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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

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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35:12

On Rights and Responsibilities with Dylan Lang

The Public Service Project ·

2025/10/22

Dylan Lang is a lawyer, social worker, and human rights activist with over a decade of experience working at the intersection of diplomacy, law, and social justice. Some may see these credentials and think, which is it? Lawyer? Social worker? Human rights advocate? And the answer is, exactly. Dylan has pursued his career and life with passion and vision, and each facet of his experience has improved his effectiveness in all other areas. In this episode, he talks about what it was like being out in

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33:29

On Trauma and Recovery with Dr. Abir Aldhalimi

The Public Service Project ·

2025/10/15

Dr. Abir Aldhalimi is a true systems thinker, who helps individuals along their path to healing after trauma, while she simultaneously works to co-create systems and structures that support better mental health and wellness for everyone. Her resume is beyond impressive (highlights below), but it pales in comparison to her wisdom and generosity as she draws from her own refugee experience and training as a clinical psychologist to guide others along their own path to healing and thriving.Dr

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35:28

*On Organization and Culture with Paul Kruchowski

The Public Service Project ·

2025/10/08

[TBD]

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41:23

On Innovation and Edutainment with Dr. Aubrey Paris

The Public Service Project ·

2025/10/01

Dr. Aubrey Paris is a national treasure, and that's fitting, since she is obsessed with the franchise. She's also a policy visionary (seriously), PhD scientist, author, and executive producer and creator of the award-winning podcast and community engagement series, National Treasure Hunt. You would think it would be intimidating to interview someone with this much #cred in this many areas (especially in podcasting) but if you spent 5 minutes with Aubrey, you would know that her wit and brilliance

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51:33

On Sanctions and Songs with Brad Brooks-Rubin

The Public Service Project ·

2025/09/24

Brad Brooks-Rubin is his own multi-stakeholder initiative. He's a sanctions lawyer, a radio DJ and musician, a father, a husband, and a public servant. He's a fascinating person, whose work is so cerebral, so technical, but whose approach to his work and life is dynamic and oftentimes, spiritual. On this episode, we talk about Brad's experience as a Jewish lawyer-in-training working on human rights issues in the West Bank and Northern Israel with the Palestine Peace Project, and I challenge Brad to

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33:25

On Sacrifice and Celebration with Ambassador Tim Davis

The Public Service Project ·

2025/09/17

Ambassador Tim Davis' career and life have been extraordinary. He carries with him a collection of memories and experiences that are reminiscent of Forrest Gump, and he also shoulders the weight of loss, grief, and trauma. He's honest about all of it, and at the end of the day, the word he chooses to describe it is celebration. His career has been a celebration of life, a challenge, an adventure, and a profound expression of humanity.His credentials are cool: Recent U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, former

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43:58

*On Heritage and Helping Professions with Christian...

The Public Service Project ·

2025/09/10

[Fill]

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38:21

On Survival and Foreign Assistance with Jessica...

The Public Service Project ·

2025/09/03

Jessica Benton Cooney is a Senior Strategic Communicator and Storyteller who most recently ran the Communications team for USAID's Bureau of Democracy. Human rights, and Governance. She served with USAID overseas in Afghanistan and Liberia, and before that, with the Peace Corps in El Salvador. On this episode, Jessica is sitting down with us to share the tale of her near death experience in Liberia, her miraculous survival, and her decision to return to Liberia on her own terms. She's also passing

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27:15

On Briefing Books and NextGen Policy with Alia Awadallah

The Public Service Project ·

2025/08/27

Alia Awadallah is a former U.S. Government official and Policy Analyst focused on the Middle East and Defense Policy. Alia most recently served on Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo's senior leadership team, and before that, as Policy Team Lead and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army.What's extra cool is the fact that Alia has not only worked for the Departments of Commerce, Defense, and State, but also worked on campaigns, at think tanks, AND she found time to create the

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32:40

On Staff and Stewardship with Vedant Patel

The Public Service Project ·

2025/08/20

Vedant Patel is a seasoned communications professional, most recently serving as a Spokesperson for the Department of State, and before that, for the White House. On this episode, Vedant walks us through his pivot from aspiring doctor into the world of politics, which initially stressed his parents as much as you'd imagine. He gracefully responds to my probing questions into the future of the Democratic Party, and then we spend some talking about the distinct (and ideally, mutually supportive) roles

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51:41

On Adaptive Learning and the American Dream with Dr....

