Meet the CPD Team | USC Center on Public Diplomacy

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) is a research, analysis and professional training organization dedicated to enriching the study and practice of public diplomacy in pursuit of a more peaceful and prosperous world. Established in 2003 and housed in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Center works daily to strengthen the field of public diplomacy by conducting research, providing training, organizing convenings, and celebrating achievement through awards such as the Ameri Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy.

CPD Staff

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Renee Almassizadeh

Assistant Director for Operations and Programming

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Senior Research Officer

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Rachel Cohrs Zhang

Website Manager (Consultant)

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Assistant Director of Engagement

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Assistant Director for Marketing Communication

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Director of Development, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

CPD ADVISORY BOARD

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Chair, CPD Advisory Board

Partner, Latham & Watkins (ret.)

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CPD Advisory Board Member

CEO, StartItUp

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Executive Director, California Film Commission

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Katherine A. Brown

CPD Advisory Board Member

President & CEO, Global Ties U.S.

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Co-CEO, Ethos Capital

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Kimberly Marteau Emerson

CPD Advisory Board Member

International Board, Human Rights Watch

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Law Professor, Pepperdine Caruso Law School

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Jerrold D. Green

CPD Advisory Board Member

Global Advisor, Cedars-Sinai Health System

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Former U.S. Senator

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Former President & CEO, National Geographic Partners

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Markos Kounalakis

CPD Advisory Board Member

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

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CPD Advisory Board

Counsel, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Chair and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLC

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Tireco, Inc., Founder and Chairman

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Chairman & CEO, Phoenix Pictures

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Author, Foreign Policy Strategist

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Ponchitta Pierce

CPD Advisory Board Member

Journalist & Media Consultant

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Former Assistant Secretary of State, Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

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Alan M Schwartz

CPD Advisory Board Member

President, Asset Management Solutions

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Founder & Chairman, The Open Hands Initiative

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Latham & Watkins LLP Partner

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CPD Advisory Board Member

Fellow, Distinguished Careers Institute, Stanford University

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Jonathan Woetzel

CPD Advisory Board Member

McKinsey & Co. Senior Partner and McKinsey Global Institute Director

STUDENT INTERNS

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Naathapit “Otto” Lamsam

Programming and Operations Assistant

Candidate, Master of Public Diplomacy

CPD Visiting Scholars

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CPD Visiting Scholar

Professor, Bar-Ilan University

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U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence 2024-26, CPD Visiting Scholar

To view past CPD Visiting Scholars, click here.

CPD Research Fellows

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CPD Research Fellow 2024-26

Associate Professor, University of Southern Queensland, Australia

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CPD Research Fellow 2024-26

Associate Professor, Auburn University

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CPD Research Fellow 2023-25

Associate Professor, University of the Basque Country

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Alexander Evans

CPD Research Fellow 2024–26

Professor, London School of Economics

To view past CPD Visiting Scholars & Fellows / Research Fellows, click here.

CPD Faculty Fellows

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USC Annenberg

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VP for Global Initiatives, USC

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USC Annenberg

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University of Oxford

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USC School of International Relations

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Griffith Asia Institute

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CPD Faculty Fellow

USC School of Architecture

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USC Annenberg

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Nicholas J. Cull

USC Annenberg

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Kathy Fitzpatrick

University of South Florida

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Robeson Taj Frazier

USC Annenberg

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USC Annenberg

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G. Thomas Goodnight

USC Annenberg

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George Washington University

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Robert Hernandez

USC Annenberg

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USC Annenberg

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University of Oklahoma

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USC Annenberg

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Matthew Le Veque

USC Annenberg

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Clingendael

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Najmedin Meshkati

USC Viterbi School of Engineering

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Northwestern University

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Lund University

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Katarzyna Pisarska

Warsaw School of Economics

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Adam Clayton Powell, III

USC Annenberg

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Alison Dundes Renteln

USC Dornsife

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USC Annenberg

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USC Annenberg

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Dean of Religious Life, USC

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US-Mexico Network, USC

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Vivian S. Walker

Georgetown University

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Rebecca Weintraub

USC Annenberg

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Ernest J. Wilson III

USC Annenberg

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USC Annenberg

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USC Annenberg

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American University