Karen Hughes
IGE's thoughtful approach seeks to build relationships based on respect, the foundational understanding of the God-given dignity and value of every human being. This organization puts listening first, and seeks to understand before engaging. Far from ignoring the vital role of faith in many people's lives, IGE seeks to build on common values that can unite people of different faiths while respecting each other's genuine theological differences. IGE is truly building peace a person at a time.
Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. State Department
Karen Hughes is the Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and communications firm. Hughes served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from August 2005 to December 2007.
Hughes worked as the director of communications for then Texas Governor George W. Bush from 1995 to 2000, and then as a counselor to President Bush until 2002. In that role she served as a strategic advisor to the president on policy and communications and managed the White House Offices of Communications, Media Affairs, Speechwriting and Press Secretary. In 2005, President Bush appointed her to be the Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy, where she focused on changing foreigners' perceptions of America. Hughes established new communications initiatives and programs to communicate American values to the world.
As Under Secretary, Hughes led several thousand public diplomacy professionals working in almost every country in the world and oversaw three State Department bureaus: Educational and Cultural Affairs, Public Affairs, and International Information Programs. She has traveled to over 50 countries in the past few years as part of her government service and personal humanitarian activities.
She is a Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude graduate of Southern Methodist University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in journalism. She is the author of "Ten Minutes from Normal," a memoir of her experiences working with President Bush.