The Foreign Service Journal, March 2014

22 MARCH 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL elsewhere. In addition, despite genuine attempts to create more transparency, and with due respect to those who advise on career management, promotion into a Senior Management Group position depends heavily on sponsorship from above. That is clear from the varied levels of experience in new SMG picks. The result is a vicious circle: limited promotion means limited mid-level promotions and limited hiring. And that, I believe, is the reason why USAID is slid- ing backward when it comes to Hispanic representation. A Better Way Forward A great deal of energy has gone into better recruitment, and those efforts should continue and be expanded. For example, USAID might create and fund a recruitment unit that operates the way college sport teams do: direct contact. It could tap into the networks of contrac- tors, grantees and fellows to encourage them to apply for open positions, while monitoring the work of technical panels to ensure strong candidates receive due consideration. But that needs to be accompanied by a broader effort—not only on behalf of Hispanics, but to benefit everyone at USAID—to cultivate a diverse Senior Management Group cadre. Of course, managers will continue to recruit the people they want, and they cannot be blamed for that. But someone has to be an advocate for those groups who are consistently left out, and it has to be someone with clout who can overrule a selection. If a qualified Hispanic (or other minority) has applied for an SMG posi- tion, there must be a compelling reason not to select that candidate. “I like this person more” is just not acceptable. Secondly, while I am pleased that mission directors and others are being held accountable for diversity, we need to reward those who demonstrate that they can mentor and nurture other staff, especially those from underrepresented groups. “Managing down” needs to “Managing down” needs to become part of “managing up,” not just a good deed. ADVANCED DEGREES EARNED BY HISPANICS, 1999-2000 AND 2009-2010 Degree Share of total Share of total Numbers of Numbers of degrees, degrees, degrees degrees 1999-2000 (%) 2009-2010 (%) awarded, awarded, 1999-2000 2009-2010 Master’s 4.8 7.1 19,384 43,535 M.D., J.D. and comparable 4.7 5.8 5,039 8,085 Source: Department of Education, NCES: Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, 2000-2010 (2011). become part of “managing up,” not just a good deed that has its own rewards. There are plenty of rewards for writing policies and strategies or getting involved with “what’s hot” at the moment. That’s fine. But if I were the USAID Adminis- trator, I would ask my senior manag- ers: “Tell me what you have done to help someone on your staff overcome obstacles to promotion.” If they can’t answer that question in five seconds, I would send them back to come up with a diversity strategy, on one page, in 24 hours. I would also make sure they pose the same question to their own subordi- nates. And I’d pose the same question to the technical panels that make the actual personnel selections. As I like to tell potential recruits, in my career I have seen dramatic changes in USAID, as well as a return to old ways of doing business. Then there are those things which never seem to change. I hope that one of these recruits, 25 years from now, can say that USAID is an agency that is fully representative of the American public. But it shouldn’t take that long to happen. n José Garzón speaking at the inauguration of a school project in Kosovo in 2011.