For this PDx podcast, GW senior Sydney Teabout speaks to Nancy Szalwinski, Director for Cultural Programs at the US Department of State.
Ms. Szalwinski has had almost two decades of experience with the U.S. Foreign Service. Her experiences have taken her to several posts in Latin America and also to Eastern Europe and Australia.
In the conversation, Sydney learns more about the goals of cultural programs and how they are part of U.S. public diplomacy.
Sydney Teabout is a student in the SMPA 3350 Public Diplomacy class taught by Public Diplomacy Fellow Emilia A. Puma. She is a senior studying Journalism and Mass Communication as well as American Studies.
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author. They do not express the views of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication or the George Washington University.
“I am convinced that increased participation by dedicated Americans in international exchanges will help to achieve our common hope for a durable and just peace.”
— President John F. Kennedy, 1961
Robert Ogburn, Director of the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US State Department
In this PDx episode, SMPA undergraduate student Adam Esrig speaks with Robert Ogburn, Director of the Office of Citizen Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State.
Examining the impact of cultural and educational diplomacy, Mr. Ogburn discusses the importance of exchange programs in the context of today’s current events.
Adam Esrig is a student in the SMPA 3350 Public Diplomacy class taught by Public Diplomacy Fellow Emilia A. Puma. He is an undergraduate student in Political Science and Political Communication, Class of 2023.
The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the interviewer. They do not express the views of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication or the George Washington University.
Established in 1961, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs works to establish cultural exchanges between the United States and other countries around the world. Through academic, professional, athletic, and artistic exchanges, the ECA allows people from around the world to experience life in the United States and Americans to experience life in a variety of other countries. Through these exchanges the ECA fosters deep, meaningful relations between countries and is able to advance diplomacy through genuine connection between cultures.
In this PDx interview, GW third-year student Brian O’Rourke talks to Acting Assistant Secretary Lussenhop about the importance of cultural exchange programs in US diplomacy at large and the role of public diplomacy in strengthening relationships between countries.
Matthew Lussenhop serves as the Acting Assistant Secretary of the ECA. He has served as a Foreign Service Officer since 1990. His career in Public Diplomacy has extended from serving as Public Affairs Counselor in the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan to the Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy to Belgium. And he has held positions in various US embassies including Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Muscat, Oman; Rabat, Morocco; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Manila, Philippines.
Lussenhop also discusses the importance of cultural exchange programs in US diplomacy at large and the role of public diplomacy in strengthening relationships between countries. He explains how the ECA’s cultural exchange programs have been impacted by COVID 19 and his own experience as a Foreign Service Officer.
Brian O’Rourke is a student in the SMPA 3350 Public Diplomacy class taught by Public Diplomacy Fellow Emilia A. Puma. He is an undergraduate student in International Affairs and Political Communication, Class of 2022.
The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the interviewer. They do not express the views of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication or the George Washington University.
