1. 11/2/2015 New Interim Management Structure Takes Effect at the BBG - BBG
http://www.bbg.gov/blog/2014/01/22/new-interim-management/ 1/2
New Interim Management Structure Takes Effect
at the BBG
January 22, 2014
L-R, Robert Bole, Director of Global Strategy;
Suzie Carroll, Director of Global
Communications; André Mendes, Director of
Global Operations
The Broadcasting Board of Governors today established an interim management structure for its
International Broadcasting Bureau that appoints three senior executives to manage the day-to-day
operations of the agency and helps pave the way for a future Chief Executive Officer.
Under this interim management structure, André Mendes will serve as Director of Global Operations,
Robert Bole will serve as Director of Global Strategy, and Suzie Carroll will serve as Director of Global
Communications. Mendes, Bole and Carroll will provide oversight and direction to the Directors of the
Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, as well as the other offices of the federal agency
until a CEO is hired.
“The Board proposed this structure to leverage the strengths of three exceptional leaders and set the stage
for important agency reforms,” said Jeffrey Shell, chair of the BBG’s governing board.
BBG Governor Matt Armstrong will serve as the Board’s Management Liaison and will provide support
to the interim IBB management team. In addition, the Board has created a Special Committee on Creation
of a Chief Executive Officer.
“We believe the BBG needs a CEO to be fully effective and to support all operational aspects of U.S.
international broadcasting,” he said. “We are consulting with both Congress and the Administration on
meeting that goal.”
Mendes has directed the IBB’s Office of Technology, Services and Innovation (TSI) for the past four
years. He provides executive leadership in the planning, development, and operation of all agency
engineering and technical systems, including a world-wide satellite and transmitting station network, as
well as planning for the use of new technological improvements and efficiencies. Before joining the
agency, Mendes served as senior vice president, strategic planning and global CIO for Special Olympics
International. Previously, he served as Chief Technology Integration Officer for the Public Broadcasting

2. 11/2/2015 New Interim Management Structure Takes Effect at the BBG - BBG
http://www.bbg.gov/blog/2014/01/22/new-interim-management/ 2/2
Service, where he was responsible for both Information Technology and Broadcast Engineering during a
$1.8 billion transition to digital television.
Deputy TSI Director Terry Balazs, will serve as Acting TSI Director, given Mendes new leadership role.
Robert Bole joined the BBG in 2011 as Director of Innovation to lead the agency’s use of technology to
improve storytelling, news delivery and crisis response. As head of the Office of Digital and Design
Innovation, he directed the agency’s digital strategy and worked with journalists to innovate digital media
products, focusing on engaging and connecting audiences. Previously, Bole served as the Vice President
of Digital Media Strategies at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, where he helped lead the creation
of a unified digital distribution platform. He also created a strategy to improve public media’s use of
social media to engage citizens in journalism, civic dialogue and education. Prior to that, Bole worked for
the One Economy Corporation, a global non-profit organization that leverages the power of technology in
underserved communities around the world.
As Bole assumes his new role in the IBB, ODDI’s Director of Technology, Adam Martin, will serve as
Acting Director of Innovation.
Suzie Carroll has been with the BBG since 2012. As BBG Executive Director, she serves as the principal
liaison for the Chairman and members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors and manages
implementation of Board priorities. Before being tapped by the Board to be its Executive Director, she
served as the agency’s Congressional Coordinator for a year, cultivating support from Capitol Hill for
high-priority agency initiatives, conducting day-to-day interactions with Congress, and coordinating these
activities with counterparts at the BBG’s networks. Carroll joined the agency from the Peace Corps,
where she served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of Congressional Relations. As a member of the
Peace Corps’ senior staff, she was responsible for developing and implementing legislative strategy.
Prior to that, Carroll held positions, focusing on government affairs and legal services in Washington, DC
and Los Angeles.
Carroll will continue to serve as BBG Executive Director in addition to her new duties.
IBB Deputy Director Jeff Trimble will now take on a new role with the Global Strategy team working to
advance collaboration and coordination across the BBG. Trimble will play a leadership role on the
content side of the operation to strengthen the BBG’s position in a period of increased global competition.
The IBB is responsible for the agency’s strategic planning and oversight, including U.S. international
media’s innovation strategy, and transmission, marketing, and program placement services. The IBB is
also responsible for integrating activities across the federal and BBG-funded grantee networks for greater
organizational efficiency. The IBB manages the agency’s communications, financial operations, and
legal support along with a global network of transmitting sites, an extensive system of leased satellite and
fiber optic circuits, and rapidly growing Internet and mobile audience platforms and services. It provides
research and evaluations of broadcasts, VOA editorials, and human resources, Equal Employment
Opportunity, procurement, security, information technology, and other essential administrative support
for the agency.