When diplomacy and development are abstract, they’re easier to underfund, sideline or dismantle. We saw that play out one year ago when USAID was publicly mocked and then dismantled, its lifesaving work reduced to a punchline about a “woodchipper.” Millions of lives were affected. Almost no one at home noticed.

On Feb. 10 at 1:00 p.m. ET, our panel of public diplomacy experts will confront a hard truth: diplomacy and development have lost the narrative. Using USAID’s dismantling as a case study, the panel will examine how invisibility became political vulnerability—and what it will take to make Americans see diplomacy and development as essential to U.S. stability.

This event is open to the public. There will be opportunity for Q&A.

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Questions? Contact us at ServiceDisrupted@afsa.org.

About the Guests

Katherine Ntiamoah is a former U.S. Foreign Service officer who spent nearly 20 years in public diplomacy, with assignments across Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Most recently, she served as public affairs officer and embassy spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Brunei. Currently, Ntiamoah is the director for policy engagement and strategic partnerships at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and serves on the editorial board of The Foreign Service Journal.

Jessica Jennings is a strategic communications executive who has spent her career helping mission-driven organizations communicate with clarity, credibility, and heart. She previously served as Chief Communications Officer at USAID, overseeing communications for a global agency operating in more than 100 countries. For the last two decades, she has led strategic campaigns and high-stakes crisis response across government, higher education, nonprofits, and political organizations. Jessica holds a Master’s degree in global diplomacy from the University of London and earned dual bachelor’s degrees in international politics and public relations from Penn State University.

William Herkewitz is a journalist and communications strategist. From 2016-2025 he served as the head of communications at USAID missions in Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Kenya. His reporting and essays have been published in The New York Times, VICE, Scientific American, Healthbeat, and other outlets.

About the Series

This event is part of AFSA’s new Service Disrupted virtual series, spotlighting the accelerating institutional challenges facing the Foreign Service.

The events are free and open to the public.