Banks Joins USC Center on Public Diplomacy as U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence

LOS ANGELES - Robert Banks, a public diplomacy practitioner with more than a quarter-century of experience in the Foreign Service, will join the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School as its fourth U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence for the 2009-2010 term.

"We always look forward to having senior U.S. diplomats join us at the Center each year. Their contributions to research, teaching, and developing the Center’s program are invaluable, and I know Bob Banks will continue this," said Philip Seib, CPD Director. Nicholas Cull who directs the Master of Public Diplomacy program at USC and serves as a CPD University Fellow added "I'm delighted that Bob is joining the Masters in Public Diplomacy team. Our Public Diplomat in Residence always brings a wealth of real world experience to the program. I'm especially excited by the prospect of Bob teaching a special class on the evaluation of public diplomacy in the spring semester."

Banks comes to the Center from his position as State Department Chair on the faculty of the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Va., where he taught regional studies.

Originally from Boston, he received his BA and MA, in English and American Studies from Boston College. Banks joined the Foreign Service after earning a doctorate in Interdisciplinary (American) Studies at Oklahoma State University.

During his 26-year career as a Public Diplomacy practitioner, Banks has served as Assistant Executive Officer in Bonn, West Germany; Deputy Public Affairs Officer (PAO) in Nicosia, Cyprus; Assistant Press Attaché in Seoul, Korea; East Asia Policy Officer in USIA's Worldnet TV service; Press Attaché in Managua, Nicaragua; Cultural Affairs Officer in Seoul, Korea; Examiner for the Foreign Service oral entrance exam in the Bureau of Human Resources; Planning and Coordination Officer in the Office of Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs; PAO in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and most recently with the Marine Corps War College.

About the U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence
Established in 2005 by joint agreement between the USC Center on Public Diplomacy and the office of the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence is a one-year detail assignment for one Senior Foreign Service Public Diplomacy Officer. While in residence at the Center, the U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence teaches at least one course in the USC Master of Public Diplomacy program and engages in individualized program research and writing for the Center's publication series as well as outreach to students and the academic community on matters related to public diplomacy. The U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence program is unique to the University of Southern California.