The Foreign Service Journal, September 2017

36 SEPTEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL qualified individuals, and that there were incentives and support mechanisms in place to assist those volunteering (and their fami- lies) for these dangerous and high-stress embassies. I was very proud of the Foreign Service for stepping up. We did not have to make any directed assignments. HR also continued its efforts to adopt new approaches to assignments, career counseling, organization of the HR function within the department and use of information technology. Not everything worked the first time—I haven’t forgotten the debacle with the initial rollout of the electronic EER, and the need to rede- sign and rethink our approach. FSJ: What impact do you think the current hiring freeze will have on the Foreign Service? NJP: I think the current approach, especially with regard to entry classes and to eligible family member hiring, is extraordi- narily counterproductive and betrays a lack of understanding of how the department works. I am delighted with the decision to go ahead with two A-100 classes, which will include the eligible Rangel and Pickering Fellows, and hope that it signals a willing- ness to reconsider the ban on hiring within the department and the EFM decision. The Foreign Service depends on a steady inflow/outflow, and disruptions in that flow result in problems that persist for a generation. I am offended by the notion that the EFM program is somehow an “FSO welfare” benefit. It ignores the important contribu- tions family members make to missions around the world. Creation and staffing of the positions are governed by a strict set of regulations in order to justify the positions and ensure that all eligible EFMs can compete. The program saves the depart- ment money by hiring people whose transporta- tion and housing have already been paid, and whose skills greatly enhance our performance overseas. FSJ: When did you join AFSA? How was your relationship with AFSA when you were on the man- agement side of the table? NJP: I think I joined AFSA on the first day of A-100. There is a certain amount of tension built into the relationship when you are the DG, given the different perspectives, especially involving dis- cipline cases. But I think there was mutual respect and a common desire to do what was best for the country and for Foreign Service employees. Then-AFSA President Susan Johnson and I met frequently. Diversity and Mentoring FSJ: When you joined the Foreign Service 40 years ago, it was far less diverse than it is today. Did you ever feel you were treated differently as a woman hailing from the Midwest who had not attended an Ivy League school? If so, how did you handle that? NJP: The senior officer who welcomed my A-100 class to the State Department told a sexist joke as part of his greeting. The five women in the class used a bathroom break to wonder aloud about what we had gotten ourselves into. It was a pattern that helped to deal with other incidents—there was always a sisterhood that could be relied on to discuss, counsel and act, and often we had support frommen who did not share the old culture. There were a few of my early colleagues who were convinced that the arrival of women (including one from Iowa who hadn’t been to one of the Seven Sisters and who didn’t drink) meant the Foreign Service was going to hell in a handbasket, and some later on who felt threatened and disadvantaged as women assumed leadership positions. While I did more than my fair share of pouring coffee and taking notes, I also had the sup- U.S.AIRFORCE/CAPT.BENSAKRISSON Ambassador Nancy J. Powell (center) opens the U.S. Pavilion at Aero Indian 2013, an international air show at Air Force Station Yalahanka in Bangalore, India. Preparing to cut the ceremonial ribbon with her on Feb. 6 were (front from left) Vice Adm. William E. Landay, III, Defense Security Cooperation Agency director; Heidi H. Grant, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs; Lt. Gen. Stanley T. Kresge, Pacific Air Forces vice commander; and aviation industry partners.