The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

40 JUNE 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Group—the oldest affinity group at State—and the Carl T. Rowan Chapter of Blacks in Government. Other affinity groups include the Hispanic Employees Council of Foreign Affairs Agencies, the Asian-American Foreign Affairs Association, GLIFAA and the Pickering and Rangel Fellowship Association, to name but a few. The groups that advocate for women in the Foreign Service include Executive Women@ State and Balancing Act, which focuses on the State Department’s work-life balance policies and priorities. The primary purpose of all affinity groups is to represent, advo- cate for and support their constituent members. One drawback of this model, however, is that each group operates on a purely vol- unteer basis and, due to the transient nature of the Foreign Service, often struggles to remain vibrant and active within the confines of the department’s mandates. Thankfully, the various organizations have conducted enough joint advocacy to pressure State to give more sustainable, consistent support to their work. Pickering and Rangel Fellowships State has made progress on recruiting minorities through two innovative programs: theThomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fel- lowship Program and the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program. The flagship Pickering Fellowship, established in 1992 and administered by the WoodrowWilson National Fellowship Foundation, and the Rangel Program, established in 2002 and administered by the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University, are both entirely funded by grants from the Department of State. Both programs are designed to attract outstanding individuals from all ethnic, racial and social backgrounds interested in pursu- ing a Foreign Service career. The Pickering Fellowship is named in honor of the six-time ambassador, one of the most distinguished American diplomats of all time, whose career culminated with an appointment as under secretary of State for political affairs. Last year, promotion boards recommended three former Pickering Fellows for advancement into the Senior Foreign Service, the first Pickerings to cross the SFS threshold. Howard University created the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program to honor the New York congressman for his exam- ple of global leadership and for his longstanding support of efforts to show the world the diversity that is the strength of America. Program alumni whomake it through the entry-level years do well in the Foreign Service. However, the transition from fellow sta- tus to “officer” status can be challenging, which is why the Picker- ing and Rangel Fellows Association was established in 2010. PRFA creates a professional network and support system for program alumni as they begin navigating the State Department as FSOs. PRFA offers career counseling andmentoring, and hosts a speakers series featuring department principals, subject matter experts and thought leaders. In addition, the association puts together brown-bag ses- sions on a variety of topics including career advancement, EERs, bidding, managing up and leadership. Unfortunately, there is a growing trend of Pickering and Rangel fellows leaving the Foreign Service after serving for only one or two years. This is something PRFA and the Bureau of Human Resources are examining, aim- ing to determine the cause and what, if anything, can be done to ameliorate it. Building on Our Progress Appearing in a 2014 PBS documentary titled “The Foreign Ser- vice: In Search of Diversity,” featured on the show To the Contrary , former Director General LindaThomas-Greenfield said this: “It is important for the world to see the face of America and it is impor- tant that they understand we are a diverse society and that diversity is our strength.”The Foreign Service has made real progress toward that goal, but muchmore needs to be done to achieve it. In terms of a way forward, the State Department needs to invest real thought and time into expanding retention efforts. Though overall attrition rates are low, if you look closely at “who” is leaving, it is largely women andminorities. Why? What is the department not doing to retain these individuals? Or, conversely, what are competing employers doing to attract them? A starting point for determining the most targeted and responsive retention programwould be to examine closely the exit interview information to determine if any trends emerge. The department should also focus on recruiting future FSOs at even younger ages and develop a mechanism to increase awareness of the international affairs arena—specifically Foreign Service careers as an option—for groups that historically have not gotten this expo- sure or the knowledge that this career path exists for them. State should consider utilizing nontraditional outreach that emphasizes direct engagement. n For more information on the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, please visit: www.woodrow.org/fellowships/pickering. For more information on the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program, please visit: www.rangelprogram.org . For those interested in Foreign Service careers in the State Department or those who simply want to understand more about diversity and recruitment initiatives, please visit the U.S. Department of State site: www.careers.state.gov , for a wealth of information on the programs highlighted above and much more.