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PODCAST

The Public Service Project

We"re spending some time getting to know America"s public servants: who they are, what experiences shaped them, why they chose the path of service, and what they"ve learned along the way.

government

All Episodes

43:46

On History and Context with Amanda Van Dort

The Public Service Project ·

2026/04/08

Amanda Van Dort is a McCain Institute American Democracy and Technology Fellow, and an Adjunct Professor for Johns Hopkins and GWU teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on issues related to Women, Peace, and Security. She's also a former diplomat, most recently serving the Department of State as Chief of Staff in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues, building on her background advancing the rights of women globally and addressing the needs of survivors of conflict-related sexual

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47:28

On Peace and Propportunities with Kat Fotovat

The Public Service Project ·

2026/03/25

Katrina "Kat" Fotovat is Co-Founder of Peace Pays, a global initiative that harnesses artificial intelligence to prevent violence, strengthen democratic resilience, and advance women-led peacebuilding worldwide. Kat is a former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues with over 30 years of experience in fragile settings, overseeing more than $5 billion in programs supporting democracy, human rights, and marginalized populations. Today, she's harnessing her wildly impressive experience, her

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37:29

On Techxiety and Corporate Social Responsibility with...

The Public Service Project ·

2026/03/18

Russell York is the Founder and CEO of Cosmo Technologies - one of the fastest growing family tech brands, creating purpose-built, safe devices that help kids stay connected, while giving parents peace of mind. Russell joined me for a conversation about tech, parenting, and the public good. We discuss the pervasive techxiety that is driving our parenting strategies; the need for ethical tech leadership and real solutions; the essential nature of an outdoor childhood; cultivating resilience; creating

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37:19

On Pivots and Portfolios with Kristen Cordell

The Public Service Project ·

2026/03/11

Kristen Cordell serves as Grand Challenges Canada's inaugural Senior Director for Policy and Learning. Before joining GCC, she held senior roles at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of State, and USAID. Her commitment to service and support of U.S. geopolitical objectives has earned her awards from the Secretary of State, and USAID Administrator. She's a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a true thought leader, an innovator, and a creator. Kristen joins

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34:01

On Circus and Citizen Diplomacy

The Public Service Project ·

2026/03/04

Alexa Dominique Pascual is a Sustainable Development Goals Global Ambassador with the UN Association of the United States of America, and the DMUN Foundation's Head Observer to the UN, World Bank, and IMF. That's a lot of acronyms. What does it mean? It means Alexa leads American youth delegations weighing in on topics like global governance, economic cooperation, and AI regulation. She's participated in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on International Tax Cooperation and spoken at high

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42:15

On Crisis in Care with Deborah Cook Kaliel

The Public Service Project ·

2026/02/25

People have all kinds of reactions to a radical upset to their lives and careers, and they're all valid. But I'm always especially fascinated with people who not only find new avenues, but who create new paths, learning to pave as they go.Deborah Cook Kaliel is that kind of person. Following the dismantling of USAID and the abrupt end of that nearly 20 year chapter in her career, Debbie moved quickly to form Crisis in Care - an organization dedicated to filling the gaps left by USAID by supporting

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48:10

On the (Mis)Education of Shannon Wolf

The Public Service Project ·

2026/02/18

We're here as Ambassadors for the Normies.Just two sisters, from a working class family that celebrated wit and cultivated irreverence, and above all else, primed us to be as constructive as we are critical. We're talking about the American Dream (myth or not?); socioeconomic status, privilege, and opportunity; career pathways; odd jobs and big goals; idealism and practicality and the call to serve; environmental justice; frustration and mistrust of government; and our basic customer service

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41:21

On Relationships and Values with Elizabeth Kennedy...

The Public Service Project ·

2026/02/11

Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau is a career diplomat, previously serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, as Senior Advisor and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at Embassy Kyiv, and in several other overseas postings. She has served on the National Security Council and NATO's international staff, and now she's the Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy at the Bush Institute in Texas. Elizabeth originally trained as a journalist, and then, following 9/11, answered

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41:26

On Creativity and Coffee with Annie Leverich

The Public Service Project ·

2026/02/04

Annie Leverich is the Founder of First Light Coffee, a Maryland-based coffee company rooted in giving back. She also runs First Light Media, which offers Communications and Consulting services, drawing on her extensive experience leading the press team for USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance; in Comms roles with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and UN World Food Programme; and before that, as a journalist. Annie's story - and the soulful work she's doing every day - speaks to the power of service

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57:23

On Civ-Mil Relations and Arctic Adventures with Alex...

The Public Service Project ·

2026/01/28

The Honorable Alex Wagner is a recent Air Force Assistant Secretary, a former Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Army, an expert on nuclear and conventional weapons policy, a current Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a recovering lawyer, a South Pole adventurer, a Californian by birth and Washingtonian by choice. Today's conversation, recorded mid-December 2025, is an honest reflection on topics ranging from calculated career risks to military misconceptions, and the essential functions

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57:07

On Adversity and Grit with Ambassador Gina...

