Ann Mangold Named 2026 Recipient of the Ameri Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 15, 2026 — The U.S. Department of State and the USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) have announced Ann Mangold, Public Diplomacy Officer with the Belarus Affairs Unit at U.S. Embassy Vilnius, as the 2026 recipient of the Ameri Prize for Innovation in Public Diplomacy.

Mangold played a central communications role in a series of U.S.-negotiated political prisoner releases in 2025, including the release of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Ales Bialiatski. Using an AI-powered platform to track more than 500 traditional and digital media channels, she provided real-time sentiment analysis and strategic guidance to U.S. officials, helping identify emerging narratives and shape messaging for audiences inside Belarus, the Belarusian diaspora, and regional partners. 

The Ameri Prize honors U.S. foreign and civil service officers whose creativity and leadership advance the practice of public diplomacy worldwide. Established in 2021, the annual award is endowed by Goli Ameri, entrepreneur, philanthropist, CPD board member, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. “Ann’s work embodies exactly the kind of ingenuity the Ameri Prize was created to recognize,” said Ameri. “Faced with the Herculean challenge of conducting public diplomacy from outside Belarus, Ann used AI and real-time digital intelligence not simply to work more efficiently, but to help shape consequential diplomatic outcomes.”

Operating from a “mission-in-exile” following the suspension of U.S. Embassy operations in Minsk, Mangold worked under extraordinary constraints to maintain an effective communications presence inside Belarus. As the unit’s sole public diplomacy officer, she developed with her team a lean, technology-enabled model that combined AI-driven media analysis to sustain public diplomacy operations remotely.

The results demonstrated how technological innovation can extend the reach of public diplomacy even under resource and access constraints. Mangold’s strategy contributed to coverage in more than 700 media outlets worldwide, while her optimization of AI-assisted monitoring saved an estimated 300 staff hours. She also developed a solution that preserved $400,000 in funding for critical digital capabilities during a funding moratorium.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Ameri Prize and to join the remarkable public diplomacy professionals who have received this recognition before me,” said Mangold. “Our work in Belarus proves that digital innovation allows us to truly connect with audiences, foster understanding, and drive meaningful impact.”

Mangold joins a distinguished group of past Ameri Prize honorees, including Andrea Stanford, recognized for her groundbreaking initiatives to reduce illegal immigration flows; Morgan O’Brien, awarded for transforming global visa communications; Alexander Hunt, noted for his early integration of AI into the State Department’s public diplomacy workflows; Alys Spensley, honored for her pioneering social and digital analytics work in Beijing; and Gretchen Franke and Chad Houghton, who developed an AI-based tool to counter disinformation in Poland.

About the USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Established in 2003 at the University of Southern California, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy is a research, analysis and professional training organization dedicated to furthering the study and discipline of public diplomacy—the practice of engaging with foreign audiences to strengthen ties, build trust, and promote cooperation.  Since its inception, CPD has become an ambitious and productive leader in the public diplomacy research and scholarship community and plays host to robust discussions about the future of public diplomacy. To learn more about CPD, please visit USCPublicDiplomacy.org.

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