THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 61 AFSA NEWS From left: Karl Olson, Senator Matt Klein, Mark Jorgensen, Mary Curtin. COURTESY OF SUE JORGENSEN AFSA Welcomes New USAGM Representative Mariama Diallo Karl Olson (left) alongside Representative Jeff Witte. COURTESY OF KARL OLSON AFSA is pleased to welcome Mariama Diallo as our new U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) representative on the Governing Board. Diallo currently serves as the Nairobi bureau chief and Africa correspondent for the Voice of America (VOA) in Kenya, a post she has held for the past three years. Previously, she was a senior reporter in Washington, D.C., covering national and world affairs for VOA in multiple languages, and served as VOA’s acting bureau chief for the agency’s West Africa office. For many years, Diallo co-hosted “Straight Talk Africa,” one of VOA’s flagship programs and a daily news roundup, and was a longtime contributor to numerous other programs produced in Washington and elsewhere. Following in her father’s footsteps, Diallo began her journalism career at the state radio and television in her native Senegal. She studied at the School of Economics at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar before graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., with a degree in broadcast journalism and computer science. Diallo is fluent in French, English, Fulani, and Wolof, with knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Swahili, Creole, and other languages. trative leave along with hundreds of other employees. “It has been a very stressful year for all of us,” Diallo said. “I want to acknowledge the tireless work of our colleagues, our unions, their lawyers, and countless other supporters who helped amplify our voices and kept us from completely disappearing the past 17 months.” After three-plus years in Kenya, Diallo recently attempted her first mountain hike with her family, an experience she now describes as one of the toughest physical challenges they’ve recently done together. Though she doubted early on that she’d make it, Diallo says she’s glad her family pushed themselves. To anyone visiting the area, she recommends the hike: Mount Kilimambogo (2,150m) in Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, about an hour and a half from Nairobi. n Below: Diallo and her family ascend Mount Kilimambogo in Kenya’s Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park. Right: Mariama Diallo. Until recently, VOA was the largest U.S. international broadcaster, reaching an audience of hundreds of millions worldwide in more than 48 languages. As legal battles over VOA’s future continue, Diallo has been on adminisPHOTOS COURTESY OF MARIAMA DIALLO Lakeville, Minnesota, all the awards have now been successfully presented to the bill’s sponsors and co-sponsors. Olson caught Witte at one of Minnesota’s summer parades to make the presentation, capping off months of in-person outreach across the state. AFSA extends its appreciation to the bill’s sponsors and co-sponsors for their commitment to supporting U.S. diplomats and their families. We look forward to continuing engagement with the Minnesota Legislature in the years ahead. n
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