The Future of the Foreign Affairs Workforce: Rebuilding Public Service. New America online

July 14, 2026

The Future of the Foreign Affairs Workforce: Rebuilding Public Service
VIRTUAL
12PM – 1PM EDT

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The United States faces increasingly complex global challenges, and the strength of its foreign‑affairs institutions depends on the people who serve within them. A year ago, widespread Reductions in Force (RIFs) significantly affected the State Department. How did these reductions impact the nation’s diplomatic readiness, the safety of all Americans, and the world? How can the government rebuild public service and best ensure a State Department prepared for the challenges of the future?

Join New America’s Future Security Program, as it welcomes Elizabeth Campbell, Jenny Mattingley, and Amb. Eric Rubin to discuss the future of public service and the impact of RIFs.

Elizabeth Campbell is a Fellow with New America’s Future Security Program, founding Executive Director of CoAction Global, a nonprofit impact accelerator, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

Jenny Mattingley is Vice President, Public Policy & Stakeholder Engagement at the Partnership for Public Service. She previously served in the executive branch at OMB focusing on hiring reform and the workforce pillar of the President’s Management Agenda and spent several years consulting with good government organizations, served as the executive director of the Performance Improvement Council and the founding director of the White House Leadership Development Program.

Ambassador Eric Rubin retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in September 2023 after 38 years of service. He served as the elected president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) from 2019 to 2023, after his posting as U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria (2016–2019). He is also a Senior Fellow with the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Join the conversation online using #PublicService and following @NewAmericaISP.
Participants
Peter Bergen

Elizabeth Campbell
Fellow, Future Security

Jenny Mattingley
Vice President, Public Policy & Stakeholder Engagement, Partnership for Public Service

Amb. Eric Rubin
Senior Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis Former President, American Foreign Service Association Former U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria

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