The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

32 MARCH 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL three women were promoted from FE-MC to FE-CM, 21 from FE-OC to FE-MC and 37 from FS-1 to FE-OC. Given the dearth of female leadership at the highest levels of the Foreign Service, it is essential that we do all we can to recruit and retain female officers and specialists at the entry- and mid-levels to ensure there is a critical mass of women who are eligible to compete for promotions in the Senior Foreign Service. A Good Starting Point Based on our experience in successfully rejuvenating the FWP in Mission Panama—a medium-sized post with a relatively small Department of State presence—we would like to encour- age other posts to take advantage of this valuable resource for active engagement with and direct advocacy for female officers, specialists and EFMs with the front office and the department. When coupled with other initiatives, the FWP can serve as a good starting point. Other posts will, of course, face different challenges and opportunities, but we hope these simple tips will help other posts seeking to replicate our effort: • Assign an entry-level officer to serve as the FWP coordi- nator, but appoint more senior officers to serve as advisers to the FWP coordinator. This arrangement enables the entry-level officer to acquire managerial and leadership experience that she can use in her future assignments while the more senior officers, with more knowledge of departmental and Foreign Service regu- lations, can provide appropriate guidance and mentor the entry- level officer throughout their tenure as members of the FWP. • Organize regular meetings with female officers, specialists and EFMs at post. Since our first meeting as a group in the fall, the Panama FWP has held monthly meetings focused on con- cerns highlighted by our members during the initial gathering. Senior female officers take turns hosting and facilitating the ses- sions. By regularizing our schedule, the group has slowly attracted We share advice and strategies for everything from completing office tasks to navigating the FAM to bidding for onward assignments.