Colleen Graffy Joins CPD Advisory Board

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy is pleased to welcome Colleen Graffy, Pepperdine University law professor and the first Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State, as the newest member of the CPD Advisory Board.

At the State Department, Graffy traveled to over 40 countries and worked with U.S. embassies and a team in Washington to communicate U.S. policy, values and culture. She created the first-ever “media hub” for the U.S. government with radio and television broadcasting facilities based in Brussels and established the “Ben Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship,” a program that brings together students ages 16–18 from former Eastern Bloc countries, Western Europe and the U.S. to study democracy, civil society, critical thinking, disinformation and more. Graffy was the first diplomat to use Twitter, introduced “Visual Diplomacy” as a tool for the U.S. government’s public diplomacy efforts and produced a training video for such purposes for Foreign Service officers and locally engaged staff.

Graffy was based in London for over 20 years as Academic Director of Pepperdine’s London Law Program and was Director of Global Programs. She taught public diplomacy for Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy and teaches public international law, international criminal law, international environmental law, 1st year criminal law, and negotiation at Pepperdine Caruso Law School.

"Colleen's contributions to U.S. public diplomacy are profound, and we are honored by her decision to join the CPD Advisory Board," said Board Chair Barry Sanders. "Her global experience and leadership in spearheading new technologies, initiatives and partnerships certainly strengthen our collective efforts to advance the world's leading public diplomacy center."

Her full bio can be found here.

About the CPD Advisory Board

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy’s Advisory Board comprises prominent figures in various fields related to public diplomacy who are invited to serve for a period of three years. The CPD Advisory Board provides support and strategic guidance to CPD staff regarding the development of the Center as an international resource. For a full list of board members, please click here.