Across the United States, public service is in quiet retreat. As someone who entered public service later in life, I have a greater understanding of and respect for the importance of public service, both domestically and abroad.
In today’s landscape, both Republicans and Democrats agree that government has gotten too big and unwieldy. But fewer public servants means that fewer people are working on the complex, interconnected challenges that define our time: from AI governance and energy transition to public health and global security. That’s why this is precisely the moment when we must redefine what public service means both at home and abroad.
This redefinition is especially urgent in the realm of foreign policy. The world’s crises are increasingly transnational and technologically complex. Our diplomats are asked to manage global problems that no single government can solve alone. As their numbers decline, we must broaden the circle of people who contribute to U.S. foreign policy. Scholars, technologists, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders all have roles to play in sustaining America’s influence and credibility abroad. If our diplomatic corps cannot grow, then our definition of diplomacy must.
As U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, I prioritized using the arts as a tool to connect communities, foster dialogue, and strengthen mutual understanding. I saw the benefits of using nontraditional tools to yield diplomatic success. The State Department’s Arts in Embassies program allowed me to convene international stakeholders for conversations around shared values such as democracy and freedom of speech. These partnerships expanded traditional government-to-government diplomacy by including artists, curators, and international institutions. That moved these conversations into broader, more accessible forums.
These moments of people-to-people exchange on behalf of the United States are the most enduring. They transcend party affiliation. Administrations may come and go, but the impressions left by American artists, musicians, chefs, and entrepreneurs in direct people-to-people exchange created indelible and lasting impressions of America as a partner and ally.
Cultural diplomacy initiatives reinforced what I have long believed -- service to the country extends far beyond the walls of government. The modern diplomat, policymaker, or civil servant can just as easily be found in a boardroom, a newsroom, a dugout, a classroom, or on a stage as in an embassy. The measure of public service today is not where one works, but what one works toward.
Institutions like the Meridian International Center offer a glimpse of what this evolution looks like. Through “open diplomacy,” Meridian connects leaders from business, technology, and the arts with government counterparts to solve shared problems. It’s a model rooted in partnership rather than partisanship. It demonstrates how creativity, entrepreneurship, and cultural exchange can reinforce the formal architecture of diplomacy.
The public sector might be smaller than it once was, but the call to serve has never been broader. Service today might mean designing clean-energy solutions, mentoring young entrepreneurs, or using art to foster cross-cultural understanding. These are all acts of public service, different in form but equal in purpose.
If fewer people work in the government, then more of us must work outside of it. Public service, after all, is not only a career track. It is a collective act of citizenship that endures only if we all choose to participate.
Randi Charno Levine is an author, arts advocate, and philanthropist who served as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal from 2022 to 2025.
