Europe and the U.S. Also, 2017 winners of the annual PDAA awards for excellence in public diplomacy demonstrated exceptional innovation, ability to connect with foreign audiences, and affect real change in challenging environments.
August 2017. Fake news and disinformation pose a challenge to diplomacy, and particularly to public diplomacy. How can today’s public diplomacy professionals—whose job it is to explain the United States and U.S. policy and seek to persuade the citizens and governments of other countries to support those policies—do their jobs in the face of this omnipresent fake news and disinformation? Two State Department officials help answer these questions. Also, PDAA member Judy Aita writes on My Next Life: Local Activism and Politics.
March 2017. Why is diplomatic engagement with religious groups so essential, and how can we do it more effectively? Dr. Douglas Johnston, founder and President of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, and Dr. Peter Mandaville, Professor of International Affairs at George Mason University respond.
January 2017. A PDAA lunch program panel describes the ways nations closely cooperate in space despite strategic differences on earth, and a former PDAA professional tells about her run for politicl office in Maine.
October 2016. Kristin Lord and Tara Sonenshine outline the public diplomacy challenges facing the new president, and Bill Parker explains how a former Foreign Service Officer became an advocate for space exploration as an instrument of foreign policy.
August 2016. Amb. Kenton Keith and former Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Brown discuss the current state of public diplomacy, based on their recent experiences inspecting posts overseas, and the 2016 Public Diplomacy Achievement Awards recipients are profiled.
March 2016. The April 2016 PDAA lunch meeting discusses the Paris accords on climate change, the annual Public Diplomacy Achievement Awards brunch moves to Fort Myer Officers’ Club, and Cynthia Farrell Johnson tells how she evolved into a children’s book illustrator.
January 2016. PDAA kicked off 2016 with a discussion of the role foreign policy could play in the 2016 pesidential elections, led by Mike McCurry, veteran political strategist and former spokesperson at State Department and the White House. In that issue, many colleagues remembered USIA youth and sports officer (and Olympic champion) Mal Whitfield, who died in November 2015, as a unique and inspiring individual.
October 2015. The November 2015 lunch program explores foreign policy implications of warming relations between the U.S. and Cuba. And Jacqui Porth tells about her post-PD career responding to casting calls, acting in entertainment and industrial films and videos.
August 2015. The September luncheon program discusses the definition and metrics surrounding public diplomacy audiences. And Bruce Byers tells how he published a novel, with advice for future great American authors.
March 2015. The March 2015 lunch program features a panel discussion of immigration issues. The annual awards event, now a brunch, is scheduled for May. Jon Schaffer tells what it’s like to host four Chinese teenagers in his home.
January 2015. A panel at the February lunch program describes the role of communications in global health crises, focusing on experiences with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Mike Anderson tells about Ben Bradlee’s reluctant tenure in public diplomacy. Bob Chatten offers an appreciation of his good friend Vic Olason.
October 2014. Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific is the featured speaker at the November lunch program. Joe Johnson describes how he became an illustrator. And Tom Tuch tells why VOA’s professional news and editorial operations are needed now more than ever.
August 2014. A panel at the September 2014 lunch program discusses Russia’s propaganda and influence in the Ukraine. And Fred Coffey gives his views on the way public relations and public diplomacy are becoming increasingly confused in the 21st century State Department, as he returns to his native Texas.
April 2014. Lois Barbaro describes how her work with the Lois Roth Endowment keeps her connected to cultural exchanges. The Santa Fe World Affairs Forum explores diplomacy as a way to talk with adversaries. And the annual awards dinner features an Italian menu.
March 2014. A panel at the April 2014 lunch program explores how exchanges can provide an American presence in Cuba while relations slowly return to normal. Than and Mimi Lwin describe their work with UNESCO. Former State Department spokesperson P.J. Crowley discusses our public diplomacy deficit in a joint program with American Foreign Service Association.
January 2014. Lisa Choate of American Councils for International Education describes the value of youth exchanges at the February 2014 lunch program. Frank Albert remembers his friend Bob Gildea. And Nancy Snow offers an excerpt from her new book about Edward R. Murrow’s tenure as USIA director.
November 2013. A panel of State Department public diplomacy officers tell about their experience in details away from the Department in the December 2013 lunch program. Jim Bullock shares his experiences in being called out of retirement to become PAO in Tunis for the second time. And PDAA’s Web site gets a makeover.
September 2013. Carla Koppell of USAID and Sharon Kotok of State Department explore the role of women’s empowerment programs in fostering democratic reform and social change at the October 2013 lunch program. Kathy Brion tells about her experiences singing classical music with the Cathedral Choral Society. And Walter Roberts remembers his good friend Arthur Bardos.