President Biden designated Brian Conniff as the Deputy Director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) on January 20, 2021.
Conniff has held numerous executive positions within USAGM, formerly the BBG, including Executive Director of the Board, Acting Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau, and President of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).
Conniff served as MBN President from June 2006 until July 2017, where he oversaw and managed two television networks (Alhurra and Alhurra-Iraq); Radio Sawa; Afia Darfur radio; and their corresponding websites and social media properties. Under his leadership, Alhurra and Radio Sawa peaked at an unduplicated weekly audience of more than 28 million people throughout the pan-Arab region. Conniff also led the launch of “Raise Your Voice,” a multimedia campaign extending across all MBN’s properties (TV, radio, and digital) that addresses the themes used by ISIS to recruit fighters and destabilize governments and societies throughout the region, especially Iraq and Syria.
Prior to joining MBN, Conniff was the Executive Director of the BBG. He directed the agency’s strategic planning, budget formulation, and allocation process, and provided oversight and coordination for all U.S.-funded international broadcasting entities.
From 1999 to 2002, Conniff served as the Acting Director of the then International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB). In this capacity, he was responsible for the day-to-day management of bureau activities, including the operations of Voice of America, Radio Televisión Martí, and a worldwide engineering and transmission network. During his tenure, IBB made the transition from a radio-based organization to a multimedia enterprise, significantly expanding the use of the internet and television. This modernization of delivery systems resulted in significantly increased audiences for U.S. international media.
Conniff was the Inspector General for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1989 to 1995. Prior to that, he worked for the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) and the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO).