“I wanted to help others better understand the United States”

Ben Lingeman, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Department of State, received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy from Fletcher on April 4. Lingeman spoke to Fletcher about his career, education, and the value of cultural exchange. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Fletcher School: What drew you to work in public service?

Ben Lingeman: Growing up, I was a boy scout. One of the key themes of scouting is service to others. I always thought I would like to serve in a public capacity. I pursued public service opportunities for years until I joined the State Department.

You spoke during the talk today about your family hosting exchange students while you were growing up. What did you learn early on about the importance of cultural exchange?

My parents established an exchange program with a university in Scotland, and throughout my youth, we hosted Scottish professors, students, and artists in our home. Later in life, we also hosted exchange students from France, Hungary, and elsewhere. I enjoyed learning about how their lives were different from mine. When I was beginning to set out on my career path, I was influenced by that upbringing, learning about other cultures and telling the American story to people from abroad. I decided I wanted to help others better understand the United States.

What educational path led you to the State Department?

I earned my bachelor’s degree in French and International Studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I then went into a career in political consulting and political campaigns, after which I went to the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, where I earned a master's in Public Administration.

It wasn’t necessarily my intent all along to end up at the State Department. But over a period of years,I gained a series of experiences that were very fitting for the foreign service: a mixture of cultures, an understanding of politics and policy, and a bit of an understanding of how Washington functions.

Do you find that in your career for the State Department, you often draw on what you learned at university?

Absolutely. Analyzing the political landscapes, identifying their connections to economics, knowing how to effectively administer government programs… I developed many of these skills through my education, and draw on them all the time.

Knowing about American politics, through school and my prior experience in Washington, helps me better understand our own policy process and how politics play into it. When I'm overseas, working in embassies and consulates, it also helps me in thinking about how other countries form their policies and navigate their own political environments.

What advice would you give to a student considering a career in foreign service?

It’s an incredibly rewarding career. I’m able to serve my country, work on interesting issues, and stay intellectually engaged every day.

My best advice for people considering this field is to start today, pursue experiences that will make you competitive, like seeking education in a related field, going overseas, and finding professional work that’s relevant to foreign affairs. That approach will certainly lead you to live an interesting life, even if it doesn’t lead to the State Department.

You spoke about browsing the Murrow archives in preparation to receive the Murrow Award. What did you learn from reading them?

Edward R. Murrow had an incredibly deep knowledge of communications and media, but what’s so interesting about his career is that he leveraged his expertise in service to the United States.

At the pinnacle of his career in 1961, he left journalism to become director of the U.S. Information Agency. His career was truly inspiring to me.

I couldn’t think of a better place for a public diplomacy award than the Murrow Center at Fletcher, or a better namesake than Edward R. Murrow. He is perhaps the United States’ first true “public diplomat.”

You also spoke about the value of a free and open information landscape. Why is this so important?

Journalism and the free flow of information are essential to the public interest. They help people get access to accurate information and keep public officials and business officials honest. Access to the free, open, and uncensored internet allows people to communicate with each other and with the outside world. It helps people expose wrongdoing committed by authoritarian governments in the human rights field. For all these reasons, it is undoubtedly in the interest of the United States to support free information spaces, journalistic freedom, and the free internet, and this will be an important issue long into the future, but I am proud of our work.