Diplomat in Residence – Central
(IA, KS, MO, NE, ND, SD)
Tours: Lusaka, Zambia (Deputy Public Affairs Officer); Riga, Latvia (Consular and Political-Economic Officer rotation); Bureau of Consular Affairs (Global New Media Advisor); Accra, Ghana (Information Officer); Vilnius, Lithuania (Public Affairs Officer)
Career Track: Public Diplomacy
Years of Service: 16
Prior Experience: I’ve worked in the front office for two Minor League Baseball teams, as a meeting services manager at a hotel, and as a marketing manager for a national accounting/consulting firm.
Languages: Latvian, Lithuanian and French
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in theatre/speech and communications from Northwestern College of Iowa
Interesting Experience: When I was studying Latvian at the Foreign Service Institute, we would frequently watch Latvian news and TV shows and — most importantly — we would sing pop songs at the end of each day. One day the deputy chief of mission mused, “When we get to Riga, we should throw a party and invite all these people who ‘helped’ us learn Latvian.” That’s exactly what we did, although we weren’t sure if anyone would show up. To our delight, actors, newscasters and singers all came to hear the American diplomats speak in their beloved Latvian language. A music producer who had helped us invite many of the singers told us that she was also the producer of the Latvian equivalent of the Grammys, and she would love it if we would give the award for Best Song at the ceremony the next month. I penned a song-and-dance shtick that incorporated songs my colleagues and I had learned in class, and we performed it on live national television from the stage of the Latvian National Opera. The response was phenomenal. To be clear, we were not good. We overlooked the fact that none of us could sing. But we touched hearts in a way that earned us a tremendous amount of good will as we went on to pursue our policy goals. I am a firm believer in the importance of reaching people in their own language. Two years later, near the end of my tour, Latvians would still come up to me and say they remembered seeing us on stage. My favorite? The woman who exclaimed, “I remember you! That was so nice. Such bad singing, but such good feeling.”
Last Post: Public Affairs Officer, Vilnius, Lithuania
Why I Chose a Foreign Service Career: As the daughter of a postmaster, I grew up seeing how proud my dad was of the service he provided to his fellow citizens. My parents were adamant about voting and being involved in the community, and while we didn’t travel internationally, they nurtured a desire to experience new places through numerous road trips across the United States. I had a vague sense that we had embassies overseas; when I studied abroad in college, I had seen the U.S. ambassador at an event once. But I had no idea who worked in embassies or what they did. Then one day I read an interview with Secretary of State Colin Powell and I learned there was a place for someone like me in the Foreign Service — a career that would combine service to country with travel and my love of words, writing and speaking. I enjoy analyzing local audiences, culture and history and working out how to reach them, what will resonate with them. When I’m describing my job, I tell people that the ultimate goal, of course, would be that I explain U.S. policy and they all say, “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. I totally agree.” But since that’s not realistic, what I want is for them to understand us. They still may not agree, but if they understand us, we can have a conversation, we can build trust and start forming relationships.