Defining the Contemporary Goodwill Ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat (foreign service professional) who represents a state and is usually provided a letter of credence that is granted exequatur in another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own head of government or may be appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.
Today the term is more liberally applied to describe persons who are known, with or without a legal appointment, officially or unofficially, to represent certain professions, activities, ideals, and fields of endeavor to foster goodwill on the behalf of corporations, organizations, religious institutions, youth groups, fraternal associations, or state and local governments.
Regardless of the consideration of official capacity as diplomats or as professional promoters; all ambassadors are loyal, trained representatives, civilian officers, and negotiators that are chosen by their respective organizations and governments to promote the interests of the same. Whether a person is considered to be an ambassador, brand ambassador, or goodwill ambassador is most often a matter of interpretation, who they are representing and the type of business they are conducting.
