Honorable Mention for the 2025 Lois Roth Award goes to Nicole (Nikki) Finnemann, Public Affairs Officer at the Consulate General in Barcelona. Nikki has consistently demonstrated superior creativity, profound cultural sensitivity, and remarkable human warmth in fostering meaningful international collaboration. She led the 2025 Academy for Women Entrepreneurs Continental Summit, connecting women entrepreneurs across Europe with […]
The 2025 Lois Roth Award for excellence in cultural diplomacy goes to Johnny O. Hishmeh, Public Diplomacy Officer for Public Engagement in the Venezuela Affairs Unit at the U. S. Embassy in Bogota. Johnny exemplifies the legacy of Lois Roth through his patience, wisdom, and generosity in supporting his team in Caracas. Under challenging conditions from
The 2024 Lois Roth Award for excellence in cultural diplomacy goes to Sarah Ziebell, Regional Public Engagement Specialist for the Balkans. Sarah is recognized for her ability to see interesting and unexpected program opportunities and her practical skills to get things done. Colleagues see Sarah as a smart manager, a thoughtful innovator, and a strategic
Jeff received the 2024 Lois Roth Award honorable mention for, as Deputy Chief of Mission Emily Fleckner lauds, his success working in one of the most restrictive operating environments in the world. As the Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan, he is recognized for his implementation of an exceptionally creative ECA
Christienne has applied her vision of bringing disparate peoples together and improving their chances for success during a series of assignments in the toughest PD environments. In Iraq (twice), Tunis and her current post, Christienne uses her superior foreign language, programming and grants management skills to offer a broad swath of publics carefully-crafted civic and
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Three years after the restoration of U.S. diplomatic presence in Mogadishu after a nearly 30 year absence, Larry Socha is updating the U.S.-Somalia narrative popularized by Hollywood scripts now decades old to an authentic account of partnership with Somali institutions. Larry kickstarted programs for artists, exchange participants, English Teaching Fellows, a new American Corner and events
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Richard Pinkham, the Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan was awarded an Honorable Mention for his use of the spectrum of cultural and educational exchange programs to foster greater stability and cohesion in the South Caucasus. Through in-person and virtual exchanges for think-tank analysts, academics, students, English language teacher training and
Jennifer Uhler, the Regional English Language Officer in Tallinn, Estonia covers Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia, but she has also served in Central Asia, East Asia and South America. In all her assignments, Jen has brought an understanding of how English language skills promote cross-cultural communication, open doors to educational and job opportunities,
An Honorable Mention was also awarded to Cultural Affairs Officer Raisa Dukas from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. Raisa’s incredible support to her peers, subordinates, and interlocutors, her mentoring and creation of a new, but now permanent, regional Community of Practice for PD practitioners, and her creative programming and broad strategic outreach plan that
The 2021 Lois Roth Award went to Public Affairs Officer William Couch from the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland. Bill skillfully used a range of cultural diplomacy tools, over two years, to reverse Finnish opposition to repatriating the remains of 20 Indigenous People and their funerary objects for reburial in Mesa Verde National Park. Bill
The 2020 Lois Roth Award went to Cultural Affairs Officer Davida MacDonald from the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. Davida was recognized for the “Moonshot Morocco” campaign she designed that transformed the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing into a year-long celebration and captured the imagination of thousands of Moroccans. The campaign provided STEM programming to
An Honorable Mention was also awarded to Cultural Affairs Officer Holly Zardus from the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo for her creation of BOLD (Bosanski Omladinski Lideri), a multi-faceted program to address the problems facing Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) by developing a new cadre of leaders. Holly marshaled a full range of public diplomacy programming, leveraged support from her
Jeffrey’s work as a Cultural Affairs Officer transformed U.S. public diplomacy efforts in Tanzania and created a lasting positive impact. By cultivating a strong network of contacts, Jeff partnered with local organizations to host meaningful programming, such as the first-ever Tanzanian girls entrepreneurship summit for young female innovators. Jeffrey’s work demonstrates a deep compassion for
As Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Nicole has shown great ingenuity in cultural diplomacy programming that creates lasting mutual respect and understanding between the people of the U.S. and Madagascar. Her innovative programming included a modernized English language learning symposium, a musical education workshop series that brought together local and
Robin’s ingenious use of art and culture to reach Palestinian youth and women’s groups helped them develop skills help themselves through programs that provided arts management courses, entrepreneurial support, and cultural tourism development. Her collaboration with Palestinian civil society organization and intensive social research enabled her Post to innovate their engagement with Palestinian women. With
Monica harnessed her creativity to support public diplomacy in Cambodia amid political turmoil. She engaged with Cambodia’s majority-youth population through programing that addressed themes relevant to them and that emphasized aspects of the U.S. that they admired. She was also integral to the success of her Post’s college fairs and regional youth alumni conference, further
In recognition of her work as a Cultural Affairs Officer in Venezuela.
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Margot’s exceptional Japanese language skills and deep knowledge of Japanese culture and history enabled her remarkable achievements as a Country Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy Tokyo: fighting for adequate legal protection for trafficked persons; promoting gender equality in the workplace; and even challenging traditional gender roles by performing the lead role in a
Through his work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Edginton has inspired countless colleagues and transformed staff roles. He has energized the U.S. Embassy’s engagement with youth and women and brought innovations to its arts and education programs. Demonstrating Lois Roth’s knack for finding audiences where they live, David also created a series of cartoon YouTube videos
Public Affairs Officer at the US Mission to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Kearney exhibited consummate skill in forging partnerships among alumni of the Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs, reinvigorating programs, cultivating new audiences, and establishing a broad base of influential contacts. Her innovative and forward-leaning social inclusion
In recognition of her work in the Czech Republic. Keneson-Hall’s approach connects an astounding range of people and venues: from Pilsen to Prague, from a police force to the Republic’s most famous artist, with visitors from Bill Murray to Wes Anderson, and from those seeking contact with America in person to those who live online.
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In recognition of how, in the face of budget cuts and security threats in northeastern Mexico, Beale used grace, energy and ingenuity in nurturing an imaginative program that deepened U.S. ties to local communities and upheld a positive image of the consulate as a community participant.
