Adel Ibrahim was awarded an Honorable Mention for his creativity, initiative, and measurable impact in advancing US foreign policy goals through cultural diplomacy at the Embassy Kuwait. Since joining the embassy in 2019, he has designed and implemented innovative programs that strengthen the U.S.โKuwaiti relationship, while promoting American strengths in sports, business, and culture. His
An Honorable Mention went to Scott Righetti for his outstanding service in advancing the Fulbright Program in Europe through expert program management, strategic diplomacy, and sustained mentorship. As a central force behind Fulbrightโs Europe portfolio for over 30 years, he has helped establish and strengthen bilateral agreements and commissions across Central and Eastern Europe; expanded
An Honorable Mention was awarded to Merlyn Schultz for her role in redefining cultural and educational diplomacy as a strategic tool to advance US foreign policy, national security, and bilateral cooperation with Mexico. Her initiatives include: a landmark partnership with the University of Guadalajara to renew the American Space and deliver 500 AI certifications; a
Dr.ย Elisabeth Piller (Univ. Freiburg) received the 2025 honorable mention for Selling Weimar: German Public Diplomacy and the United States, 1918-1933ย (2021, Franz Steiner Verlag). While much attention has been paid to Cold War US cultural diplomacy efforts toward Germany, very little has focused on Germanyโs use of public diplomacy to shape US views in any period.
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An honorable mention was awarded to Fiona Graham for her translation of The Rocks Will Echo Our Sorrow: The Forced Displacement of the Northern Sรกmi (UMN Pr., 2024). In a remarkable blend of historical reportage, memoir, and lyrical reimagining, Sรกmi journalist Elin Anna Labba travels to the lostโand still abandonedโhomeland to tell of the forced
Alex Gil (Yale) received an honorable mention for his translation of Aimรฉ Cรฉsaireโs lost drama on the Haitian Revolution and Toussaint Louverture, written during WWII, under the watchful eye of Vichy censors in Martinique. Now available for the first time in English, . . . . . . And the Dogs Were Silent / .
The 2025 Honorable Mention went to Charlรจne Wantong, Public Engagement Specialist, U.S. Embassy in Yaoundรฉ. In under six years as Emerging Voices Specialist, Charlene has established herself as a visionary leader in educational and cultural diplomacy, combining cross-cultural sensitivity, strategic insight, and a deep commitment to mentorship. She has transformed disparate alumni groups into self-sustaining
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Honorable Mention for the 2025 Ilchman-Richardson award goes toย Linda Piccirilli, International Visitor Exchange Specialist, New York Program Branch of the Office of International Visitors at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). Over her nearly 30-year career with ECAโs Office of International Visitors New York Program Branch (NYPB), she has deftly managed thousands of
Honorable Mention for the 2025 Lois Roth Award goes toย 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 2023 MLA-Roth Honorable Mention went to David Font-Navarrete, Assistant Professor of Music at Lehman College and CUNY, for his translation of Lydia Cabreraโs El Monte: Notes on the Religions, Magic, Superstitions, and Folklore of the Black and Creole People of Cuba (Duke U. Pr.). โThis first English translation of Cabreraโs groundbreaking compendium on the
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Diler’s breadth of work at the U.S. Consulate General Erbil includes supervising the entire cultural, educational, outreach, and grants unit, advancing issues as diverse and critical as women’s rights, climate change, educational reform, economic development, civil society training, and much more. In 2024, As the Public Engagement Specialist, Diler supercharged the English language programs, won
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
Marjorie Perloff received an honorable mention for the 2022 MLA-Roth Translation Award for her translation of Ludwig Wittgensteinโs Private Notebooks, 1914โ1916. Perloff introduces to the English-speaking world, and even to the German-speaking sphere where these notebooks aren’t widely accessible in their original form, documents that are indispensable for gaining a clearer understanding of both Wittgensteinโs
Petra Reid and Jim Dingley received the second honorable mention of the MLA-Roth Translation Award for their translation of Alhierd Bachareviฤโs Alindarkaโs Children. Originally published in Belarusian, Russian, and a hybrid of the two languages, this darkly satirical fantasy weaves together elements of childhood, forests, family dynamics, and the complexities of language. The translation of
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Marianna Past and Benjamin Hebblethwaite won an honorable mention for their translation of Michael Rolph Trouillotโs Stirring the Pot of Haitian History. Originally published in 1977 and one of the first nonfiction books to be written in Haitian Kreyรฒl, the book offers an in-depth analysis of a durably divided society in the wake of the
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Jennifer Grotz and Piotr Sommer received an honorable mention for the 2021 MLA-Roth Translation Award for their translation of Jerzy Ficowskiโs Everything I Donโt Know: Selected Poems. Their translated selections of the poetry published by Jerzy Ficowski from 1957 to 2006, offering an excellent representation of the development of his poetic voice. Ficowski writes about
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Sharon I-Hua Hsieh is recognized for greatly expanding people-to-people ties by spearheading the efforts to launch a new U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative. By nurturing partnerships with several Taiwan ministries, she increased both U.S. and host-country funding for exchanges, making Taiwanโs Fulbright/Foundation for Scholarly Exchange program one of the largest in the region and its English Teaching
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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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Alaa Mufleh, of the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan, received an Honorable Mention for her work as a dual-hatted Emerging Voices Specialist and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism Specialist. Alaaโs programs engaged Jordanโs rising influencers, and empowered women and youth through experiential learning activities, designed not just to mitigate vulnerability to radicalization but ensure they are thriving
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
An Honorable Mention was also awarded toย ECAโs Senior Program Manager for Diversity and Inclusion,ย David Levin.ย During his 36 years with ECA, he has built Diversity and Inclusion into ECAโs ethos instilling his fervent belief that international exchange and its life-changing benefits should be available to everyone and that exchanges are stronger and more impactful when
An Honorable Mention was also awarded to Cultural Affairs Officerย Holly Zardusย from the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo for her creation of BOLD (Bosanski Omladinski Lideri),ย 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
