FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

DOS - 1322 - United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy - Statutory (Congress Created)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy	Agency Name	Department of State
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	1322
Original Establishment Date	1/1/1948	Committee Status	Chartered
Actual Termination Date		Committee URL	https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-sec...
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	Yes
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	7
Terminated This FY	No	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	Executive Director
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix
Current Charter Date	4/21/2025	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Sarah E
Date Of Renewal Charter	4/21/2027	Designated Federal Officer Middle Name
Projected Termination Date		Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Arkin
Exempt From Renewal*	No	Designated Federal Officer Suffix
Specific Termination Authority	P.L. 111-70 (2009)	Designated Federal Officer Phone*	(202) 746 8341
Establishment Authority*	Statutory (Congress Created)	Designated Federal Officer Fax*	N/A
Specific Establishment Authority*	22 U.S.C. 1469	Designated Federal Officer Email*	arkinse@state.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	1/27/1948
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	Yes
Committee Function*	National Policy Issue Advisory Board

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Continue
Legislation to Terminate Required	Not Applicable
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	The Advisory Commission assesses U.S. government activities intended to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics. It proposes recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Members of Congress concerning public diplomacy, and appraises the effectiveness of public diplomacy policies and programs carried out by the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for Global Media in both Washington and abroad. Commission members and staff interact regularly with Department and Congressional officials and hold open meetings about four times a year. The Commission also works with partner institutions and individual researchers to bring outside expertise and best practices to inform public diplomacy and international broadcasting strategies
How is membership balanced?*	The seven-member Commission is by law bipartisan, with no more than four members from any one political party. Members are appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate; the President designates the chairman. As of September 2025, there was one Republican and one Democrat member each on the Commission (and five vacant seats), with a Democrat and Republican serving as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively. Commissioners serve without compensation and are chosen from a broad cross section of professions, including law, business, public relations, academia, and diplomacy. Members are appointed for three-year terms, but they may continue to serve once their term has expired until their replacement has been nominated by the White House and confirmed by the Senate. Commission staff include an executive director, a Foreign Service Senior Advisor, and a part-time administrative assistant. The biographies of the Commission members and staff can be found at https://www.state.gov/leadership-u-s-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy/.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	The Commission met 3 times this fiscal year (with one meeting just before the beginning of the fiscal year and one slated shortly after the end of FY2025) in a public forum. Additionally, the ad hoc expo subcommittee met about 5 times with the Expo Unit director. The full commission meetings are instrumental in providing a platform for public diplomacy practitioners and other interested stakeholders to engage the Commissioners in person. The meetings are on topics that are relevant to current issues in public diplomacy, including findings of recent Commission reports. Transcripts of minutes of those meetings can be found at https://www.state.gov/meetings-u-s-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy-2/. Recommendations are in the meeting minutes. Members of the public who attend the meetings include members of the media, embassy officials, academicians, and think tank and congressional staff. Commission recommendations are sometimes cited in the media. In addition to meetings, the Commissioners also conduct domestic and overseas fact-finding trips that inform the Comprehensive Annual Report, mandated in the Commission's reauthorization language. The Commission also maintains a LinkedIn account to increase both the reach of the Commission and the ability to hear from and communicate with the public, Members and staff of Congress, and members of the Executive Branch. The ad-hoc subcommittee's meetings were conducted with R/PPR's Expo Unit. The subcommittee members provided their experience and insight with running past expos and Japanese society to the Expo Unit, and the Expo Unit called on their expertise with specific questions and guidand requests.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	Since 1948, Congress has required this Commission and its predecessors “to represent the public interest” in looking broadly at U.S. government activities concerning public diplomacy. No other source in government or the private sector provides a comparable, independent citizens perspective. The Commissioners are the only individuals from the private sector who have been appointed to advise the President and Secretary of State on Public Diplomacy initiatives. They bring unique perspectives from business, politics, and government. The Annual Comprehensive Report is the only product of its kind that contains a comprehensive look at all USG PD activities along with spending tables and provides critical insight and recommendations for improved outcomes. The public meetings provide one of the few fora for practitioners to inform the public about their work and gain outside perspectives.
Why close or partially close meetings?	Official meetings of the Commission are open to the public unless a determination has been made in accordance with Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act that a meeting or a portion of a meeting should be closed to the public. Subcommittee meetings were closed given the ongoing and development of the USA Pavillion at Expo 2025 and the technical nature of the discussions.
Recommendation Remarks	Note on Commissioners: According to the Charter, although terms are for three years, the legislation also notes that Commissioners may serve past their terms if no replacements have been named. Sim Farar and Bill Hybil continue to enthusiastically execute their duties as Commissioners. We are not aware of the White House's timeline for nominating new commissioners. H.R.4350 — 117th Congress (2021-2022). Title LVI. Public Diplomacy. Sec 1604. PERMANENT REAUTHORIZATION OF THE U.S. ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6553) is amended— (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘SUNSET’’ and inserting ‘‘CONTINUATION’’; and (2) by striking ‘‘until October 1, 2021’’. The ACPD's Charter can be found at https://www.state.gov/u-s-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy/charter-u-s-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy. Members normally meet in an open, public forum four times each fiscal year. The Commission meets approximately 4 times a year. Transcripts of minutes of these meetings can be found at https://www.state.gov/meetings-u-s-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy-2/ The ACPD releases an annual "Comprehensive Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting" as well as ad hoc reports on specialized subjects. Copies of the Commission's reports can be found at https://www.state.gov/u-s-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy/reports-u-s-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy H.R.4350 — 117th Congress (2021-2022). Title LVI. Public Diplomacy. Sec 1604. PERMANENT REAUTHORIZATION OF THE U.S. ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6553) is amended— (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘SUNSET’’ and inserting ‘‘CONTINUATION’’; and (2) by striking ‘‘until October 1, 2021’’.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	No	Action Reorganize Priorities*	Yes
