Leadership
The Leadership of PDCA
PDCA is managed by a Board of Directors, drawn from the membership, who volunteer to serve the organization without compensation. The Board of Directors numbers between fifteen (15) and twenty-one (21) and meets at least quarterly. The Board of Directors adopts PDCA policies, guides programs, appoints Committees, leads PDCA activities, sets member dues, approves the annual budget, and secures and monitors the organization's finances.
Co-President Karl Stoltz
Karl Stoltz retired from the U.S. State Department of State in October 2024 after a 38-1/2 years as a Foreign Service Officer, primarily in Public Diplomacy positions. He served as an Assistant Information Officer in Wellington and Moscow; as Cultural Affairs Officer in Jakarta; as Branch Public Affairs Officer in Christchurch, NZ; and as Country PAO in Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, South Africa, and Russia.
He also served twice as Deputy Chief of Mission in Myanmar and Denmark. In Washington, D.C., Karl was Office Director for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and for Citizen Exchanges in ECA. He also served as Regional Exchanges and Cultural Coordinator in USIA’s East Asia bureau and as Public Diplomacy Fellow at George Washington University. Karl’s final job at State was acting Deputy Coordinator and Senior Advisor at the R Bureau’s Global Engagement Center (GEC).
In retirement, Karl teaches a graduate course at GWU, serves as Chair of the Walter Roberts Endowment, and works part-time as a foreign policy advisor for Deft 9 Solutions LLC. Karl is married to Tania Garry, who also has a prior background in public diplomacy with the governments of New Zealand and Australia. Karl speaks Russian, Indonesian, and Malaysian; his favorite free-time activities are travel, trivia contests, theatre, and music, and participation in Hash House Harriers hiking clubs. Contact: President@PublicDiplomacy.org.
Co-President Vivian Walker
The former Executive Director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Dr. Vivian S. Walker is Practitioner in Residence at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Adjunct Professor in GU’s MSFS degree program, Chair of the Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board, co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy, and Faculty Fellow at USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy. Previously, she taught at the Central European University, the National War College, and the National Defense College of the UAE.
A retired senior FSO, she twice served as a Deputy Chief of Mission (Croatia and Armenia), twice as an Office Director (Southeastern European Affairs and the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy for Europe), a Public Affairs Officer (Kazakhstan, with coverage of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan), a Cultural Affairs Officer (Tunisia) and an Information Officer (Haiti).
Other assignments include a two-year professorship in strategic studies at the National War College, a yearlong assignment as the State Department’s Regional Border Coordinator in Afghanistan, and a fellowship on the U.S. Atlantic Council, where she led the first interagency discussion on public diplomacy in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Dr. Walker publishes and lectures extensively on the practice of public diplomacy in complex information environments. She has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago. Contact: President@PublicDiplomacy.org.
PDCA Officers for 2025-2026
| Co-Presidents - Karl Stoltz & Vivian Walker |
| Vice President - Ambassador (Ret.) Larry Wohlers |
| Immediate Past President - Joel Fischman |
| Treasurer - Quentin Lide |
| Secretary - Tania Chomiak-Salvi |
| Executive Director - Robert Heath |
| Editor-in-Chief - Michael Korff |
Hans "Tom" Tuch Graduate Fellow - Lam Tran |
Board of Directors
Shaz Akram
Arthur Berger
Hon. Brian Carlson
Tania Chomiak-Salvi
Nick Cull, Ph.D.
Joel Fischman
Robert Heath*
Hon. Gordon Humphrey
Susan R. Johnson*
Judy Jung-Hwa Kang
Michael Korff*, Ph.D.
Quentin Lide
Josh Manley
Michael McCarry
Larry Schwartz
Karl Stoltz
Lam Tran*
M. Karen Walker, Ph.D.
Vivian Walker, Ph.D.
William Wanlund
Hon. Earl Anthony Wayne
Lynne Weil
Hon. Larry Wohlers
*non-voting
Committee Chairs (for terms ending May 31, 2026)
For a listing of committee members, click here. |
Academic Study: M. Karen Walker*, Steven Louis Pike The Academic Study Committee advances PDCA's mission to elevate public diplomacy's value in building peace, security, and mutual understanding among nations and peoples. We seek to broaden and deepen engagement between practitioners and scholars through partnership, the exchange of ideas, and practical collaboration. |
ACE Advocacy Communication Envoys: Lynne Weil*, Paul Foldi The Advocacy Communication Envoys (ACE) Committee maintains contacts with Congress, foreign policy professionals in Washington, and organizations across the country to highlight the long-term value of public diplomacy. It sustains such relationships to cultivate public diplomacy champions who can help PD build back better in future years under a new administration, and it assists PDCA leadership with engaging members in rapid-reaction efforts. |
Awards: Amb. (Ret.) Earl Anthony Wayne*, Michael Korff* The Awards Committee administers PDCA's two awards programs and advises on other programs that recognize Public Diplomacy activities. |
Budget and Finance: Barbara Keller* The Budget & Finance Committee advises the co-presidents about costs and the financial health of the organization as well as general supervision of the in-flow and out-flow of resources. Review budget proposals and the cost implications of proposals that come before the Executive Committee. |
Communication: Arthur Berger*, J. Michael Korff* The Communication Committee advises the leadership on external and internal communication, including Public Diplomacy Today, PDCA's weekly newsletter. |
Development: Shaz Akram*, Bill Wanlund* |
Membership & Outreach: Amb. (Ret.) Brian Carlson* The Membership and Outreach Committee is the engine that drives the growth and vitality of the Public Diplomacy Council of America. Its primary functions include recruiting new members, approving qualified applicants for membership, encouraging suitable persons to apply for membership, and ensuring members can engage with one another. An important goal of the Committee is identifying and contacting potential new members, especially current State Department employees engaged in public diplomacy, whether they are in Washington or serving at posts abroad. |
Nominating & Leadership Development: Joel Fischman* The Nominating and Leadership Committee prepares a slate of officers, board members, and committee chairs for board consideration on an annual cycle. The committee also nominates candidates for vacancies that occur and helps prepare potential candidates for future leadership of PDCA. |
Program: Judy Jung-Hwa Kang*, Nick Cull* The Program Committee plans and delivers in-person and on-line events for the PDCA.These typically include an event on the first Monday of every month and smaller events if/as needed. |
Rising Professionals: Josh Manley* The Rising Professionals Committee encourages young professionals to pursue careers in public diplomacy. The Committee also provides a platform for networking and professional development. |
Training, Mentoring, & Professional Development: Dr. Vivian Walker*, Josh Manley* The Training, Mentoring, & Professional Development Committee oversees and develops new approaches and programs to advance public diplomacy tradecraft and the skills of PDCA members. In addition to managing two professional development opportunities, the PDCA Mentoring Program and the Davis Fellows Program, the Committee also supports external diplomatic leadership and training initiatives. |
*Also a member of the Board of Directors |
PDCA Distinguished Alumni
| Distinguished Alumni promote PDCA’s mission and its predecessor organizations, the Public Diplomacy Association of America and the Public Diplomacy Council. |
Janice Brambilla, Don Bishop, Kathy Brion, Robert Chatten, Robert Coonrod, Ambassador Cynthia Efird, Morris (Bud) Jacobs, Ambassador Greta Morris, Dr. Sherry Mueller, Eugene Nojek, Dr. Adam Clayton Powell III, Dr. Michael Schneider, Peter Kovach, Dr. Pat Kushlis, and Joan Mower These Distinguished Alumni advise the current leadership of the Public Diplomacy Council of America. |