Public Diplomacy with Katherine Brown

“Reach out, and be brave about it, don’t let everything come to you.”

KATHERINE BROWN is a foremost expert on Public Diplomacy who has a well-earned grasp on practice vs. theory while providing excellent advice on how to build a career in diplomacy and strategic communications. I learned of her legend when I moved to Washington, DC and saw the impact of her work with the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy; I decided to attend a public meeting to see her speak and we’ve been in touch as fellow diplomats ever since. Her interview is one of our most extensive discussions so far; don’t miss her advice on how to rise above sexism in the workplace.

Themes: public diplomacy, broadcasting, journalism, strategy, foreign policy

Takeaways: there’s no linear career path; your work will speak for itself; and learn to see things from new points of view if you want to be an effective public diplomat

Katherine serves as the Executive Director of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a body authorized by Congress to oversee and promote U.S. Government activities that intend to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics. She has a Ph.D. in communications from Columbia University and more than a decade of experience working at the nexus of national security, development, and global media.

To learn more about Katherine’s work and for news on the latest in public diplomacy, you can follow her on Twitter: @_KatherineBrown

To check out the extensive reports on U.S. public diplomacy that we mentioned in the interview, visit www.state.gov/pdcommission

And to interact with the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, you can tweet @PDCommission and follow facebook.com/PDCommission