The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2015 17 If you go to a country for a week, you can write a book. If you go for a month, you can write an article, and if you go for three months, you can’t write anything. —Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel, in his keynote address to the CPD Forum: Global Leadership in Public Diplomacy, Oct. 15, at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. Contemporary Quote Still Not QuiteThere O n Oct. 21, Executive Women @ State, the Office of Civil Rights and the Sec- retary of State held an open forum titled “Seeking Diversity in the Senior Ranks” at the State Department. Participants included Secretary John Kerry, Assistant Secretary Roberta Jacobson, Director Gen- eral of the Foreign Service Arnold Chacón and Executive Women @ State representa- tive Susan Stevenson. Speaking to a packed house in the Marshall Auditorium, Sec. Kerry focused on gender bias, acknowledging that we have come a long way in terms of diversity in the department, but that there is still work to be done. Women are not advanc- ing as rapidly as men, and the Bureau of Human Resources will continue to focus on increasing both recruitment and reten- tion of women. Kerry reported that today 40 percent of all assistant secretaries and 30 percent of ambassadors are female, whereas just 20 years ago, only 1 in 10 ambassadors was a woman. He did not, however, note that most of today’s female assistant secretaries and ambassadors are political appointees. Progress has beenmade, but it’s time to take a harder look at how unconscious bias affects both sexes in the workplace, Kerry said, adding that the department will be conducting more thorough exit interviews and focusing on work-life balance to create an empowered culture where both sexes can raise children and work simultane- ously. He also stressedmentoring as a key in encouraging women to take on leader- ship roles at State, saying everyone should both have and be a mentor. Kerry called America’s diversity a strength: “It defines our country. When we empower women in diplomacy, diplo- macy succeeds in empowering everyone. There is something for everyone to do.” He invited employees to give constant feed- back on hiring and promotion processes. The goal is to reach a point where promot- ing women in foreign policy is completely unremarkable, and no longer something that needs to be celebrated. Director General Arnold Chacón then answered questions posed by Execu- tive Women @ State’s Susan Stevenson and members of the audience. Topics included increasing telework opportuni- ties overseas, combating implicit bias, removing names on EERs (which the department is looking into), spousal employment and how it affects women, and increased transparency in the Foreign Service assignment process, particularly for tandem couples. Chacón encouraged employees to join State’s many affinity groups and, espe- cially, to mentor within them. He also stated that the department has approved a Cox Foundation proposal to investigate gaps in mentoring opportunities at State. —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Assistant