The Ben Franklin Fellowship: The JUNTO Project Podcast

The JUNTO Podcast – Featuring BFF Fellow and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Matt PierceIn this episode, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with Matt Pierce, BFF Fellow and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs. Matt shares his path to the State Department, his rise through the Consular Affairs bureau, and the challenges and opportunities in today’s passport and visa environment.Matt offers listeners an inside look at how U.S. passport and visa services operate — at headquarters and at posts around the world — and explains what the public should know about the scale and importance of this mission. He also discusses efforts to modernize the passport process, strengthen security, to route out fraud and address vulnerabilities that foreign actors and criminal networks may seek to exploit.The conversation highlights how Consular Affairs shapes passport and citizenship policy in support of America’s national interest, and how the bureau works with partners across government on fraud and security cases. Matt concludes with a message to State Department CA colleagues worldwide about professionalism, service, and the future of U.S. diplomacy.

In this episode of The JUNTO Podcast, BFF Co-Founder Phil Linderman hosts a conversation with Robert Destro and Al Gombis, both BFF Fellows and longtime State Department officials, on the state of human rights diplomacy in Washington.Robert Destro, former Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), and Al Gombis, who served as Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, share a candid insider’s perspective on how well-intentioned policies have drifted away from America’s founding ideals.Together, they discuss why “human rights” must be refocused around freedom of conscience, individual responsibility, and equal justice under law — and how diplomats can rebuild credibility by linking human rights to measurable progress, not political agendas.

In this episode of The JUNTO Podcast, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman speaks with Albert T. “Al” Gombis, a recently retired U.S. diplomat whose 34-year career at the Department of State spanned 13 offices, three overseas posts, and senior leadership roles advancing global justice and human rights.From serving on Capitol Hill as a State Department Fellow for the House Foreign Affairs Committee to leading the Office of Global Criminal Justice, Gombis’s career bridges law, policy, and principle. He later earned a master’s degree in Cyber and National Security from the National Defense University, before being appointed by the Trump Administration as Acting Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy & Human Rights.In this wide-ranging and candid conversation, Gombis reflects on:His 34-year journey through diplomacy, law, State Dept., DOD/DOJ and public serviceLessons learned working across the State Department and CongressThe influence of the Reagan era on his decision to serveWhat it means to be an effective and principled bureaucratWhat brought him to The Ben Franklin Fellowship and his response to partisan criticsTrue diversity in public service — and the realities of wokeism, DEI, and reform efforts within recent administrationsAn Idealist's path forward for U.S. diplomacy rooted in the national interestIn this thought-provoking discussion with host and fellow former Senior Foreign Service Officer Phil Linderman, Al Gombis offers a rare insider’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing America’s foreign policy establishment — and the enduring need to restore mission clarity, moral courage, and accountability to the State Department.Through his career and example, Al Gombis exemplifies the mission of The Ben Franklin Fellowship: diplomacy rooted in the Republic, and in service to America.

Guest: Stuart Wilson Host: Phillip Linderman, BFF ChairmanThe Ben Franklin Fellowship is proud to present a new episode of The JUNTO Podcast, hosted by BFF Chairman Phillip Linderman, featuring Stuart Wilson, BFF Fellow and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.With more than three decades in the U.S. Foreign Service, Stuart Wilson has served in some of the most complex and challenging diplomatic posts worldwide — from Moscow to Port-au-Prince to Basrah. He has led U.S. embassies as Chargé d’Affaires on four separate occasions and brings a wealth of experience spanning political and consular work across Canada, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.In this conversation, Stuart shares:The assignments that most shaped his diplomatic approach.Unique insights on leading embassies in an acting capacity.The patterns he has observed across regions and cultures.The pressing challenges and reforms facing America’s visa system today.His perspective on restoring accountability and principle in U.S. diplomacy.Stuart also discusses why he joined The Ben Franklin Fellowship and offers advice for the next generation of American diplomats.

