The Foreign Service Journal, October 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2020 35 Valerie Brown is co-chair of the Civil Rights EEO Com- mittee for the Foreign Agricultural Service. Currently serving in Washington, D.C., as the senior director of Asia operations at USDA, she is looking forward to her upcoming assignment as the head of USDA’s office in Dubai. During graduate studies in agricultural economics, she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Sri Lanka. She joined FAS in 1995 as a civil servant, and entered the For- eign Service in 2001. She has served in London, Mexico City, Taipei and, most recently, Shanghai. She recently co-founded “Real Women Wine,” a group focused on women empowerment and wine educa- tion, and also mentors young people and women. “D iversity” is one of those words next to a box to be checked and a word that is included in the conversation because it is the right thing to do. But it is when that word is applied that it has power. When it is absorbed, it has meaning. When it is followed through FOCUS ON ADVANCING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION on, the word “diversification”—the process of becoming diversi- fied, of adding variety—has impact and sustainability. It instills trust. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service understands the importance of applying, absorbing and following through on diversification. At the helm of change is the Office of Civil Rights Director Adriano Vasquez. He arrived at USDA five years ago, ready to take on the task of advocacy, and decided to combine the efforts of the USDA’s numerous affinity groups by creating the Civil Rights EEO Committee. This committee is charged with looking at the entire landscape and creating a more engaging, encompassing and empowering environment for all, not just for some. I am personally compelled to be a part of the diversifica- tion story for USDA’s Foreign Service. As a single mother, I have raised three boys and two girls: one of my children is biracial, two are African American and my two adopted children are Mex- ican. They grew up on three different continents, so the experi- ences and lessons I learned in the area of diversity are endless. I learned from raising my children in this dynamic world that how we approach diversity is key to how successful we are as a Launched five years ago, USDA’s Office of Civil Rights is working alongside the FAS to create a more engaging and empowering environment. BY VAL ER I E BROWN Diversification in the Foreign Agricultural Service