M. Karen Walker comes to the Franklin Fellows program while pursuing her doctoral degree in rhetoric and social change at the University of Maryland College Park. Her program of study is designed to manage effectively trends in American diplomacy including reliance on public-private partnerships, the role of non-governmental actors, and engagement with diaspora communities and ideologically-based social movements. For example, Ms. Walker presented an analysis of transformational diplomacy at the 2007 annual meeting of the National Communication Association; addressed the narrative strategies of the Millennium Challenge Corporation at the 2008 NCA gathering; and has published an essay exploring the Arab public sphere. Ms. Walker has taught an undergraduate seminar on rhetorical analysis relevant to terrorism studies, and an undergraduate course on argumentation and public policy. Ms. Walker’s web site, www.rhetoricalens.info, informs policy development and advocacy in the domains of security studies, terrorism studies and public diplomacy by highlighting areas of interest and inquiry in common with the field of rhetoric.

As a Franklin Fellow serving in the Bureau of Resource Management's Global Partnership Center, Ms. Walker will work on public-private partnerships for international development, with particular attention to the rhetorical processes and appeals that make partnership initiatives attractive, sustainable and self-replicating. Ms. Walker brings to the position expertise in public diplomacy, constituency outreach and relationship management attained through her ongoing research as well as prior public and volunteer service. Ms. Walker served as a public information officer in the U.S. Information Agency; supported energy efficiency and environmental security programs managed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; conducted environmental diplomacy, commercial diplomacy and public diplomacy programs for the Department of State; and brought the social and behavioral sciences to bear in meeting homeland security and information analysis requirements. More recently, Ms. Walker assumed the pro bono position of Director of Strategic Alliances for the International Child Art Foundation, in preparation for ICAF’s 2007 World Children’s Festival.

Ms. Walker's professional affiliations include several within the field of Communication, including the International Communication Association, National Communication Association, and Rhetoric Society of America. In support of the sciences generally, Ms. Walker is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. To maintain her active interests in U.S. diplomacy and development policy, Ms. Walker is a member of the Business Council for International Understanding and the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Society for International Development.