Janet Steele, director of George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, poses with Senator Bob Corker
Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday received the George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication’s first annual Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce, Broadcasting Board of Governors CEO John Lansing, and University of Tennessee Center for Sport, Peace and Security Director Dr.
Sarah Hillyer also spoke at the event about the importance of American public diplomacy.
“Through my role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have had the opportunity to travel across the globe and see the positive impact that our nation has on the world,” said Senator Corker. “No matter the challenges we may face here at home, I am always reminded that we live in the greatest country on Earth and that millions around the world strive to emulate us. Telling that story and serving in this capacity has been an incredible privilege, and I thank George Washington University for this honor and for promoting public diplomacy that advances American interests abroad.”
“The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication created this award for congressional leadership in public diplomacy because we wanted to highlight something that for many Americans is invisible,” said Janet Steele, director of GW's Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication. “As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Corker has been a consistent supporter of U.S. public diplomacy, recognizing the impact that U.S. leadership and diplomacy abroad can have on our own economy and national security.”
Senator Corker is in his second term representing Tennesseans in the U.S. Senate, where he serves as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He is also an active member of the Banking Committee and the Budget Committee. He was Tennessee’s commissioner of finance and mayor of Chattanooga before being elected to the Senate in 2006, but he spent most of his life in business. It’s that results-driven businessman’s perspective that allowed him to make a mark early in his Senate tenure and become a pragmatic thought leader on fiscal, financial, and foreign relations issues. Recognizing the important impact U.S. leadership and diplomacy abroad can have on our economy and national security, he has visited more than 70 countries since taking office to gain a deeper understanding of the strategic relationships between the U.S. and other nations. Once elected chairman in 2015, Senator Corker quickly worked to build the committee’s emerging reputation for developing bipartisan consensus on major issues and reasserting the committee’s traditional role in foreign policy.