THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2026 41 her team also looked to the nation’s future reconstruction. She developed a training and mentorship program for a new generation of civil society leaders and investigative journalists, focused on local oversight of public procurement and infrastructure projects. In the future, when Ukraine’s massive postwar rebuilding begins, these community watchdogs will be essential to preventing corruption and maintaining public confidence. “Achieving results in Ukraine required more than training. It required revamping the systems that made independent investigations nearly impossible,” her nominator said. “Nora understood the stakes and built the coalitions to make lasting reform possible.” Brito also led the embassy’s effort to secure Ukraine’s participation in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery, the first step toward full OECD membership. This milestone strengthened Ukraine’s long-term democratic and economic stability, while signaling international confidence in its reform trajectory. For Brito, democracy promotion is both a professional mission and a personal calling. In her remarks at the October 1 AFSA awards ceremony, she reflected: “Our mission was clear: to ensure U.S. assistance delivered results that served both the American people and the Ukrainian people.” She dedicated the award to her Ukrainian INL local staff, whose courage and professionalism, she said, “made real progress possible.” She also thanked her family, especially her parents, José Brito and María Rosa Puente, who immigrated to the United States in pursuit of opportunity. “I joined the Foreign Service as my way of giving back to the country that gave them that chance,” she said. “Every step of this journey honors both where I come from and the country that made it possible.” Remarkably, this is Brito’s second Mark Palmer Award: She also received the accolade in 2019 for creating a space for the new generation of Venezuelan leaders to fight for democracy and freedom for all Venezuelans. Her career reflects the courage, imagination, and strategic acumen that the award celebrates: the ability to advance American values not only through policy advocacy but through institution-building that endures. By combining disciplined management with vision and empathy with resolve, Brito has strengthened Ukraine’s democratic foundations and reinforced the global credibility of U.S. diplomacy. Her work reminds us that even in wartime, democracy’s advancement depends on those who ensure that justice, accountability, and hope take root. Nora S. Brito joined the Foreign Service in 2014 and has served in Mexico, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Spain. She is currently serving as political chief at U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo.
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