Two more senior State Department officials are preparing to leave the already hollowed-out top ranks at Foggy Bottom. Undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs Tara Sonenshine is leaving in July after 15 months in the job, likely headed to an academic or media gig.

BBG Watch has learned that the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs will soon be leaving her post at the State Department and her representational role at the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the federal agency in charge of U.S. international broadcasting.

U.S. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine rejected the idea that relations between the U.S and Russia are deteriorating and said social networking should be used to forge better ties during her visit to Moscow.

As you heard, I am Tara Sonenshine and I’m Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. And I am delighted to join you at this special time – the 40th anniversary of the Fulbright program in Russia. The program is very important to all of us – Russians and Americans. As I’ll explain in a few moments, it’s also important to the work of public diplomacy. So what better way to pay tribute to 40 years of Fulbright than to acknowledge the contributions of the people who have made it – and continue to make it – so vibrant and effective?

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine will travel to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia April 8-16, 2013. In Moscow, Russia, April 8-11, Under Secretary Sonenshine will be the keynote speaker at the “Fulbright Program in Russia: 40th Anniversary of Successful Academic Exchanges” conference.

The United States is deliberately sparring with Al-Qaeda supporters and militants online aiming to shoot down extremist messages and win over hearts and minds, a US official said yesterday. Seeking out the virtual spaces where "Al-Qaeda and its supporters lurk" is part of America's strategy to combat violent extremism, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine told students at the University of Maryland.

Efforts at public diplomacy can still succeed in countries where drone strikes have led to outrage against the United States, said Tara Sonenshine, the State Department's undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, in a talk at the University of Maryland on March 27.

I want to take you inside the space that public diplomacy is uniquely positioned to address – not only in the short term, but in the mid and long term. And today, I want to talk about the ways public diplomacy augments and complements our efforts to counter violent extremism, how we measure its effectiveness, and why that’s so important to our national interests.