THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2025 27 wide reflection spaces, which is now available on the Bureau of Medical Services’ wellness site. These efforts have greatly improved the morale of employees and fostered an inclusive work environment. The burden of prioritizing religious accommodations often falls on passionate employees who raise their voices and demand change. But volunteers cannot do it alone; we need institutional support. For example, reflection spaces must be established at every mission abroad and in every domestic office. Supervisors need to be aware of, and implement, protections and accommodations for employees expressing their faith, and training needs to be implemented for all department personnel that highlights the importance of religious expression as an important initiative. The landmark Groff v. DeJoy (2023) ruling demonstrates the U.S. Supreme Court’s recognition of the importance of religious accommodations in the workplace and places the burden on employers to prove “undue hardship” when denying religious accommodations. Your leadership in ensuring employee rights are respected will not only benefit our employees but also set a powerful example for the global community, which looks to our nation as an exemplar of freedom and equality. Mariya Ilyas State Department FSO U.S. Mission to the United Nations, New York Support Family Member Employment Previous administrations have made strides in Foreign Service and military spousal employment. Resources such as the Expanded Professional Associates Program (EPAP) and the Foreign Service Family Reserve Corps (FSFRC) give more eligible family members (EFMs) access to employment, but the EFM unemployment rate is still high. A LVL-Up Strategies survey found that 25 percent of EFMs report being unemployed. They cite inadequate job availability and salary misalignment as top challenges at post and when returning to Washington, D.C. (Download the full report at https://bit.ly/efm-report.) Access needs to expand, but these job opportunities also need more flexible processes and policies that allow EFMs to accompany their family from one assignment to the next. Partnering with organizations that can teach employers in government, private, and nonprofit sectors how to build flexible career roles and programs will help our Foreign Service family members be productive, efficient, and engaged. In addition, almost a third of overseas EFMs reported working in the embassy or consulate. To remain competitive with other career opportunities, jobs in the mission need to build a holistic review process for candidates that takes into account how transferable skills and experience qualify candidates for higher-paying grades and ranks. Currently, the ranking system is too rigid, and EFMs do not get an opportunity to show how they have grown professionally from post to post. We look forward to working with the next administration to continue building solutions that provide EFMs with more flexible career pathways to leverage their talent and improve quality of life for the Foreign Service families who serve our country. Rona Jobe State Department FS Family Member CEO, LVL-Up Strategies Frankfurt, Germany Four Steps to Boost Public Diplomacy As the new administration begins to shape its foreign policy, U.S. leadership and economic interests are being globally challenged with new tools and strategies. Adversaries are massively outspending us, employing widespread disinformation to undermine America’s standing in their own countries and around the globe. They are creating new anti-American narratives to persuade the world that the United States is unenviable and unreliable. Their clear goal is to generate public pressure on America’s global partners to reconsider their support for our shared values. Today’s challenges are consequential. They require dramatically enhanced diplomatic engagement and networks of cooperation around our principal interests and values. To be effective, the United States must engage audiences beyond governments in sustained public diplomacy campaigns requiring flexibility, rapid action, and new public communication tools. In telling America’s story to the world, as we did during the Cold War, we can again supercharge our diplomacy in partnership with the American people, our country’s most powerful resource. I write on behalf of the Public Diplomacy Council of America to encourage the new administration to take the following steps:
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