With a career spanning government, the non-profit sector, and law, Ms. Foster has deep expertise in the economic and political empowerment of women, and how to effectively integrate a gender-focused approach into foreign policy. She is rejoining the Foreign Policy for America Board after serving at the U.S. Department of State as a Senior Advisor to the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE), with a mandate to ensure that women and girls are central to those efforts.
Prior to that, Ms. Foster was a founding partner at Smash Strategies, which counsels corporations, institutions, and philanthropists to ensure that their investments in women and girls are effective and transformational.
Ms. Foster also served in the U.S. Department of State from 2012 to 2017; first as Women and Civil Society Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan and then as Senior Advisor and Counselor in the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues. Ms. Foster served as the Chief of Staff to Senators Barbara Mikulski and Christopher Dodd, was appointed General Counsel of the U.S. General Services Administration by President Clinton, and has headed government affairs for several prominent non-profit organizations. She is an attorney, receiving a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and was a litigation partner in San Francisco, California. Follow Ms. Foster on X at @StephenieFoster.
Explore some of Ms. Foster’s recent commentary:
- Feminist Foreign Policy in Theory and in Practice: An Introduction — Routledge; 1st edition (9/8/2023)
- Take Action: Fighting for Women & Girls — Bublish, Incorporated (October 2020)
- Afghanistan: A Way Forward for Women and Girls — Just Security, 11/8/21
- Feminist Foreign Policy: One Path Forward in U.S.-China Relations — Just Security, 7/16/21
- A Laser Focus on Women’s Rights Is Key to Sustainable Afghan Peace — Just Security, 5/24/21
- Gender Equality is Fundamental to Promoting Democracy — Just Security, 4/7/21
- 5 Ways to Support Young Women Leaders — Medium, 3/19/21