 Hello everyone. I am Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Win Stanley, the State Department's first standalone Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Before I share my thoughts on why it's so important to diversify our diplomatic corps, I first want to thank the organizers of this year's conference. This is the 13th HBCU Annual Foreign Policy Conference and it is one of the State Department's most important outreach events of the year. It is an honor to be with all of you today. As you've heard throughout the program, we are eager to recruit HBCU graduates to join the State Department as both foreign and civil service officers. We need your talent, your excellence, and the diverse lived experiences that you bring to the table. Secretary Blinken has said repeatedly, America's diversity is our greatest national security asset and I couldn't agree more. As we navigate the challenges of the 21st century, a once-in-a-generation pandemic, erosions to democracy here, at home, and abroad, and a climate crisis that threatens our collective security, we need all hands on deck. This means creating a State Department that reflects the rich diversity of our nation. A more inclusive workforce will ensure our foreign policy is stronger, smarter, and more effective. Throughout my career, I've had a motto that guides my work. It's divided into three parts. Intentionality, transparency, and accountability. The first is intentionality. We need to understand the importance of DEIA and the pursuit in everything we do. It means asking with intention who is at the table, and more importantly, who is not, and is the table accessible to all? In June of last year, President Biden underscored the importance of DEIA by issuing a White House executive order calling on all federal agencies to develop multi-year action plans that advance equity, inclusion, and accessibility in concrete ways. The Department's Strategic Plan is being finalized now and will be released in March. This bold blueprint will lay the groundwork to build a State Department that not only recruits but works to retain diverse talent so that everyone has an equal chance of success, no matter who you are or where you come from. The second pillar is transparency. And the foundation of our transparency efforts at the State Department is grounded in data. And by data, I mean disaggregated data. One of the first actions I took on when my office was established was to launch a DEIA data working group. We recently developed a workforce demographic baseline report which will be updated annually and allow us to measure our future progress. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it is accountability. Accountability is the heart and soul of DEIA work. It means building a culture of courage and allyship, where we speak truth to power and lift one another up. Many of you may have seen that earlier this month we honored Ambassador Terrence Todman. For those who don't know his story, in 1957, when Ambassador Todman was just starting his career in the Foreign Service, he noticed something was not right. As a black diplomat, he could not eat in public due to segregation laws in Virginia. Rather than stay silent, he spoke up, and his principal dissent and courage in the face of injustice led to the department integrating our dining facilities. Ambassador Todman went on to become a six-time ambassador, the second highest number of ambassadorial appointments in the State Department's history. To my State Department colleagues watching here in D.C. and around the world, my call to action is to you specifically. There are various HBCU graduates staffed within your bureau, and we want to keep them motivated, engaged, and empowered to go the distance in our organization. I encourage you to coordinate with fellow HBCU alumni to engage your alma maters, as well as employee affinity groups such as Blacks and Government and the Thursday Luncheon Group. These organizations are in place to support the advancement and development of our colleagues from African-American and Black communities. I hope you enjoyed this year's programming and hang on a bit longer to join us during the after-hours session from the yard to the embassy, featuring diplomats who leverage their student leadership skills as public servants. Stay safe and enjoy the remainder of your day.