There has never been a more interesting time to be in communications or global affairs. While perhaps that feeling often rings true, I join Carnegie as Vice President for Communications and Strategy at a moment when daily life is upended around the world and the impact of global news has reached directly into our homes. As reactions to Carnegie’s COVID-19 analysis and events suggest, the thirst to understand what’s happening and what’s next is as great as it’s ever been.
Decisionmakers are in luck. Carnegie has an unparalleled global platform to offer what is sorely needed: independent analysis and expert scholarship, grounded in local realities and imperatives from Brussels to Moscow, Beirut to New Delhi, and Washington to Beijing.
I experienced firsthand the need for that combination of regionally rooted but globally savvy perspective over more than a decade in the U.S. Foreign Service. Whether grappling with the implications of a Maoist insurgency in Nepal, advancing NATO energy policy, or serving as a spokesperson for the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, I saw the considerable impact that a timely, provocative, or just well-argued idea can make. This was especially clear during my time as a special assistant to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when I facilitated the steady stream of memos, intelligence, news, analysis, calls, and emails that flow through the U.S. foreign policy apparatus every day. A good idea announced itself.
When Carnegie experts put themselves into the minds of those in the White House Situation Room, I get it. I’ve been there (at eight months pregnant, too). Shaping public understanding of U.S.-Russia relations in the frenetic days after a Malaysian airliner was shot down over Ukraine, supporting private sector adoption of voluntary cybersecurity standards, preparing the White House spokesperson to defend the exchange of five Taliban prisoners for U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl—these were the kinds of policy and communications imperatives I faced as a director for strategic communications at the National Security Council and assistant press secretary for national security at the White House.
I understand the need for clarifying insight in a crowded, contested, and chaotic world. And I am now privileged to lead the communications team responsible for helping meet this need as only Carnegie can.
Last, I have always leaned into the most rewarding part of being a communicator—an open invitation to learn. I am not a mouthpiece, but rather a translator and strategic partner for the decisionmakers, and now scholars, I serve. You’ll see that curiosity on display as I take over the reins of The World Unpacked, our podcast that goes deep on a global issue each week. I hope you’ll join me as we tap into Carnegie’s rich network to examine what’s driving the news and what it means for decisionmakers trying to keep up.
So, back to that timing issue. Joining Carnegie during the pandemic has meant never stepping foot in my office and meeting all my new colleagues via video. But this moment also has underscored the urgency of our 110-year-old mission and our unique ability to deliver on its promise. I’m grateful to be here.