The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2022 31 FSJ: What is your advice to current members of the Foreign Service who may be considering leaving the Service? AWP: It depends on why they are leaving. Some leave because the financial rewards are too good to pass up. If an officer is dissatisfied with promotions or assignments, I would usually advise them to stick it out for a while. Careers often go through slow patches. FSJ: Do you recommend a career in the Foreign Service to young people today? Why or why not? AWP: I often speak to female students. I urge them to join the Foreign Service. There is no greater honor than represent- ing the United States, which despite all our problems remains the gold standard for the rest of the world. The work is endlessly interesting. But the Foreign Service is not for everyone. It is hard on family, and we have never really resolved the issue of spousal employment. We have also never really resolved how to balance out the workload. Yes, you can take a two- or three-year job with shorter hours; but to really advance, you have to be prepared to put in a lot of hours. For instance, if you are currently working on Ukraine, you need to be available seven days a week. The system is just not flexible enough to deal with crises, so we work our people really hard. FSJ: Are you optimistic about the future of professional diplomacy? AWP: Yes, because I am fundamentally optimistic about the future of our country. But our international position has shifted, and our Service must evolve with it. Fortunately, a lot of analysis has been done on readying the Foreign Service for these new challenges, but it needs to be implemented. n The Patterson family gathers in the U.S. during Anne Patterson’s tour as U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, 2008. From left: Anne Patterson, husband David Patterson, son Edward Patterson, stepdaughter Jessica Patterson Long (currently chargé in Namibia), and son Andrew Patterson. In back, stepdaughter Rachel Patterson. COURTESYOFANNEPATTERSON