The Public Service Project ·

2026/01/14

Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley reflects on her remarkable public service journey spanning three decades, and shares her unfiltered thoughts on some of the most challenging and rewarding moments in her very public diplomatic career. She passes along some wisdom on resilience and dignity in unfriendly spaces; on walking away when it's time to go; and on sustaining a decades long marriage through seasons of personal and professional change. Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley still wakes up each

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46:17

On Individuals and Ideas with Laurel Rapp

The Public Service Project ·

2026/01/07

Laurel Rapp is the Director of the U.S. and North America Programme at Chatham House, and she brings to this position all the wisdom and experience accrued through her nearly two decades of public service at the Department of State, the National Security Council, the United States Senate, and nonprofits. Laurel began her international affairs career as a Rotary Fellow researching voting attitudes in Morocco at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and went on to join the State Department

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42:34

On Civic Duty and Public-Private Partnerships with...

The Public Service Project ·

2025/12/17

Nate Fick is an investor, CEO, Marine, author, and the first U.S. Ambassador for Cyberspace and Digital Policy. He's also a father, husband, brother, leader, and devoted American citizen. In this episode, he shared reflections on his idyllic childhood, his decision to join the Marines, his experience leading one of the first American units in both Afghanistan ('01) and Iraq ('03) and his decision to write his New York Times bestseller, One Bullet Away. Nate has spent his career moving between public

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32:42

On Patience and Preservation with Katelyn Choe

The Public Service Project ·

2025/12/10

Katelyn Choe is a very recently retired Foreign Service Officer, who served 25 years in places like South Korea, the Netherlands, Nepal, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and most recently as Diplomat in Residence for Southern California, Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa. Katelyn's first experience with the U.S. government occurred when she and her family applied for their Immigrant Visas at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, and remarkably, she found herself back on the other side of that window decades later

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36:30

On Rizzy Turtles and Data Visualization with Abby Andre

The Public Service Project ·

2025/12/03

Abby Andre is the Executive Director of The Impact Project, a new interactive platform to help visualize how federal employment, funding, and policy decisions affect our communities. She specializes in the art of connecting the dots, and her first step is plotting them on the map so we can all see what she sees - both data and narrative. Abby is a former DOJ Attorney, and her public service journey has been a fight for transparency, accountability, truth, and justice for every American citizen and

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37:14

On Scarcity and Abundance with R. Delphi Cleaveland

The Public Service Project ·

2025/11/26

Delphi Cleaveland is a seasoned foreign policy professional with over 10 years of experience serving inside and outside government to advance human rights and democracy at home and around the world. She's continuing the mission of advancing and enhancing U.S. foreign policy by shifting her focus to providing public servants with the resources they need in order to live well, work effectively, and advance their policy objectives. Delphi is a ridiculously accomplished, deeply thoughtful, effervescent

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39:13

On Hardship Posts and Third Spaces with Jared Banks

The Public Service Project ·

2025/11/19

Jared Banks spent over 20 years in the Foreign Service, serving in DC, London, Geneva, Kabul, Warsaw, Brasilia, and advancing U.S. priorities on issues like critical emerging tech, science diplomacy, peacekeeping, and human rights. He's here to talk about his background as an academic, his time serving in Afghanistan as his family stayed behind, and his experience of faith communities as anchors in each new location. While its form has changed, the spirit of service has not left Jared! He's leading

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48:52

On the Global and the Local with Brianna Clarke-Schwelm

The Public Service Project ·

2025/11/12

Brianna Clarke-Schwelm is the Executive Director of the North Carolina Global Health Alliance, a nonprofit organization striving to advance the state as a center of global health. Brianna has spent her career blending her love of rural communities (starting with the one that raised her) with her passion for access to public health as the foundation for a good life - one that includes safety, equity, and opportunity. Our conversation touches on everything from birth order and sibling dynamics, to the

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33:27

On Bridges and Ballasts: A LIVE Conversation with...

The Public Service Project ·

2025/11/11

I had the privilege of sitting down for the first LIVE recording of the Public Service Project at my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill (GO HEELS!), with a fellow alum, the incomparably brilliant Jennifer Davis. Jen is currently a Distinguished Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina, and former Senior U.S. Diplomat and Attorney. In 22 years with the Foreign Service, Jen did everything from consular services for Americans abroad, to advising at NATO, serving as Special Assistant and

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35:59

On Confidence and Family with Jose Mercado

The Public Service Project ·

2025/10/29

Jose Mercado is a U.S. national security and foreign policy expert with 30 years of U.S. government service. He's a U.S. Air Force Veteran and Diplomatic Security Special Agent, specializing in democracy, human rights, and crisis response, and recently serving as Deputy Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. He's also a father, son, husband, friend, and a true public servant at heart. Jose happily shares the twists and turns of the military and

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50 results

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