About Us
The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program attracts and prepares outstanding candidates for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State.
Background of Program
Established in 1992 and later named in honor of distinguished Career Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, the Pickering Fellowship attracts outstanding, merit-driven Americans who are committed to advancing U.S. national security and foreign policy goals. The Pickering Program selects 10 fellows annually through a rigorous, merit-based national competition. Grounded in the principle that diplomatic strategy must serve the safety and economic well-being of the American people, the program equips future diplomats with the knowledge, strategic tools, and practical skills necessary to represent the nation with purpose and resolve.
Selected fellows complete two years of intensive graduate study in a Department-approved program, engage in interagency national security coursework—including a mandatory seminar at the National Defense University (NDU)—complete domestic and overseas internships, and receive direct mentorship from seasoned Foreign Service Officers. Upon successful completion of the fellowship and Foreign Service entry requirements, fellows receive appointments as Foreign Service Officers, serving in Washington, D.C. and at U.S. embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions across the globe to safeguard American sovereignty and promote free, fair, and reciprocal international relations. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Outreach, Fellowships, and Internships (OFI) division of the Bureau of Human Resources via a cooperative agreement.
The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship is named in honor of one of the most distinguished and capable American diplomats of the latter half of the 20th century.
Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering is Senior Counselor at ASG, where he draws on expertise honed during a distinguished career as a U.S. diplomat to help clients pursue growth and investment strategies around the world.
Ambassador Pickering served as U.S. Ambassador and Representative to the United Nations under President George H.W. Bush, as well as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs under President Bill Clinton. He holds the personal rank of Career Ambassador, the highest in the U.S. Foreign Service. In a diplomatic career spanning five decades, he was also U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation, India, Israel, El Salvador, Nigeria, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Ambassador Pickering is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is active on a number of non-profit boards, including of the International Crisis Group, where he was previously Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Board. He is the current Chairman of the Boards of the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. He has been a Trustee at the Council on Foreign Relations (where he is currently a member) and the Aspen Institute, and is a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Ambassador Pickering received an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, an M.A. from the University of Melbourne, and a B.A. from Bowdoin College. He has received honorary degrees from Bowdoin College and 14 other universities. He received the Distinguished Presidential Award and the Department of State’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Award. He speaks French, Spanish, and Swahili and has some fluency in Arabic, Hebrew, and Russian. He is based in Washington, D.C.
As the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, the U.S. Department of State represents the United States at more than 270 diplomatic locations around the world, including embassies, consulates, and missions to international organizations.
The U.S. Department of State is the lead institution for the conduct of American diplomacy, and the Secretary of State is the President’s principal foreign policy advisor. The Department’s Foreign Service is a corps of some 13,000 employees dedicated to representing America abroad and responding to the needs of American citizens living and traveling around the world. There are also more than 45,000 locally employed Foreign Service staff at overseas posts. Today, the primary responsibility of the U.S. Department of State and its employees is to fight terrorism, protect U.S. interests abroad, and implement foreign policy initiatives while building a more free, prosperous, and secure world.
If you are passionate about public service and want to represent the U.S. around the world, a challenging and rewarding career is waiting for you. The opportunity to work and experience cultures, customs, and people of different nations is truly a career unlike any other.
Explore a career in the Foreign Service and start your journey with the Department of State today. Learn more by visiting the U.S. Department of State’s website at www.careers.state.gov