Public Diplomacy 2.0: A Conversation with Ambassadorial Spouses
On Wednesday, October 29, 2014, the Council on Women’s Leadership at Meridian International Center hosted a panel discussion Public Diplomacy 2.0: A Conversation with Ambassadorial Spouses to address the vital role of ambassadorial spouses in advancing U.S. interests abroad. Ambassador Stuart Holliday, President & CEO of Meridian International Center welcomed the audience and Michele Manatt, Chair, Council on Women’s Leadership and former Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemispheric Affairs moderated the discussion.
The well-attended gathering featured stimulating discussion on the opportunities and challenges faced by ambassadorial spouses with featured speakers Janet Blanchard, Elizabeth Berry Gips, Donna Eacho, Suzanne Nicholson and Thomas J. Schneider, who each shared their personal experiences and insights from postings in Canada, South Africa, Austria, the Vatican, and the Netherlands, respectively.
Natalie Jones, Deputy Chief of Protocol of the State Department framed the panel discussion by highlighting the critical representational role that ambassadorial spouses play in achieving public diplomacy efforts abroad. She offered a statistical snapshot: of 130 chiefs of mission currently serving, 110 have spouses at post. Describing their role she stated “while there is no official job description, spouses serve as representatives of the United States, and engaged spouses have enormous opportunities to make an impact in the host country”. In reflecting how the role of diplomatic spouses has evolved over the years, she underscored the significant strides the State Department has made in recognizing the official and unofficial obstacles faced by diplomatic spouses and in providing assistance and resources to support them before and during their service.
Among the panelists there was a general consensus that serving as an ambassadorial spouse was a great patriotic honor and privilege. While fully embracing the experience at large, they were each faced with a variety of challenges including: ambiguity of the spouse's role; balance of career and official responsibilities; limitations on engaging in certain activities in the host country set by the ethics office of the State Department.; family dynamics; security concerns; and demands on time.
Panelists also reflected on the often misunderstood role of the spouses and acknowledged the importance of not only managing the ambassador’s residence and attending functions and entertaining, which in practice are both forms of public diplomacy as they are high profile representatives of the U.S. government. In relating their own experience, panelists revealed how they were able to identify and carve out a unique role for themselves, from hosting high-level delegations to actively promoting and organizing symposiums and conferences hosted by the mission, to taking up Eligible Family Member (EFM) position (US Government personnel jargon) to advance international development work.
Following their presentations, Ms. Manatt opened it up to the audience for discussion and Q and A, encouraging other diplomatic spouses present to add their insights and perspectives. Shamim Jawad, wife of the former Afghani Ambassador to the United States, shared insights on how she has become actively involved in a host country on issues relevant to her home country, such as combating human trafficking in Afghanistan. According to her “there is constant demand on the ambassadorial spouses to be involved and engaged in issues affecting the country you represent”. Queenie Thompson, wife of the Fijian Ambassador to the United States, also shared her experience, commenting that her time spent in DC has been enriching through friendships, and that as a result of these relationships, her role in Washington evolved and was shaped accordingly. The other points raised during the Q&A focused on security precautions necessary for diplomatic spouses and children, the challenges of serving in a country which is geographically dispersed (like South Africa where the executive power, legislative branch, and business/financial capitals are in three different cities, and the challenge of overseeing multiple residences.
The panel discussion was followed by a reception, during which guests further interacted with the speakers and discussed the program topic with each other.
Project summary
| Public Diplomacy 2.0: A Conversation with Ambassadorial Spouses | October 2014 | |
|---|---|
| Impact Areas: | Public Diplomacy |
| Program Areas: | Diplomatic Engagement |
| Partners: | Diplomatic Corps |
