Women’s Leadership in the Federal Government

Women have long been underrepresented in key sectors of the United States federal government, and especially in positions of leadership in the US federal government. This is particularly true for women of color.

While recognizing these facts, this panel highlights women who have held or currently hold positions of leadership working for our country. They will talk about their careers, provide advice to others looking to enter US government service, consider the challenges specific to women in government leadership, and also discuss the strengths that women have brought to federal careers and the benefits that await them.
The panelists are a distinguished and diverse group of leaders:

• Amb. (ret.) Brenda Brown Schoonover, former US ambassador to Togo, career foreign service officer and alumna of the Peace Corps
• Sandy Wilson, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and before that with the US Air Force, a Hillsborough, NC, native and a UNC alumna
• Julie J. Chung, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, US Department of State
• Col. Meg Martin, Professor and Head of History at the US Air Force Academy and a 2014 UNC PhD in History

The panel will be moderated by Erinn Whitaker, a former senior analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and US State Department who now teaches in UNC’s Peace, War, and Defense program.

Any questions about this event can be directed to Kevin Fogg of the Carolina Asia Center, at kfogg@email.unc.edu.