The Foreign Service Journal, September 2016

24 SEPTEMBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A mbassador Ruth A. Davis received the American Foreign Service Asso- ciation’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award in recognition of her distinguished Foreign Service career and lifelong devotion to diplomacy at a June 23 ceremony in the State Department’s Benjamin Franklin Room (for her speech and coverage of the ceremony, see AFSA News). Born in 1943, Amb. Davis received a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Social Work in 1968. She joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1969. A trailblazer throughout her 40-year career, Amb. Davis was the first female senior watch officer (SWO) in the Operations Center (1982-1984), the first African-American director of the Foreign Service Institute (1997-2001) and the first African-Amer- ican female Director General of the Foreign Service (2001-2003). She was also the first and only African-American woman to be named Career Ambassador , the longest-serving officer at that level and, upon retirement, the highest-ranking Foreign Service officer. She is also the first African American to be awarded AFSA’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. Amb. Davis’ early overseas postings were as a consular officer in Kinshasa, Nairobi, Tokyo and Naples. She went on to hold many senior positions besides those in which she was the “first.” She served as consul general in Barcelona (1987-1991), ambassa- dor to Benin (1992-1995), principal deputy assistant secretary for consular affairs (1995-1997), distinguished adviser to the Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University (2003- 2005) and senior adviser in the Bureau of African Affairs (2005- 2009). Amb. Davis retired from the Foreign Service in 2009. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the State Department’s Superior Honor Award (1999), and its Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award for mentoring other, especially junior, officers (1999). She also received two Presidential Distinguished Service Awards (1999 and 2002), the Secretary of State’s Distin- guished Award (2003), the State Department’s Equal Employ- ment Opportunity Award (2005), the Director General’s Foreign Service Cup and honorary doctorates fromMiddlebury and Spelman Colleges. A lover of opera, Amb. Davis has remained engaged and active in retirement. She holds leadership positions in and works with a variety of organizations to promote women’s economic empowerment, recruitment and retention of minority members of the Foreign Service, and the expansion of career-long training in the Foreign Service. Foreign Service Journal Editor Shawn Dorman interviewed Amb. Davis on June 9. E Foreign Service Journal: Congratulations! I can’t think of a more deserving person for the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. Ruth A. Davis: Thank you. FSJ: You grew up in the South during the last years of legal segregation. What impact did this have on you and your decision to go into public service? A FOREIGN SERVICE TRAILBLAZER The recipient of AFSA’s 2016 Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award talks about her Foreign Service career and her pioneering work to advance diversity and promote professional excellence at the State Department. SPOTLIGHT ON AFSA AWARDS