The Foreign Service Journal, June 2022

34 JUNE 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Education and Awareness Raising 1. Strengthen internal and external awareness of the Payne Fellowship, including program eligibility and structure, key stakeholder groups, and importance to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility at USAID. Career Development of Payne Fellows and Alumni 2. Mentor, coach and sponsor Payne Fellows and alumni; and amplify annual calls for summer place- ments and mentors for Payne Fellows. 3. Institutionalize the encouragement of overseas missions and supervisors to support the career development of Payne alumni by assigning them meaningful work and nominating them for leadership opportunities. 4. Equip backstop coordinators, assignments and career counselors, and USAID/W supervisors to effectively advise and support alumni as they transi- tion to USAID and start their Foreign Service careers. Resource Allocation 5. Increase USAID staffing and/or level of engagement exclusively dedicated to the fellowship. 6 . Allocate greater funding, both to increase annual Payne cohort size and to standardize baseline grade/ step for equity. Legislative and Policy Priorities 7 . Foster greater Legislative and Public Affairs Bureau engagement in publicizing the Payne Fellowship, Hill engagement and facilitating Payne Fellows’ summer placements. 8. Reinstate internal USAID policy that allowed the agency to limit competition for the Payne Fellowship implementing partner to minority-serving institu- tions. This policy was eliminated in 2019 and made specific to only small/disadvantaged businesses. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning 9. Ensure coordination among agency counterparts to regularly assess Payne Fellowship progress; and to identify and course-correct barriers to effective recruitment, retention and career advancement of Payne Fellows and alumni. Strengthening Feedback Loops 10. Normalize communication between the USAID leadership and key USAID stakeholders (including fellowship alumni) to ensure mutual awareness of program-related accomplishments, challenges and support opportunities. These recommendations feed into broader diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts at USAID, includ- ing workforce planning, recruitment and retention across demographic categories. PFN continues to work with the agency’s front office and other institutional actors to advance these recommendations, organizing focused discussions on specific recommendations and identifying stakeholders to take institutional ownership of specific activities under each recommendation. Ten Recommendations from the Payne Fellowship Network I n June 2021, the Payne Fellowship Network and the International Career Advancement Program Advisory Board jointly delivered a presentation to the USAID Executive Diversity Council on the Payne Fellowship’s history and importance, as well as a set of recommendations for how senior leadership can better support the Payne Fellowship and its participants. The Executive Diversity Council is made up of USAID senior leadership and provides agencywide guidance for DEIA initiatives and investments and champions workforce diversity and inclusion as core values at USAID. The 10 recommendations are outlined here.