USA Study Abroad, part of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), and its Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship (Gilman) Program are pleased to invite current recipients and alumni of the Gilman Program, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program, ECA exchange alumni, all interested U.S. undergraduate and graduate students, and U.S. higher education faculty and administrators to attend the “Inside "U.S. Foreign Policy Leading Voices: Communicating U.S. Foreign Policy to Domestic and International Audiences” on December 4, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Eastern.  

This one-hour seminar will explore how U.S. State Department spokespeople shape narratives and communicate American foreign policy to a variety of audiences. The program will delve into the strategies and best practices employed by public affairs officers to convey American priorities, values, and policy goals to domestic and international audiences. Attendees will gain insight into the outreach methods used to advance U.S. interests and messaging abroad. State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Mignon Houston, is a leading voice on this topic. Ms. Houston will explain how the State Department crafts talking points for domestic and international audiences to ensure accurate coverage of U.S. foreign policy priorities by major international media. She will be joined by Samuel Werberg, Arabic Language Spokesperson and Director of the Dubai Media Hub and Natalia Molano, Spanish Language Spokesperson and Director of the Miami Media Hub, who is a Gilman alumna and will also serve as the moderator.