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Criteria for Selecting New Members

The Academy’s mission is to support and strengthen U.S. diplomacy and enhance public appreciation of its critical role in national security through the involvement of persons who have served in relevant positions of major responsibility. In keeping with this goal, the following CRITERIA should be applied when considering candidates for membership:

  • Demonstrated distinguished accomplishments as a foreign affairs practitioner in senior diplomatic, development, or other national security assignments, including at least one assignment at the ambassadorial level (or equivalent, such as Special Presidential Envoy) and/or in senior domestic foreign affairs positions of equivalent responsibility and impact.
     

  • Established leader who models the highest standards of integrity and professionalism.
     

  • Diversity of professional backgrounds, race and gender, and career and non-career experience. The Academy seeks to expand the breadth of substantive expertise of its membership and encourages nominations of senior foreign policy practitioners with experience in non-traditional areas of diplomacy, such as the environment, science, health, technology, and other fields likely to be on the global diplomatic agenda in the future. In addition, the Academy continues to promote diversity of race, gender, and career, and non-career experience among its members.
     

  • Demonstrated continuing interest in foreign affairs and in enhancing the quality of American diplomacy and appreciation for its role in national security.
     

  • Confirmed interest in contributing to the mission of the Academy.

​Categories of Potential Members

  1. All former Secretaries of State shall be offered honorary membership. The other categories below should be considered for regular membership.

  2. Former Deputy Secretaries, Undersecretaries, and Assistant Secretaries of State, including Assistant Secretary-equivalent positions such as Director General of the Foreign Service or Director of Policy Planning; former USAID Administrators, USAID Deputy Administrators, Counselors, and Assistant Administrators.

  3. Former ambassadors and other individuals who have held domestic positions of comparable levels of national security and foreign policy responsibility in the U.S. government (e.g., Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID, and above).

  4. Former Secretaries of Cabinet departments and other agencies substantially involved in foreign affairs, and their deputies and assistant secretaries or equivalents; directors and deputy directors of National Intelligence, the CIA, and NSA; and Assistants to the President for National Security Affairs (e.g., National Security Advisor), as well as senior directors at the National Security Council.

  5. Former Combatant Commanders, former Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chiefs and Vice Chiefs of Staff (or their equivalent) of each of the Armed Services.

  6. Former chairs and ranking minority members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Senate State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee, and the House National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee.

  7. Other exceptionally qualified persons who have held positions of national distinction or made extraordinary contributions to the field of American diplomacy. 
     

No one serving in a full-time U.S. Government position is eligible for active membership.
Individuals who are currently serving in the U.S. Government may be nominated, provided that they
intend to retire or separate from U.S. Government service by the time of membership election (usually in
the Fall of any given year).

The current Membership Cirteria have been updated on June 8, 2026.

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To access previous criteria for selecting new members of the Academy, please click here. 

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