Diplomacy in Action: A Career in U.S. Foreign Policy Conversation with Ariel Vaagen, U.S. Department of State

About

Join Ariel Vaagen, a career Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State, for a conversation about a career in diplomacy and the Department's work around the world. Ariel will discuss: • Her path through the Foreign Service and life as a career diplomat • How global engagement advances U.S. foreign policy and serves the American people • Careers opportunities in international relations and the State Department Students will have time to ask questions. The session is a chance to explore careers in public service, international affairs, and communications.

About the Speaker Ariel Vaagen is the Director of the Office of Public Engagement in the State Department's Bureau of Global Public Affairs, where she leads the Department's strategic communications and outreach to audiences across the United States. She has extensive experience in global press and media relations. She has served as Deputy Director in the Office of International Media Engagement and as a Press Officer in the Office of Press Relations, where she supported the Spokesperson and traveled with the Secretary of State. Most recently, she served as Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement at the National Security Council. There, she coordinated outreach on national security priorities including NATO, Russia and Ukraine, migration, internet freedom, and global health. Before that, Ariel served as Division Chief in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs' Office of Assistance Coordination, where she oversaw more than $370 million in foreign assistance programs across the Middle East and North Africa. From 2018 to 2021, she led public diplomacy programming for the Palestinian Affairs Unit in Jerusalem. She has also served at U.S. embassies in London and Bangladesh. Ariel holds a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University and an MA in International Relations from St. Mary's University.