Tara Sonenshine, a former National Security Council communications advisor to the Clinton administration, was confirmed by the Senate March 29 as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, the top post charged with burnishing the U.S. image broad.
Sonenshine takes over for Judith McHale, the former Discovery Communications CEO who traveled extensively in her two years in the post as part of a broader Obama administration push to restore the country’s image overseas.
Former Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens had filled the role on an interim basis since Feb. 6.
Sonenshine was nominated by President Barack Obama in November and one of dozens of confirmations passed by the Senate last night.
She has been serving as executive VP of the non-partisan federal research entity the U.S. Institute of Peace, which led the 2006 Iraq Study Group examining the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Sonenshine earlier was a producer for ABC News and held various communications roles during the Clinton administration.