Macon Phillips leads the Bureau of International Information Programs as Coordinator, an Assistant Secretary-level position at the U.S. Department of State. Since taking the helm in 2013, Phillips has helped build the Bureau’s analytics, design and outreach capacity, transforming the Bureau to meet the needs of the modern communications environment. Phillips has traveled extensively to develop public engagement campaigns that advance U.S. foreign policy and advise other governments on strategic communication and digital transformation.

During the first term of the Obama Administration, Phillips served as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Digital Strategy at the White House. There he created the White House Office of Digital Strategy and managed social media, technology and content development. He also designed and deployed the “We the People” petitioning platform, a key component of the United States’ Open Government National Action Plan that has engaged more than 20 million users. Phillips ran the new media program for the Presidential Transition Team and served as the Deputy Director of New Media for the 2008 Obama presidential campaign. Phillips began his career in digital strategy at Blue State Digital, working with clients like the Democratic National Committee and Senator Ted Kennedy. A proud Americorps *VISTA alum, the Alabama native is a graduate of Duke University and lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two sons.