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Women’s Political Participation: Arab Spring or Arab Autumn?
Honored to have been a part of this important panel at the Woodrow Wilson Center on women’s participation: “Arab Spring or Arab Autumn: Women’s Political Participation in the Arab Uprisings and Beyond.” … Read entire article »
Recent Blogs
Teaching Experience
Stephenie is a Professorial Lecturer at the Women & Politics Institute at American University (AU) in Washington, DC where she teaches courses on women and public policy. During the summer and fall of 2011, she will be teaching a newly designed class on Women World Leaders at AU. Since 2005, she has taught: Women World Leaders; Women and the United Nations; Women, Politics and Public Policy;andAdvocating for Womens Rights. She is also the designer ofa two week certificate program entitled, African Womens Leadership in Public Life, which was a partnership of Vital Voices African Womens Leadership Initiative and AUs Women & Politics Institute. … Read entire article »
“Higher Education Today” Focuses on American University of Afghanistan
I am usually the interviewer or moderator, but I was honored to be on Steven Roy Goodman’s television program, “Higher Education Today” to talk about the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). The other guest was my friend Leslie Schweitzer who is on the board of trustees for AUAF, and also is the founder and chair of Friends of AUAF. Here’s the link. As an aside, I took this photo last winter from the administration building at AUAF, looking out toward Darul Aman Palace. … Read entire article »
Secretary Kerry: Advancing Afghan Women
It isn’t the first time I have heard Secretary Kerry talk about the importance of women to Afghanistan’s future – but it might have been in the most beautiful venue, Gaston Hall at Georgetown University. Secretary Kerry joined former Secretary Clinton, former First Lady Laura Bush, and many others in a bi-partisan show of support for Afghan women. In his remarks, Secretary Kerry made a compelling case for the progress Afghanistan has made since the fall of the Taliban. As he said: “in 2001 …there were only 900,000 Afghan children in school, and all of them were boys. Today, nearly 8 million students are in school, and more than a third of them are girls. …In 2001, maternal mortality … Read entire article »
HuffPost: Review of Martha Johnson’s “On My Watch”
Here is my Huffington Post review of Martha Johnson’s new book, On My Watch: Leadership, Innovation & Personal Resilience. A great read for anyone who is interested in how leaders at every level of an organization can think about innovation, transparency, and organizational design. It comes from someone who has literally been there, in the most exhilarating and most difficult of organizational and personal times, and is willing to share her story. … Read entire article »
HuffPo: Lean In and Reach Out!
Here’s the latest, with some things I took away from Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In. I found it to be a conversation starter. … Read entire article »
HuffPo Review: A Fort of Nine Towers
Here’s my latest Huffington Post piece, my first in eight months! It’s a review of Qais Akbar Omar’s new book, A Fort of Nine Towers: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephenie-foster/a-fort-of-nine-towers-an-_b_4029478.html … Read entire article »
Change is Constant
As much things change, they stay the same. And, we change but stay the same. It’s been about six weeks since I’ve returned from Kabul. As I’ve walked and driven around Washington, DC, San Francisco and New York City these last six weeks, I have a heightened awareness of just those two points. What’s different since my return? Little things like a bookstore is now an H&M; a post office now a restaurant; there is building where a parking lot once was; another is gone. Bigger things like I see the world a little differently because like everyone, I am changed by my experiences, the highs and lows, the people we meet and places we inhabit. I … Read entire article »
Living Two Lives
After 13 months in Kabul, I am home in Washington, DC. I love every minute of being at home, but find myself living in two parallel universes. I am back in my pre-Kabul life, but find myself drawn to seeing what my Kabul friends are up to at any given time. Facebook is great for that. The best analogy is to a political campaign, and I have done many of those, but this is different because you literally live and work with the same people on the same small piece of land for weeks and months at a time. Like a small town, you develop close relationships and know way too much about a lot of … Read entire article »
Leaving Kabul – But Not Its Spirit
As my time in Kabul comes to a close, I have such mixed feelings and it’s hard for me to capture my feelings precisely. I am excited to go home, of course, but also sad to leave friends and colleagues, both Afghan and ex-pat, who have meant so much to me here. Afghanistan is a country with both real possibilities and real challenges. Like almost everyone here, I lost a good friend to senseless violence, and I will remember Anne and her work for the rest of my life. And, I also know I am not alone. I honor the many others, Afghan and ex-pat, who have lost their lives to violence, while doing their jobs and living their lives. For me, honoring that sacrifice means that I … Read entire article »