U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Office of the Spokesperson
The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (ACPD) will hold a virtual public meeting from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Thursday, February 11, 2021.
In addition to showcasing the Commission’s recently-published 2020 Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting, the meeting will feature a panel of independent experts who will examine the challenges facing U.S. government public diplomacy in 2021 and beyond, including the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and growing authoritarian influence campaigns. Panelists include: Martha Bayles, Senior Lecturer in Humanities at Boston College; Kathy Fitzpatrick, Director of the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications at the University of South Florida; and Jay Wang, Director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.
This meeting is open to the public, Members and staff of Congress, the Department of State, Department of Defense, the media, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations. To obtain the web conference link and password, please e-mail ACPD Program Assistant Kristy Zamary at [email protected]. Attendees should plan to enter the web conference waiting room by 11:50 a.m. to allow for a prompt start.
The ACPD is a bipartisan panel created by Congress in 1948 to appraise U.S. government activities intended to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics. The Commission conducts research that provides honest assessments of public diplomacy efforts, and disseminates findings through reports, white papers, and other publications. It also holds public symposia that generate informed discussions on public diplomacy issues and events. The Commission reports to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress.
For more information on the ACPD or the upcoming public meeting, please contact Executive Director Vivian S. Walker at [email protected] or Senior Advisor Shawn Baxter at [email protected], or please visit https://www.state.gov/
