Alexandra Penler

Dr. Alexandra Penler is a historian and writer. Her current research focuses on the intersection of gender, marriage, and international relations. She is also a recognized expert on the British royal family and soft power diplomacy, having been published in outlets such as Chatham House’s magazine, on the LSE website, and has appeared on the BBC, Wall Street Journal, Al-Jazeera, and different European news outlets. At present, she is writing a book on American diplomatic wives in the Cold War.

Dr. Penler holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the history of international relations, where she also received her master’s degree. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Saint Mary’s College-Notre Dame and was previously a visiting researcher at Georgetown University. Her primary expertise is in gender and public diplomacy, with a particular interest in education/ exchange diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and heritage, and global health diplomacy.

She also worked for over ten years in strategic communications and public affairs. Most recently, she was the digital communications manager at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a think tank in Washington, DC. She also previously worked for five years in communications and program management for the Fulbright Program for the Middle East and North Africa, a US Department of State-funded public diplomacy program. Her responsibilities included managing external communications, monitoring and evaluation, virtual programming, and recruitment across the MENA region. Before that, she worked for a USAID project on HIV/AIDS in Africa and as managing director for communications at Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP). While studying, she interned with the U.S. Department of State, UNICEF UK, the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History, and the U.S. Senate. She also has worked as a communications consultant for public figures and nonprofits in Washington, DC.

Currently, she resides in the Washington, DC area.