Leading by experience

Q Working in an Indian environment, how has the experience been?
My husband and I travelled here 20 years ago and have always dreamt of coming back. Living and working here has exceeded expectations — I am continually impressed by how kind people are in Chennai and how much Indians value education and professional success.

Q As a mother of two, how do you juggle work and family? Advice to your children in a scenario rife with racist overtones?
I prioritise family. I love my career and I work hard to be successful but I have never lost sight of what is most important — my family. Our children have grown up in six different countries. They have always been outsiders – they look different, speak a different language, have a different culture than almost everyone else they know. This has allowed them to grow up understanding that skin colour, religion, culture, language do not make people different or unequal. They realise that racism exists but they are part of the generation that doesn’t see race. They will be part of the generation that changes the world in this regard.

Q What would you say to young girls aspiring to be leaders?
My advice is exactly what I tell my own daughter: Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. You are strong, worthy, smart, creative, and powerful. Keep fighting until you crash through all the glass ceilings. The only person who can stop you from achieving your dreams is you.

Q The biggest learning?                   
I have lived in 12 countries (and the US) and travelled to many. What I am continually struck by is how much people are the same everywhere. We all want the same things — health, happiness, safety, and success for those we love. We want peace, stability, and prosperity for our homeland. Adjusting to new cultures is exciting and challenging, as long as you respect differences and search for similarities between people and cultures, fitting in becomes easy.

Q As Deputy Chief of Mission in Mbabane, Swaziland and Cotonou, Benin, your memories?
In Swaziland, the US government was engaged in helping the Swazi Government fight HIV/AIDS; in Benin, the government was working to combat malaria. We had many programmes to support women and girls economically and socially, and promote human rights of the LGBT community. Human rights and gender equality are core American values and supporting these initiatives was incredibly rewarding.

Q How was college life, and, now, how have you made a difference?
I studied international relations and political science as an undergraduate and then received a Master’s of Public Health specialising in international health. Being part of the US diplomatic corps allows me to see the real difference that US policy and assistance makes in people’s lives. I’ve seen the impact while visiting small USG-funded projects to help women and children in rural African villages, in Haiti, when USG-funded election observations helped ensure the safety of voters. Or when we issued a visa for a baby orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Swaziland to receive medical treatment in the US after suffering severe burns from neglect.

Q Your favourite books?
The ones that influenced me to choose my nomadic lifestyle would be anything by Paul Theroux, Barbara Kingsolver, and Mortiz Thomsen. These authors made me want to know the world on a deeper level.

Q What it means to be a leader and a women in today’s world?
A leader is someone who is tolerant, empathetic, respectful, inclusive, and supportive. A leader is judged by the success of those they lead not by their own success. Women all over the world, now more than ever, have a responsibility to fight for leadership positions, not only to set an example of what a leader is and looks like for the next generation, but also to allow the world to benefit from their strength, intelligence, grace, and compassion.