WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush has nominated US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Chairman James K. Glassman on December 11 to succeed the current head of US public diplomacy, Karen Hughes, who was officially to leave office on December 14.
Confirmation hearings have not been scheduled, but could be held before the end of the year.
Under secretary of state for public diplomacy since August 2005, Hughes instituted various reforms at the State Department, including creating “rapid response” media teams in Brussels, London, and Dubai, and new cultural exchange programs.
Hughes declined to comment on the nomination, though a spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Hughes had helped recruit Glassman for the job, “worked closely with him on the BBG, and believes he's a person of great integrity and ability who will do a great job of carrying forward and institutionalizing many of the reforms we have launched.”
The BBG chairman since June 8, 2007, Glassman is a longtime conservative columnist and publisher and a current senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The BBG oversees US government broadcasting outlets including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and the Alhurra satellite TV channel.