Outcome Trust In Government	No	Action Reallocate Resources	Yes
Outcome Major Policy Changes	No	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	No	Action Proposed Legislation	Yes
Outcome Effective Grant Making	No	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	No
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	No	Action Other	No
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	No	Action Comment
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	Yes	Grants Review*	No
Outcome Other	Yes	Number Of Grants Reviewed	0
Outcome Comment	In FY 2025, the ACPD issued the 2024 Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting, which included 32 recommendations to the White House, Congress, the Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The report can be found at the following site: https://www.state.gov/2023-comprehensive-annual-report-on-public-diplomacy-and-international-broadcasting-2/ Also issued in FY2025: A Congressionally-mandated report on research and evaluation of public diplomacy programs, found here: https://www.state.gov/acpd-subcommittee-research-and-evaluation-annual-report-2025. Additionally, the staff of the Commission authored a blogpost for the Stimson Center's State Department Modernization project. The Commission continues to monitor and advise on the implementation of recommendations from previous annual and special reports. The State Department has taken many of these recommendations on board, including through the 2025 Department reorganization.	Number Of Grants Recommended	0
Cost Savings*	$1,000,001 - $5,000,000	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$0.00
Cost Savings Comment	The Commission is able to complete its reports for roughly $75,000, which is about 40 percent of its total operating budget of $193,104. Comparable studies would likely been contracted to an institution for millions of dollars (in particular, the Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting, which includes data collected from over 20 offices and exceeds 250 pages and 115,000 words.	Grants Review Comment	NA
Number Of Recommendations*	250	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	The Commission was established in 1948 and has issued hundreds of annual and special reports since then. Annual Reports have historically had varying numbers of recommendations, some smaller bureaucratic fixes along with transformational ideas. A number of these have been implemented to varying degrees of completeness over the many years the Commission has existed. The Commission has a good track record over the long term of encouraging debate around public diplomacy infrastructure ultimately leading to reforms that make public diplomacy enterprises more efficient and effective. For FY2025, the Annual Comprehensive Report included more than 30 recommendations. Additionally, in FY2025, the Commission issued a special report to Congress with six recommendations, and some of these were folded into the FY2025 Annual Report as well, slightly different as the Department had begun to implement some of the recommendations outlined in the May 2025 Report to Congress. The 2024 Annual Comprehensive Report included 25 recommendations. The 2022 Annual Comprehensive Report included 28 recommendations. Some years, the Commission keeps the same recommendations or slightly tweaks them if they have not been implemented or fully implemented. We try to account for this in the total number of recommendations noted, noted as complete, and noted as partially complete.	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	40.00%	Access Committee Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	Since the Commission's reinstatement in July 2013, almost half of its recommendations in its reports have been fully implemented or are in the process of being implemented.	Access GSA FACA Website	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	30.00%	Access Publications	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	Since the Commission's reinstatement in July 2013, roughly 30 percent of its recommendations in its reports have been partially implemented or are in the process of being implemented.	Access Other	No
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment	The Commission will continue to actively distribute and make available information products it develops for the Congress, the executive branch, and the public. The Commission provides, whenever possible, raw information for the public to review as well as documents with analysis and recommendations. All meeting announcements, minutes, transcripts -- in addition to the Commission's reports and white papers -- are available at https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-public-diplomacy-and-public-affairs/united-states-advisory-commission-on-public-diplomacy/
Agency Feedback Comment*	The Commission actively seeks feedback from the organizations it appraises and issues advise to, including the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the White House / National Security Staff, and Congress. Thus far, the recommendations from its core reports have been welcomed by the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.	Narrative Description*	The Commission is a citizen’s panel that advises the President, Secretary of State, and Congress on Public Diplomacy matters. This includes efforts by the U.S. government and the private sector that seek to engage, understand, inform, and influence foreign publics so that they, in turn, encourage their government to support U.S. foreign policy priorities. In this role, the Commissioners utilize their wide range of experience within the areas of management, communications, public affairs, government, and international relations to assess U.S. government Public Diplomacy programs and activities. The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a bipartisan presidentially appointed panel created by Congress, has continually served since its inception in 1948.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*	$0.00	1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*	$0.00
2. Payments to Federal Members*	$0.00	2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*	$0.00
3. Payments to Federal Staff*	$350,000.00	3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*	$350,000.00
4. Payments to Consultants*	$15,000.00	4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*	$5,000.00
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*	$5,647.97	5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*	$6,000.00
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*	$0.00	6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*	$0.00
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*	$28,094.61	7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*	$10,000.00
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*	$1,043.56	8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*	$1,500.00
10. Other Costs		10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*
11. Total Costs	$401,824.14	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$375,000.00
Date Cost Last Modified	9/3/2025 11:04 AM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*	2.00
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*	2.00	Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks	Because of some processing delays, while we had planned to use FY24 money for travel in October 2024, it ended up coming from FY25 funds.

Interest Areas

Category Area Communications Broadcasting and Communications Radio Computer Technology Technology Applications Computers Information Technology Internet Data Data Integrity Data Quality Privacy Government Federal Government International International Economic Policy International Law International Organizations Justice Research and Statistics Research and Statistics National Defense National Security and Defense Research Research and Statistics Research and Statistics Science and Technology Innovation Science and Technology Social Sciences History Risk Communication Social Sciences

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