About
Psychologist · Diplomat · Veteran · Author · Strategist
Don Kilburg, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO, Mind Leap Institute
Don Kilburg helps leaders and organizations think clearly about AI — not just how to use it, but what it does to the people using it. He brings an unusual combination of experimental psychology, 21 years of frontline diplomacy, military service, and hands-on AI adoption experience to a question most organizations aren’t asking yet: how do we protect human judgment in a world increasingly shaped by machine intelligence?
He is the author of AI Use Cases for Diplomats (Routledge, 2025) and three forthcoming books with Routledge. He speaks internationally on the human dimensions of AI, and advises organizations through Mind Leap Institute on building the cognitive capacity to use AI wisely.
“He’s a very creative kind of diplomat, having a psychology background. He has an instinct and sensibility that many of his peers lack, and he’s not afraid to take calculated risks to generate core engagement and authentic communication.”
— Dr. Chris Stout, LinkedIn Top Voice, Best-Selling Author, APA Psychologist
What I Do Now
I run Mind Leap Institute, a consultancy I founded to help individuals and organizations navigate the AI transition with their judgment, values, and cognitive independence intact. Our work is grounded in the conviction that the hardest part of AI adoption isn’t the technology — it’s the human.
Through Mind Leap, I deliver keynotes, workshops, and advisory engagements for organizations that want to go beyond tool deployment and build the human capacity that determines whether AI creates lasting value or quietly erodes it. I also write extensively on AI, cognition, governance, and the psychological dimensions of institutional change — with 38 articles published since January 2026 and four books with Routledge.
Recent speaking engagements include The AI Summit London and the Public Diplomacy Council of America. I’m based in Madrid, Spain, and available worldwide.
Background
The path to this work was not a straight line — it was a 30-year arc across
institutions, cultures, and disciplines, each chapter building on the last.
Diplomacy
I spent 21 years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer at the Department of State, with postings in Beijing, Mexico City, Almaty (Kazakhstan), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Rome, and Washington, DC. I served across five functional areas — Public Affairs, Intelligence, Management, Consular, and Technology.
Highlights included directing press for engagements involving U.S. presidents, vice presidents, and secretaries of state; contributing intelligence analyses selected for the President’s Daily Brief; serving as Bureau Spokesperson for U.S. energy diplomacy through the 2020 oil crisis and the pandemic; advising the U.S. Trade Representative on billion-dollar transatlantic trade negotiations; placing op-eds in the Financial Times and Foreign Policy; and serving on the crisis team that evacuated 25,000 Americans after Hurricane Wilma.
In my final State Department role, I pioneered “ChatGPT Diplomacy” — building and deploying AI tools across thousands of Foreign Service Officers worldwide, producing a department-wide cable under the Secretary of State’s signature, and earning a nomination for the Department’s AI Innovation Award. That experience became the foundation of Mind Leap Institute.
Moments from a diplomatic career
“A seasoned, charismatic public affairs professional who reaches audiences with compelling narratives. I was consistently impressed with his ability to navigate a hostile media environment to craft and amplify strategic, positive, effective messaging and advance U.S. interests.”
Warren Wilson
Economic Diplomat, U.S. Embassy Beijing
“One of our joint products made it all the way up to the President’s Daily Briefing on a key foreign policy topic. Don has been a great force for introducing the left hand to the right hand in our Department of State.”
Jennifer Lambert
Director, Office of Research, Global Public Affairs
Psychology & Academia
Before joining the Foreign Service, I was a adjunct professor of psychology at Eastern Washington University, where I taught Social Psychology, Cross-Cultural Psychology, Stress & Coping, Human Sexuality, and Psychology of Religion. I also taught at DePaul University, St. Olaf College, Teikyo Loretto Heights University, and Front Range Community College.
I hold a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (Social Cognition) from DePaul University. Between degrees I won a competitive Japanese Government Monbusho Research Fellowship to Mie University, where I conducted dissertation research in Japanese. My research on stress, coping, social cognition, and reframing has been published in peer-reviewed journals in both English and Japanese.
My early clinical work included counseling and case management with chronically mentally ill adults in Chicago — experience that deepened my understanding of how people think and cope under pressure, and that still informs everything I do today.
“Don is probably the only Foreign Service Officer I have met who understands the importance and significance of research design and data collection, including sampling techniques and statistical analysis.”
— Matthew Warshaw, CEO, D3: Designs, Data, Decisions
Military Service
U.S. Army Infantry — 2/130th Infantry Division, Illinois Army National Guard. Basic training at Fort Jackson, infantry school at Fort Benning. Trained on the TOW missile system. Deployed for disaster response during the Mississippi Flood of 1993. U.S. Army Achievement Medal. Served 1988–1994, Honorable Discharge.
“This is exactly the guy you want on your side if you’re in battle, whether literally or figuratively. His talents and creativity are exceptional and his dedication and character are beyond reproach.”
— Jeff Ogren, U.S. Foreign Service Officer, Author of Leading From Day One
Education
DePaul University
Ph.D., Experimental Psychology
Social Cognition
1994–2001
Mie University, Japan
Monbusho Research Fellowship
Experimental Psychology
1997–1999
University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
B.S., Psychology
1989–1993
Languages
Trained in Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese.
Selected Awards
Multiple Superior Honor Awards · Multiple Meritorious Honor Awards · Franklin Award
U.S. Export Promotion Achievement Award · White House Certificate of Appreciation
Greening Diplomacy Initiative Award · AI Innovation Award Nomination · U.S. Army Achievement Medal
“Mr. Kilburg’s gentle yet firm diplomatic manners are truly impressive. His ability to gently and successfully connect people from different countries and cultures with different political and religious backgrounds is brilliant.”
Vlastimil Samek
United Nations
“Don is one of the finest the Foreign Service has; focused, calm, grounded, and steady under pressure.”
Dan Peck
Military Attaché, U.S. Embassy Beijing