The Public Service Project ·

2025/07/23

On the final episode of Season 1, Dr. Dafna Rand (Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Fellow at MIT's Center for International Studies, and former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor) takes us on a journey through space and time, from Europe in the 1930s to Lexington, Massachusetts in the optimistic eras of the 1700s and the 1990s. Through her powerful storytelling, Dr. Rand offers her extensive foreign policy expertise, and a thoughtful, self-reflective,

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31:26

On Vision and Strategy with Greg Pollock

The Public Service Project ·

2025/07/16

In this episode, I'm talking with Greg Pollock: Adjunct Professor and former civilian leader at the Pentagon. He shares his thoughts on the implications of climate change on global security, the economic opportunities in climate adaptation, and the need for a clearer strategic vision guiding U.S. foreign policy. We touch on many doomy topics without losing hope that we can better align with our values, better design our vision, better innovate and adapt and practice what we preach.

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40:06

On Truth and Democracy with Orna Blum

The Public Service Project ·

2025/07/09

Orna Blum is a recently retired Foreign Service Officer and strategic communications leader with expertise in public diplomacy, media relations, democracy building, and crisis management. She's a creative with #policycred, and she's here to share her own public service story, her thoughts on the ingredients required for a healthy democracy, and her advice on prioritizing and protecting your mental health - especially in public service careers. Listen up if you're mid existential crisis. I promise

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50:18

On Risks and Resiliencies with D. Wes Rist

The Public Service Project ·

2025/07/02

D. Wes Rist is a kid from rural Pennsylvania who thought he'd be a doctor, but instead, decided to build a career and a life focused on atrocity prevention. He's worked everywhere from the American Society of International Law, to the Department of State, to the USC Shoah Foundation, and though his work may have taken him far from home, his public service journey has always been rooted in his family, his community, and his upbringing. The world is currently experiencing the highest levels of armed

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41:00

On Growth and Defining Moments with Ned Price

The Public Service Project ·

2025/06/25

Ned Price served most recently as Deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and before that as State Department Spokesperson. He has also been the Director of Policy and Comms at National Security Action, a Special Assistant to President Obama, a CIA Senior Analyst and Spokesperson, and an NBC News Analyst and Contributor. That's not even his entire professional history, but you get the gist: Ned has lived a life of service, and he's built an incredible career navigating and talking about

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34:52

On Language and Learning with Alexis Ludwig

The Public Service Project ·

2025/06/18

Alexis is a retired Foreign Service Officer who is reflecting on his 30-year career, which took him to Posts throughout Europe, East Asia, and Latin America. In this episode, Alexis shares his thoughts on the beauty of language, the role of strategic empathy, and the essentiality of thoughtful questions in the work of diplomacy.

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40:36

On Research and Writing with Zev Karlin-Neumann

The Public Service Project ·

2025/06/11

Zev is an empathy jedi and speechwriter extraordinaire. He's also the founder of Just Write Communications, building on a decade and a half helping leaders tell their stories and advance their agendas, from the C-suite to Capitol Hill and from the campaign trail to the White House. In this episode, Zev takes us back to where it all began, and then gets into the science of speechwriting, despite my best attempts to pretend it's all just art. He drops some nuggets of wisdom (like, if you're giving

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34:08

On Youth and Development with Mike McCabe

The Public Service Project ·

2025/06/04

Mike McCabe is an optimist, and it keeps him young at heart. His parents opened his mind and heart to community service early on, leading him to embark on a beautiful, adventure-filled, 35-year career of service through international development with U.S. Government and UN agencies. Mike draws inspiration from his wife, Rosie, and a little bit from Martin Sheen in the West Wing. He's bridging all kinds of gaps as he continues to apply his passion and expertise to building robust, resilient

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37:40

On Expertise and Africa with Judd Devermont

The Public Service Project ·

2025/05/28

Judd Devermont is well-known for his work as the Senior Director for African Affairs under the Biden Administration; author of the U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa; Director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); National Intelligence Officer for Africa... the list goes on and on. He's a legit expert, right!?Judd might be surprisingly uncomfortable with that title, because in addition to holding all these fancy titles, he's also a history nerd of

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31 results

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