The U.S. Department of State announced on July 22 that four U.S. cities have been selected to participate in the first cohort of the Reta Jo Lewis Local Diplomat Program for the class of 2024-2025: Chattanooga, TN; Kansas City, MO; San Antonio, TX; and San Diego, CA.
The Lewis Local Diplomat program aims to enhance the capacity of local governments to engage in global issues by embedding experienced civil service and foreign service officers from the State Department in local government offices for one-year tours as international advisors.
Hosting a Lewis Local Diplomat will enable these four cities to better serve their constituents through international engagement. The diplomats will address priorities set by elected leaders, including areas such as international trade and investment, education exchange, cultural connections, climate resilience and environment, diaspora engagement, sister city collaborations, hosting global events, and more. The diplomats may collaborate with community groups, chambers of commerce, trade associations, local businesses, non-profits, media outlets, colleges, and universities.
The strong interest shown by U.S. states, counties, and cities in the Lewis Local Diplomats program underscores the value that local elected leaders place on foreign policy expertise. It also highlights their desire to cultivate robust global ties to boost economic growth, promote security, develop cultural connections and address global challenges affecting their communities.
The program is set to expand for the 2025-2026 cycle. Cities, states counties and local offices are invited to apply now with a submission deadline of August 5 2024.
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For more information about the Special Representative for Subnational Diplomacy or media inquiries please contact Subnational@state.gov.
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