Ann Schodde

Ann Schodde is President and CEO of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD), a national organization founded in 2006 to promote and expand opportunity for all Americans to be citizen diplomats and affirm the indispensible value of citizen involvement in foreign relations.

Throughout her 30-year career, Schodde has held various leadership and consulting positions with higher education and international non-profit organizations, as well as more than 21 private foundations, professional associations and government agencies.  She has worked with embassy staff from over 60 countries.  Much of Schodde’s work throughout the world has involved developing two-way and one-way exchanges, and facilitating in-country technical assistance and training.

In 2007, Schodde helped design the Arab & American Business Fellowship program, a pilot exchange program conducted in partnership with Young Arab Leaders (YAL) based in Dubai.  In 2009, she was selected to be part of a nine-member private sector delegation to Iraq sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America.

Currently, Schodde is leading the USCCD’s ten-year Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy, launched at the 2010 U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy in Washington, DC and attended by representatives of 41 countries throughout the world.

She holds a double major degree in Political Science and Speech from the University of Wisconsin and a M.Ed. from Cornell University.