Dean Ernest J. Wilson III, holder of the Walter Annenberg Chair in Communication, recently returned to Southern California after serving as part of the team advising President-elect Barack Obama.
Wilson was charged with several functions in the transition reflecting his diverse professional background. He led a team reviewing America’s international broadcasting services, including the Voice of America and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He also advised the transition team working with the U.S. Department of State on public diplomacy issues and was appointed to a group on innovation policies. Even though back at USC, Wilson continues to respond to requests for advice from his transition colleagues.
“The work was intense, but being a part of such an excellent team was enormously gratifying,” Wilson said.
An expert on global communications issues and sustainable innovation, Wilson is the author of numerous articles and books on the subject, including The Information Revolution and Developing Countries, and Negotiating the Net. His co-edited book, The Governance of Global Electronic Networks, was just published by MIT Press.
He has served as a consultant to the World Bank, corporations, nongovernmental organizations and governments around the world, and was just appointed to a high level advisory committee of the National Research Council developing proposals on information policies.
During the presidential campaign, Wilson was a member of the Technology/Media/Telecommunications campaign advisory group and of the international affairs advisory group.
In the Clinton administration, he served in the White House as a senior staff member of the National Security Council, where his portfolio included international communications policies. He was also director of the Policy and Planning Unit, Office of the Director, U.S. Information Agency; and deputy director of the Global Information Infrastructure Commission.
Wilson is the ranking senior member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, nominated by presidents Clinton and Bush and confirmed by the Senate. He chairs the board’s Digital Media Committee.
“I was very honored to serve and contribute my expertise during this historic transition to the new administration,” Wilson said. “If our work in some way contributes to improved communication services and how the U.S. is perceived throughout the world, then we truly will have made a difference. The commitment to serve the public through scholarship and analysis is a hallmark of the Annenberg School.”
Wilson will give a talk about his transition experiences at an event sponsored by the Annenberg School’s Center for Public Diplomacy on Jan. 22 at noon in room 207.
