The Foreign Service Journal, September 2016

34 SEPTEMBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL RAD: The Rangel Fellowship programwas established in 2002, and it is having an impact on the Foreign Service. The program has selected 243 fellows; and, as of September 2016, there will be 170 in the Foreign Service and 60 in graduate school. While this is an admirable start, there is still quite a bit of work to do. Once these fellows are in the Service every effort must be made to retain their talents. Hence, the department must focus on career develop- ment, including training, promotion opportunities, good assign- ments and employee incentives. Retirement and Reflection FSJ: Can you give us some highlights of the work you’ve done since retiring from the Foreign Service in 2009? RAD: I don’t often share this, but I’m going to say it here, hop- ing that it might inspire others. Here goes: In 1999, I was diag- nosed with multiple myeloma and told I had a maximum of three years to live. However, thanks to breakthrough clinical treatments, two bone marrow transplants and continued excellent medical care here at the Washington Hospital Center and at the Myeloma Institute of the University of Arkansas, I am surviving multiple myeloma plus a number of other health issues and have been determined not to let them deter me frommaking a difference in this world. I am busily involved in building a global network of success- ful international businesswomen as chair and founding member of the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foun- dation, which will celebrate its tenth year of growth and success in 2017. My other activities include chairing the International Mission of Mercy, USA, which provided aid for orphans following Nepal’s April 2015 devastating earthquake and, more recently, sent medical supplies to Ecuador following the April 2016 earth- quake. I also chair the annual Selection Panel for the Charles B. Rangel Fellowship program, which has assisted the department’s diversity efforts since 2002. As vice chair of the Association of Black American Ambassa- dors, I mentor aspiring and professional Foreign and Civil Service personnel and lobby the State Department on diversity issues. As a member of the Defense Language Institute Board of Visi- tors of Monterey, California, I contribute to the enhancement of language training for members of the U.S. Armed Services. And as senior adviser for the International Career Advancement Program, I provide leadership training to mid-level, underrepresented pro- fessionals in international affairs. Finally, I serve on several boards of directors, including the Senior Seminar Alumni Association, American Academy of Diplo- macy and the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, where I am also vice president. FSJ: What do you see as the essential ingredients for a successful diplomat? RAD: A successful diplomat must have a combination of strong professional and interpersonal skills. I place leadership and management at the top of the diplomatic skills pyramid. Today’s diplomat must be prepared to practice not just diplomacy, but mega-diplomacy. To do so requires a broad knowledge of the world and current issues viewed through a historical lens; vision; good negotiating, verbal and written communications skills; and adept use of information technology. On the interpersonal front it requires the ability to navigate, understand and interpret foreign cultures—language ability being extremely important. Also needed is the ability to work effectively with and inspire both American personnel and FSNs to give their best in accomplishing U.S. goals and objectives. Successful diplomats must have integ- rity, courage and self-confidence, preferably laced with humility. FSJ: Who were some of the people you especially admired or were inspired by during your Foreign Service career? RAD: There have been many people I have admired and sought to emulate during my Foreign Service career. In fact, it is the quality of the people I had occasion to observe and work and interact with that proved to be the most stimulating aspect of my Foreign Service experience. I would, however, cite three mentors who stand out because they embody the essential ingredients of a successful diplomat. I will always be indebted to the late Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Mary A. Ryan, who shared her advice, her counsel and her insights more generously than any other person I know. As a consular officer, she cared about the security and wel- fare of Americans living, traveling and studying abroad. She also cared about sharing America’s message and America’s freedoms, “ Successful diplomats must have integrity, courage and self-confidence, preferably laced with humility. ”