The Foreign Service Journal, June 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2022 33 Enter the Payne Fellowship Network Two years ago, a small group of Payne alumni began discuss- ing the need to increase the profile of the fellowship, problems with onboarding Payne Fellows to USAID’s Foreign Service, and obstacles to career development and advancement of Payne alumni at the agency. The challenges include a stigma associated with joining USAID through the fellowship program (based on the mistaken assumption that it is an “affirmative action” program rather than a highly competitive, merit-based program). Chal- lenges also include data gaps in longer-term tracking of Payne cohorts once they enter USAID as FSOs. Some challenges also extend to other members of the Foreign Service of diverse backgrounds at USAID; for example, Hispanic/ Latino and Asian employees and FS members with disabilities resign at a higher rate compared to their permanent workforce per- centage. And these groups plus Black employees are also under- represented in the senior grade levels of the agency. Payne Fellows and Payne alumni, however, often face unique structural con- straints. These issues jeopardize USAID’s ability to sustain diversity at all ranks, which has been acknowledged as an agency priority. Determined to address this, the group organized USAID’s broader community of Payne alumni into a bloc and recruited “executive champions” in Washington and at overseas field mis- sions. Executive champions are members of the Senior Foreign Service who serve as leadership liaisons and provide guidance to the group; the backing of at least one is required to establish a new employee resource group (ERG) at USAID. Payne alumni then worked with USAID’s Office of Civil Rights and Diversity to consolidate their individual networks into the “Payne Fellowship Network,” an officially recognized ERG. The network contains more than 150 members at all levels of the agency, including its current executive champions: Senior FSO and USUN Geneva Senior Development Adviser Sheri-Nouane Duncan-Jones and USAID Bureau for Global Health Deputy Assistant Administrator Melissa Jones. The Payne Fellowship Network’s objectives are to build greater awareness of and support for the fellowship at USAID; to support the recruitment, onboarding and retention of Payne Fellowship alumni; to provide fellows and alumni the means to better support one another; and to leverage the existing network of mentors, champions and resources within the agency to ensure the pro- gram’s continued success. The network maximizes its impact by strategically engaging allies and champions of the fellowship and forging partnerships that enable it to access resources and advance priorities. One such partnership is with USAID’s rich employee community through the Employee Resource Group Leadership Council. As USAID reinvigorated DEIA efforts under the Biden-Harris administra- tion, the network partnered with other employee groups to elevate Payne alumni concerns and recommendations to incoming Administrator Samantha Power through her 200-day Action Plan on DEIA. Administrator Power selected Payne Fellow Katryna Mahoney to serve as the moderator for her presentation on “A New Vision for Global Development,” where she first announced the agency’s priorities. The network also helped amplify calls to action for USAID leadership on DEIA issues including gender and racial equal- ity, as well as issues affecting young professionals. Administrator Power approved USAID’s DEIA Strategic Plan on her first day in office. The plan “commits USAID to improving and enhancing diversity throughout the agency, enhancing inclusion and equity for everyone in the workplace, and strengthening accountability for promoting and sustaining a diverse workforce and an inclusive agency culture.”The network directly contributes to the strategic plan’s goal by addressing systemic issues that inhibit the success of the Payne Fellowship program’s participants in addition to DEIA efforts more broadly. Strategic Partnerships In addition, the Payne Fellowship Network (PFN) works closely with mid- and senior-level alumni of the International Career Advancement Program, a professional development and leader- ship program for mid-career professionals in international affairs, at USAID. The ICAP Payne Advisory Group formed in 2019 around the view that the Payne Fellowship Programwould benefit from additional, concerted support focused on both recruitment and retention. ICAP Advisory Group members and PFN board mem- bers regularly coordinate advocacy efforts with USAID’s Office of Human Capital and Talent Management, as well as with the USAID front office and Howard University (the fellowship’s cur- rent implementing partner). Together, the PFN and ICAP Advisory Group have cemented connections to the agency’s broader DEIA efforts, recruited a record number of FSOmentors for current Payne Fellows, and hosted a series of professional development seminars for Payne Fellows and alumni. The Payne Fellowship Network alsomeets regularly with lead- ership of USAID’s human resources division (through the HCTM Foreign Service Center) to develop solutions for concerns raised by Payne alumni. As Aaron Scherf, 2017 Payne alum and network member, notes: “The PFN [Payne Fellowship Network] lever- ages its connections and our alumni experiences to advocate for policies and programs that advance the retention of diverse FSOs