Contact Matt Armstrong

Email: blog@mountainrunner.us

Mr. Matt Armstrong was, until December 2011, the Executive Director of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, the Government’s only body dedicated to overseeing and promoting Government activities that intend to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics. This Congressional Commission reported on these activities and policies to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress. As the Executive Director, Mr. Armstrong developed and managed strategic planning and day-to-day operations of the Commission, wrote and edited reports, developed programs, recruited and managed staff, and developed and managed relationships and information-sharing with Presidential appointees, Members and staff of Congress, White House and National Security Staff, and senior officials at the Departments of State and Defense, the media, foreign ministries, and other organizations inside and outside of government. Field inquiries included trips to Afghanistan, Germany, Brussels, and elsewhere.

Mr. Armstrong is a consultant, lecturer, and author advising the Government on the strategic and operational structures, doctrine, and concepts that shape, empower, and limit U.S. public diplomacy and strategic communication. Through the blog, symposiums, and other activities, he works to improve U.S. global engagement.

Mr. Armstrong obtained a Master in Public Diplomacy and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California. He studied European security and the Middle East at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Mr. Armstrong is a member of The Public Diplomacy Council and the National Press Club and taught graduate courses on public diplomacy at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. He publishes  www.MountainRunner.us, the premier blog on public diplomacy and strategic communication read by senior policy makers in the the U.S. and abroad.