The Foreign Service Journal, September 2020

30 SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Creating aCultureof Inclusion at State To establish diversity at State, it is essential to make inclusion count—in every promotion, job prospect and assignment. BY G I NA ABERCROMB I E-WI NSTANL EY Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley retired in 2018 following 32 years in the Foreign Service. Throughout her career, she has been a steadfast proponent of achieving excellence through diver- sity in organizations and breaking down barriers for women and minorities. She focused on counterterrorism and cybersecurity while serving as deputy coordinator for counterterror- ism (2008-2012) and as a political adviser to U.S. Cyber Command in 2016. She was the first woman to lead a diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia as consul general in Jeddah (2002-2005), where she actively supported gender equality. She was the longest-serving U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Malta (2012-2016) and also served in the White House (1998-2000), the Department of Defense (2001- 2002) and on Capitol Hill (1997). The author based this article on her June 17 testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. FOCUS ON ADDRESSING RACE, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION I t is imperative to develop a truly diverse workforce so that the Department of State will be able to devise and carry out the most effective foreign policies for our nation. That’s why we joined the Foreign Service. That’s why we competed for the Civil Service. But if we’re honest, we know the department has lost too many of us because of bias, quiet discrimination and indifference. At the Beginning The January Government Accountability Office report on diversity failures at State doesn’t try to explain causality, but the numbers speak for themselves. Our problems begin at the begin- ning, with recruitment. Our rigorous testing process brings in smart, educated and intelligent FSOs, but it has also welcomed racists, sexists and those indifferent to both. And this moment in America has shown us just how dangerous a culture of indiffer- ence can be. A solid start to changing that culture is to require the Board of Examiners, the gatekeepers, to be significantly diverse. A friend of mine was recently pulled from being an assessor to take a more prestigious job, which left the assessment teamwith no African Americans. That lack of diversity among gatekeepers can have a huge impact on whether a minority candidate is judged ready to represent America. Success could rest on whether a candidate was asked to speak about Kurt Vonnegut or Ibram X. Kendi. Once you’re in, the skills the State Department values are clear. We are judged on our success in leadership, management and substantive knowledge. Rated highly on these in the Foreign