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Women’s History Month: Engaging Women Worldwide Through Trade

 

As we reach the end of Women’s History Month 2023, I thought this would be a good time to reflect on my career journey and appreciate the women who have inspired and uplifted me over the past 30 years at the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA). I have been so fortunate to work with amazing women leaders and entrepreneurs across the nation and world – particularly in the Middle East and Africa (MEA), a region for which I currently serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary.

I am a native Washingtonian, who went to school with children from other countries and cultures, who spoke other languages. This early exposure sparked my interest and curiosity in international relations and diplomacy. I attended Brown University and the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies, where I narrowed my interest to international trade – understanding that prosperity and peace go hand in hand. In 1993, I began my career in government with the International Trade Administration (ITA) in Washington, DC as a Presidential Management Fellow. I was attracted to Commerce and to ITA because I understood that business is where the rubber meets the road. In 1998, I became an accredited diplomat with the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, and to this day I am still a Foreign Service Officer.  I have had the privilege to represent the United States Government in many countries around the world. In every post, I’ve had the opportunity to support and advocate for U.S. companies as they expand their businesses into foreign markets.

It has been my distinct pleasure and honor to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa over the last two and half years. I really love my job! I lead a team that supports U.S. companies in their efforts to enter, operate, and expand in these markets. This support ranges from engaging foreign governments to deploying a range of products and services available to companies as they consider their market entry and/or expansion strategies.

I got to where I am today because of the support and mentorship of many women colleagues and male allies. For me, the Department of Commerce has been a rich source of inspiring women colleagues and mentors—a true sisterhood of commercial diplomats. The following women have been especially impactful to my career as a Foreign Commercial Service Officer, including Maggie Hanson-Muse, Dorothy Lutter, and Sarah Kemp (who all retired from the service), as well as former Commerce leaders Lauri J. Fitz-Pegado, Marjory Searing, Anna Guevara, and Anne Alonzo. And of course, Secretary Raimundo inspires me and other women leaders across the Commerce Department to work and serve in excellence every day. I would encourage anyone in any field to be proactive in reaching out for help. I have benefitted from the support of both coaches and mentors and have served in both capacities over the course of my career. There is nothing like giving back to pay forward the time, energy, and kindness that others have invested in me.

Based on my experience serving in MEA—which is home to some of the world’s fastest growing and developing markets, I have seen how trade can help economies grow and businesses recover faster after an economic downturn. During the Covid 19 pandemic—I identified an unmet need: reaching out to women in business in the U.S., who were often hardest hit economically and socially during this time, to get into the trade game or up their game in trade by connecting with other women in business facing and overcoming similar challenges in the MEA region. For this reason, I created what turned out to be a groundbreaking initiative known as “Women Empowered Leave Legacies Through Trade and Investment” or WELLTI in January 2021. Timing was key, as many women were struggling with isolation and still trying to make ends meet. Because travel wasn’t an option, my team and I hosted virtual gatherings designed to provide practical solutions to businesswomen by featuring other businesswomen throughout the MEA region who had successfully navigated the challenges and were willing to share their inspiring stories and best practices. Secretary Raimondo hosted one of the virtual events and joined us at the first-ever WELLTI Summit in Dubai.

While we all have our own stories of how we were adversely impacted by the challenges of the global pandemic, the truth is that women universally face financial challenges every day. The UN estimated that women perform 75 percent of the world's unpaid work, 60 percent more household work, and unpaid care for children and for elderly relatives.

I read a McKinsey statistic that captured my attention: “[g]lobal economic growth could get a $28 trillion boost annually if women were educated at the same levels as men and hold the same number of jobs.” We all prosper from the ingenuity, creativity and management that emerges from women. That is too much to leave on the table.

I have been blessed in many ways that prepared me for and support the roles I currently have. My work focus allows me to fully embrace helping women gain access to key elements to expand in business and support their lives successfully. I work to get more women ready to engage, and to have a truly transformative impact!