Office of eDiplomacy explained

The Office of eDiplomacy is an applied technology think tank for the United States Department of State.^[1] The Office of eDiplomacy is staffed by Foreign and Civil Service Officers in a wide range of specializations. There are four branches: the Diplomatic Innovation Division (DID), the Knowledge Leadership Division (KLD), and the Business Requirements Unit (BRU).

The unit was formed in response to recommendations from the 1999 Overseas Presence Advisory Panel that the State Department improve its ability to communicate and share knowledge.

History

Following the recommendations of a Blue Ribbon panel created in the aftermath of the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombing, in 2002, Ambassador James Holmes started the eDiplomacy Task Force. In 2003, the task force was reorganized into the Office of eDiplomacy. Currently, eDiplomacy falls under the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Business, Management, and Planning.

Joel Maybury is the current Director, Tristram Perry is the Chief of eDiplomacy's Knowledge Leadership Division, and Christian Jones is Chief of the Diplomatic Innovation Division.

Other previous eDiplomacy Directors at the U.S. Department of State include:

• Joe Johnson
• Gerry Gallucci
• Gary Galloway (acting)
• Thomas Niblock
• Stephen Smith
• Daniel P. Sheerin (acting)
• Richard Boly
• Ambassador Eric G. Nelson
• Kathryn Cabral
• M. Andre Goodfriend
• Rahima Kandahari
• David McCormick
• Joel Maybury (current)

Major programs

The Office of eDiplomacy runs several knowledge management and new media technology programs for the U.S. Department of State.

Among the most active are:

• Digital Change Initiative - the Office of eDiplomacy supported the rapid transition of State Department employees to online and remote work in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, focused on leading adoption of Microsoft Teams for communications and collaboration. ^[2]
• Diplopedia, the State Department's internal collaborative online wiki.^[3]
• Communities @ State, an initiative enables State Department personnel with shared professional interests to form internal online communities to publish information, connect with others, and create discussion.
• The Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) program, part of a continuing effort by the State Department to harness technology, encourage a commitment to global service among young people, and to facilitate new forms of diplomatic engagement.^[4]

After developing and launching the State Department Sounding Board in 2009, Office of eDiplomacy staff supported this internal idea sharing forum, now managed by the Management Bureau and the Secretary of State's cadre.

Virtual Work Environments were initiated by the Office of eDiplomacy with Windows SharePoint Services (WSS), and used in many units at State. The State Messaging and Archive Retrieval Toolset (SMART) program leads the WSS deployment effort.

Other media mentions

• Advancing U.S. Foreign Policy through eDiplomacy
• The Office of eDiplomacy examines the five-year journey of Diplopedia
• "Igniting Innovation," State Magazine, January 2015

See also

• Government crowdsourcing
• State Department Sounding Board
• Transformational Diplomacy
• United States Department of State
• United States Cyber-Diplomacy

Notes and References

1. https://careers.state.gov/dosoffice/office-ediplomacy/ United States Department of State
2. Web site: Microsoft Teams enhances communication and collaboration. 2020-08-01. State Magazine. U.S. State Department. 2023-12-13.
3. https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/irm/ediplomacy/115847.htm United States Department of State
4. Web site: Remarks at the New York University Commencement Ceremony, Hillary Rodham Clinton. 2009-05-13. Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs. U.S. State Department. 2007-10-15.