MPD Alumni Spotlight: Yael Swerdlow

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the USC Master of Public Diplomacy program, housed at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy interviewed distinguished alumni for a special series reflecting on their time at USC, their professional achievements, and the paths their careers have taken since graduation. View the complete list of alumni interviews. 

Could you introduce yourself, your class of MPD, and explain what you are currently doing and have done since graduating?

My name is Yael Swerdlow, and I have the wonderful distinction of being the first recruit and first graduate of the MPD program (there were only two of us then), graduating in Winter 2007.  As a former longtime photojournalist, working as the Director of Media Relations for the Consulate of Israel in the Southwest, I was keen for a new challenge.  During an official "we want the diplomatic corps involved" meeting, Josh Fouts and Geoffrey Cowan told me about this new Master's program merging International Relations and Communications.  I knew immediately I had found what I was looking for. 

But going back to school at the age of 48?? My B.A. from UCLA in International Relations was earned when there was still a Cold War, and it's hard to believe that was almost twenty years ago! Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. For the past two decades I've been an entrepreneur.  My current company sits at the intersection of Cognitive Warfare, Brain Economy and NeuroArts - all public diplomacy domains.

How has the program broadly helped you in your career?

Being older, my lived experience coincided with many of the historical examples presented in the lectures and the textbooks, which added nuanced understanding and gravitas.

Was there one particular class in the program which helped prepare you for the workplace?

I loved Class 504 - the Think-On-Your-Feet-and-Solve-Crises-in-Real-Time class.  Nothing prepares you for the full reality of being an entrepreneur, but the intensity of 504, especially the collaboration with your assigned teammates, does rival the Start-up reality in many ways.

What is your favorite non-academic memory of your days as an MPD Trojan?

My favorite non-academic memory by far are the incredible fellow students and professors--even those from later MPD cohorts--so many of whom are still wonderful friends.

How do you feel the world of public diplomacy and public engagement has changed during your time?

Globally, the world of public diplomacy and public engagement has been lurching towards the massive upheaval we are currently experiencing.  Frankly, I don't see individual societies suddenly waking up one morning and consuming fact-based-truth with their morning coffee, so our work as public diplomacy practitioners will have to create new ways of building community. 

What would your advice be to today’s students?

My advice to new MPD students is to immerse yourself in the experience, have fun, and hold tight to Hegel's Dialectical Framework.