Guest: Dr Mark SkousenHost: BFF Chairman Phillip LindermanIn this thought-provoking conversation, BFF Chairman Phillip Linderman sits down with Dr. Mark Skousen — renowned economist, author, and direct descendant of Ben Franklin — to explore his latest book: The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World's Most Versatile Genius.Together, they unpack Franklin’s diversity: diplomat, entrepreneur, philosopher, moralist, disruptor, media mogul, inventor — and a champion of American independence and national interest. Dr. Skousen shares surprising stories and little-known insights that challenge popular myths and reveal why Franklin was not only the oldest of the Founders — but the most visionary.From trade and technology, to faith, family, and foreign policy, this JUNTO Podcast episode explores why Franklin’s legacy matters more than ever today.

The Ben Franklin Fellowship (BFF) proudly launched its JUNTO AI, Statecraft & the Future of Diplomacy Speaker Series on July 23 with a high-level panel on one of the most urgent issues facing American diplomacy today: artificial intelligence and the escalating U.S.–China tech rivalry.

Guests: Phillip Linderman, Matthew Boyse, and Simon HankinsonHost: John McCally, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Media, BFFIn this foundational episode of the JUNTO Podcast, host John McCally sits down with the three co-founders of The Ben Franklin Fellowship — Phillip Linderman, Matthew Boyse, and Simon Hankinson — for a rare joint conversation about the future of American diplomacy, the origins of the Fellowship, and why now is the time to revive the America-First spirit of 1776.Each guest brings decades of diplomatic experience and a deep commitment to restoring traditional, constitutional values to U.S. foreign affairs. Together, they discuss:The inspiration behind launching BFF — and why Benjamin Franklin’s legacy still mattersThe current crisis of confidence and clarity inside the State DepartmentHow BFF’s Eight Guiding Principles offer a clear alternative to ideological driftWhy the JUNTO Outreach Initiatives including events, fellowships, and this podcast — arecentral to engaging the next generation of reform-minded foreign affairs professionalsA bold vision for U.S. diplomacy ahead of America’s 250th birthday in 2026Whether you're a career diplomat, a student of international affairs, or simply a citizen who believes in America’s founding values, this conversation offers a powerful blueprint for change — and a hopeful call to action.🎧 Listen now to hear how the Ben Franklin Fellowship is reimagining the future of U.S. diplomacy—rooted in the Republic, in service to America.

Guest: Simon Hankinson, Co-Founder, The Ben Franklin Fellowship; Senior Fellow, The Heritage FoundationHost: Phil Linderman, Chairman, The Ben Franklin FellowshipIn this bold and wide-ranging conversation, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with BFF co-founder and board member Simon Hankinson to discuss his powerful new book, The Ten Woke Commandments – You Must Not Obey(July 2025). Drawing on his 25 years as a U.S. diplomat and his current role as a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, Hankinson takes on the forced orthodoxy of the modern Left—from gender ideology and media censorship to cultural self-loathing and bureaucratic overreach.Hankinson and Linderman explore the implications of cancel culture on diplomacy and public service, what it means to dissent with principle, and how The Ben Franklin Fellowship offers a home for foreign affairs professionals grounded in truth, liberty, and national interest.This episode also offers a window into Simon’s life before and after diplomacy: a British-trained lawyer, teacher, global public servant, and now one of Washington’s leading voices challenging the ideological capture of American institutions.If you’ve ever felt silenced, sidelined, or suspicious of the new commandments of the elite class — his conversation is for you.

Guest: John Armstrong, Senior Bureau Official, Bureau of Consular AffairsHost: Phil Linderman, Chairman, The Ben Franklin FellowshipIn this episode of The JUNTO Podcast, BFF Chairman Phil Linderman sits down with longtime American diplomat and BFF Fellow John Armstrong, who currently serves as State Department's Senior Bureau Official in the Bureau of Consular Affairs. A career Foreign Service Officer with over three decades of global experience — from Warsaw and Kyiv to Nassau and Lima — Armstrong reflects on his deep commitment to the American people, the evolution of U.S. consular policy, and the urgent need for diplomacy rooted in national interest and constitutional values.