Ambassador Mark Toner is the executive vice president for communications and strategy at American Progress. Ambassador Toner is a former senior U.S. diplomat with extensive experience in both policy and strategic communications at the highest levels of the U.S. State Department.
In his most recent role as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Toner worked to advance U.S. national security priorities with a key regional ally and advocate on behalf of U.S. companies. As acting assistant secretary of global public affairs, Toner directed global and domestic engagement during the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict, integrating domestic outreach, foreign-language media, and data analytics to disseminate targeted messaging on U.S. political and humanitarian efforts.
During his six-year tenure as both deputy and acting spokesperson for three consecutive U.S. secretaries of state, Toner served as the public face of U.S. foreign policy. This role involved conducting the on-the-record daily press briefing and numerous on-air interviews with global media. He developed communication strategies to launch key policy initiatives or address high-stakes crises where American lives or assets were at risk.
Additionally, as deputy assistant secretary for public diplomacy, Toner spearheaded U.S. efforts to combat Kremlin-led disinformation globally following Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014. Overseas assignments include Senegal, Poland, U.S. NATO, Paris, and Liberia. He holds a master’s in national resource strategy from the Eisenhower School and a bachelor’s from the University of Notre Dame. He also served three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia.