Senate confirms bipartisan USAGM International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Chief Executive Officer Amanda Bennett issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to confirm all six members of the new, bipartisan International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB). 
 
“I am thrilled to welcome Luis Botello, Jamie Fly, Jeffrey Gedmin, Michelle Giuda, Kenneth Jarin, and Kathleen Matthews to serve on the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. Each member brings a wealth of talent, expertise and passion to our mission to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together,” said USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett. “In the wake of a global information war, our mission remains critical. Hundreds of millions of people turn to USAGM’s fact-based news in the face of growing information manipulation and censorship. The IBAB adds a layer of thoughtful oversight and strategic guidance to our agency that will undergird our commitment to freedom and democracy into the future.” 
 
Appointed by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the IBAB is composed of experts representing mass communications, broadcast media, and international affairs, who will provide strategic counsel and oversight in partnership with USAGM’s CEO. The seventh member, the Secretary of State serves in an ex-officio capacity.