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Happy International Women’s Day, Minority Leaders!
Our mission is to celebrate and amplify the voices of diverse women leaders, and of course help inspire the next generation.
The theme of International Women's Day 2024 is #InspireInclusion, and that is what we do every day around here. As you can imagine, International Women's Day is our favorite holiday!
I am happy to be back with a new episode featuring my good friend — the inspirational Jamila Thompson, acting Chief of Staff for the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
In this episode Jamila shares her journey to the White House, where she is helping to shape more inclusive trade policies. During our conversation Jamila honors her former bosses, congressional giants Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the late Congressman John Lewis, whose guidance framed her principles in policymaking. We discuss how to glean insight and wisdom from every stage of our careers-- from Hill internships to high-stakes management roles in the executive branch. We explore how such experiences forge not only effective policymakers, but also compassionate leaders.
We even take some lessons in leadership from the tennis court, where Jamila learned the secret to long term success is perseverance.
We discuss how to glean insight and wisdom from every stage of our careers-- from Hill internships to high-stakes management roles in the executive branch. We explore how such experiences forge not only effective policymakers but also compassionate leaders. We even take some lessons in leadership from the tennis court, where Jamila learned the secret to long term success is perseverance.
As proud former congressional staffers, we spotlight the ascent of influential women of color like USTR Ambassador Katherine Tai and OMB Director Shalanda Young, who rose from the negotiating tables of Congress to powerhouse positions in President Biden's administration. We also delve into the significance of the US-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, reflecting on the Biden-Harris administration's engagement with African nations.
I hope you enjoy this enlightening discussion as much as we did.
Correction: Yes, even brilliant Minority Leaders sometimes experience a slip of the tongue. At round the 32 minute mark, Secretary Xavier Becerra is referred to as the Secretary of Homeland Security . He is the Secretary of Human Services.
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A note of thanks:
Sadly, this is likely my last episode for a while. My firm, Catalyst Global Strategies is growing rapidly this year, and I have less free time to bring you high quality episodes of this podcast. Don't fret, however, as I will continue to bring you special episodes and collaborations featuring dynamic women of color leaders in the furture. .. So stay subscribed and continue to follow the show!
Support this DEIA project with a monthly subscription! https://www.buzzsprout.com/1049293/support
00:00 - Women of Color in Trade Policy
13:45 - Working for Legendary Visionaries in Congress
22:50 - Lessons in Leadership and Community
36:02 - Women Leaders in US Trade Policy
42:56 - Lessons From Tennis and Workplace Success
48:34 - US Africa Trade and Inclusivity
Principal, The Raben Group; Social Impact Leader
Erika West brings more than 14 years of experience in progressive politics and issue advocacy, and a keen awareness of the relationship between policy-makers and the public engagement that awakens them to the need for change. At The Raben Group, Erika works with clients whose interests address opportunity gaps, ranging from reproductive freedom to diversity to economic justice. Erika has assisted these clients with messaging, stakeholder engagement, and communications strategies to earn media and intensify public awareness. Erika has worked on Capitol Hill, spent four years on the road electing Democrats to governorships and Congress, and served as Political Director at a national advocacy organization overseeing a federal PAC, ballot measure campaigns, and electoral strategy.
Erika currently co-leads Raben engagements with Democracy In Color and Green 2.0, campaigns that push for increased diversity among national Democratic Party and environmental movement leadership, respectively. Erika has also helped a major veterans services organization (VSO) secure new federal funding for wounded veterans whose service injuries resulted in infertility. In this capacity, Erika organized a coalition of over 15 VSOs and partners for bipartisan advocacy efforts targeting congressional committees on Veterans’ Affairs. The year-long campaign resulted in a 2017 appropriation for in-vitro fertilization treatment, a service that had been denied as a matter of policy to veterans for the past 25 years.
Erika’s talent for framing issue campaigns and organizing the right voic… Read More
