The Foreign Service Journal, June 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2021 13 TALKING POINTS State Names First Chief Diversity Officer A cknowledging that the State Department has much work to do to develop a more diverse and inclusive workforce, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on April 12 that Ambassador (ret.) Gina Abercrombie- Winstanley will serve as the State Department’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer. “The truth is this problem is as old as the department itself. It’s systemic,” Secretary Blinken said. “It goes deeper than any one institution or any one administration, and it’s perpetuated by policies, practices and people to this day.” Amb. Abercrombie-Winstanley will report directly to the Secretary, who said she will “be entrusted with aligning and advancing diversity and inclusion efforts across the department. And she’ll do it transparently, in a way that holds all of us accountable—including senior T he United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Wendy Sherman as Deputy Secretary of State by a vote of 56-42 on April 13. And on April 21, the Senate confirmed Samantha Power as USAID Administrator by a vote of 68-26. President Joe Biden nominated the following people for more top State Department positions on April 15: Career FSOMarcia Stephens BloomBernicat, Director General of the Foreign Service and the chair of the Board of the Foreign Service. Political appointee Karen Erika Donfried, assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. Career FSO (ret.) Barbara A. Leaf, assistant secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Career FSOMary Catherine Phee, assistant secretary of State for African Affairs and member of the Board of Directors of the African Development Foundation. Career FSOMichele Jeanne Sison, assistant secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. Career FSO (ret.) Gentry O. Smith, assistant secretary of State for Diplomatic Security. Political appointee Anne A. Witkowsky, assistant secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and coordina- tor for Reconstruction and Stabilization. Career FSO Todd Robinson, assistant secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Political appointee Monica Medina, assistant secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. Career FSO Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Career FSO Rena Bitter, assistant secretary of State for Consular Affairs. On April 15 President Biden also nominated nine career members of the Senior Foreign Service to serve as ambassadors. leadership, including me—which hasn’t happened in the past.” Amb. Abercrombie-Winstanley, who joined the Foreign Service in 1985, served as ambassador to Malta from 2012 to 2016. Her article, “Creating a Culture of Inclusion at State,” appeared in the Sep- tember 2020 FSJ . She recently co-chaired the task force that produced the report “Transforming State,” released by the Truman Center in March. She is “a diplomat who knows there are times when you shouldn’t be diplo- matic,” Secretary Blinken said. “She won’t be afraid to tell me where we’re coming up short. And when she does, it’s on us to listen and act.” “I believe that we, the Department of State, should and can become in the field of inclusion a leader,” Amb. Abercrombie-Winstanley said on April 12. “Indeed, we have the talent to become the model for diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce.” “We are at a particular time in America, and the world is watching us,” she added. “As the Secretary said, we all share in the responsibility to ensure that each of us feels that we are not only having the opportunity to excel, but we are expected to reach our full potential.” Nominations and Appointments Ambassador (ret.) Gina Abercrombie- Winstanley delivers remarks at the State Department on April 12. U.S.DEPARTMENTOFSTATE