The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2017

46 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL where you are the only woman, or women are a minority in the room? How did you make space for your voice to be heard as you were rising in your profession, and how can we broaden that space for others? Amb. Jennifer Zimdahl Galt: Throughout my career, I have been the only woman or one of the only women in the room at virtually every meeting. Some of this may have to do with the fact that I’ve served much of my career in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, where societies continue to be male- dominated. But the same has been true of country teams at posts where I’ve served. The largest number of women I’ve ever had on a country team was three out of 12. I’ve never served with a female principal officer or ambassador. I think the most important thing is to be prepared, so you can speak authoritatively and there is no question that you are on top of your brief. It’s also important to dress professionally, which in my book means wearing a suit at all times. Half of speaking or presenting in a meeting or at country team is listening—being sure to listen carefully to what others have to say so that you’re not repeating, but rather amplifying and adding value with your remarks. Amb. Laura Dogu: I am frequently the only woman in meetings outside the office with the host country, and when I have control over the guest list, I insist that we include at least 30 percent women, if not more. When dealing with the press, I always make sure to respond to questions from women, despite male reporters often speaking over the top of them. In our internal meetings, it is less frequent that I am the only woman in the room unless I am dealing with law enforcement. At my last large post, I was the only woman among about 20 men in most meetings. I found I had to be forceful when speaking up, but after the first few times, people treated me like everyone else. Amb. Gina Abercrombie- Winstanley: In most meetings over the years, I was the only minority at the table and that continues to be the case. I am often one of only two or three women. After 30 years, it is still not easy. I have to fight my own insecurity, as well as any unspoken, even unconscious, bias against the value of my con- tributions. The recognition of my performance and potential that Ambassador Amy Hyatt Amy Hyatt is U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Palau. She is a career Foreign Service officer of 31 years, who previously served as deputy chief of mission in Hel- sinki, consul general in Melbourne, man- agement counselor in Cairo, and diplomat-in-residence at Arizona State University. Other postings include Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Prague, Norway and Washington, D.C. Prior to entering the Foreign Service, she was a litigation attorney in San Francisco. She has three children. Her mantra: Great leaders have a strong moral com- pass. They know how to do the right thing, even as others falter or succumb to temptation. Ambassador Laura Dogu Laura Dogu was confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua in August 2015. She is a consular-coned officer and career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor. From 2012 through 2015, she served as deputy chief of mission at U.S. Embassy Mexico City. Amb. Dogu has received both the department’s Award for Outstanding Deputy Chief of Mission and the Barbara M. Watson Award for Consular Excellence. She is married and has two sons, both in college. Congress, but when he con- tinued to call me I reported to the NSC’s executive secretary that it was happening, and told him that if I had to do violence to repel it, I would. I was let- ting him know beforehand, I said, because I did not expect to lose my job as a result. After a moment of shocked silence, he said “Thanks for letting me know.” And the member stopped calling me. LB: In an average month, how many meetings do you attend I think the most important thing is to be prepared, so you can speak authoritatively and there is no question that you are on top of your brief. — Amb. Jennifer Zimdahl Galt