Innovating Public Diplomacy: The 2026 Ameri Prize

The U.S. State Department and the USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) honored Ann Mangold as the 2026 recipient of the Ameri Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy at a special award event on September 15 at the University of Southern California’s Capital Campus in Washington DC.

The annual Ameri Prize honors U.S. foreign and civil service officers for creative and scalable initiatives that advance global public diplomacy. Established in 2021, the program was established by CPD, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, to promote the practice and to further build the field at a moment when public diplomacy is needed more than ever. The award is endowed by Goli Ameri, entrepreneur, philanthropist, CPD board member, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs.