Brian E. Carlson

Background

About Brian E. Carlson

Ambassador Brian E. Carlson, an experienced public diplomacy specialist and a former Career Minister in the United States Foreign Service, currently advises international audience analysis and impact evaluation research firm InterMedia on strategic communication. From 2005 to 2011 Ambassador Carlson led management reviews for the Inspector General of the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors in the Middle East and Washington, DC. Ambassador Carlson was from 2006 to 2010 the State Department’s liaison with the Department of Defense on strategic communication and public diplomacy. Under the direction of three Under Secretaries of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs – Karen Hughes, James K. Glassman and Judith McHale – he engineered closer cooperation between diplomats and military officers. He was awarded the Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in May, 2010. Carlson served 36 years in the Foreign Service, including as the Ambassador to the Republic of Latvia 2001-2005. Other postings abroad took him to Spain, England, Norway, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Venezuela. He was an author of the 2008 Defense Science Board study of public diplomacy and strategic communication. He is a director of the Public Diplomacy Council, the U.S. Baltic Foundation and the Mountain Runner Institute. Ambassador Carlson frequently speaks on strategic communication and public diplomacy matters at the National Defense University, the Air and Army War Colleges, and the National Foreign Affairs Training Center as well as before public and civic groups. He is also an FAA-certified commercial pilot who flies his own Cirrus SR22. Specialties: Public diplomacy, strategic communication, information operations, foreign and defense policy, the Baltic and Nordic region,