Robert Holden

Robert “Bob” Holden Bob retired in July 2021 from a 42-year federal career as an award-winning manager experienced in all areas of public affairs including daily operations, social media and marketing, and translations. He spent the earlier part of his career as a writer-editor for a government wire service, as well as for longer-term publications and speechwriting.

Among his accomplishments, Bob established a translations office in the Bureau of International Information Programs to meet the need for foreign languages in public diplomacy.  He also started the Department of State’s first Chinese-language Internet information service, Meiguo Cankao (“The American Source”) and launched the popular and successful Chinese blog Wu Gu Fei Hong (“The Wild Geese of Foggy Bottom”). Prior to that Bob worked for the U.S. Information Agency where he organized public diplomacy campaigns around U.S. participation in several Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits, including drafting speeches and op-eds for the president, secretary of state and senior U.S. officials.

Bob has a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from the University of Rhode Island, and a Master of Arts, International Studies from the University of Denver, Graduate School of International Studies.

For the past couple of decades, Bob has used singing and guitar-playing to relieve stress and to raise money for various charities.  A founding member of musical ensembles that include the Lost Agency Ramblers, the Last Chance Garage Band, and the Rock Hard Bagels, Bob got into the music business the same way as rock star David Lee Roth. He owns the sound system. Bob has experience raising money through events and his band concerts and is interested in doing so for ArtStream.

Bob lives in Springfield, VA.