Stephenie Foster

Stephenie Foster (she/her) has deep and broad expertise in women’s economic and political empowerment with decades of experience on Capitol Hill, in the Executive Branch, the non-profit sector, and in the law. She has been fighting for women and girls her entire career; Empowering women in Afghan war zones (U.S. Embassy, Kabul), monitoring elections in Ukraine, representing the U.S. State Department in meetings with government and civil society leaders (Office of Global Women’s Issues), and serving as a Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate. Having traveled, lived, or worked in over 100 countries, she has consistently used her voice and actions to change discriminatory laws and policies and help shift cultural norms and inequalities. She is a founding partner of Smash Strategies, which provides strategic advice to corporations, institutions and philanthropists to ensure that their investments in women and girls are effective and transformational. Based on her unique experiences, she understands the political and policy landscapes relevant to empowering women and girls, in order to increase their opportunities for leadership and growth and promote a more equal world.

Feminist Foreign Policy in Theory and in Practice outlines the foundations of feminist foreign policy and the fundamental concepts discussed and utilized by governments, civil society organizations, and those in the academic community as they define, formulate, and implement it.

This book furthers the global conversation around how countries can develop and execute approaches to foreign policy and national security that go beyond conflict prevention and resolution and use a feminist or gender lens to increase gender equality and women’s leadership in the security sector. It reviews how governments have implemented feminist foreign, development, and trade policies at the multilateral and national levels, and sets forth the unique global role of the U.S. government, using case studies to discuss what would be needed to implement a feminist foreign policy in the U.S. The authors provide a roadmap, stressing the necessity of applying a gender analysis and perspective to all peace and security decision-making and involving women in all aspects of conflict prevention and resolution, peacebuilding, post-conflict reconstruction, and humanitarian relief. They tie together the movements for human rights, women’s rights, feminism, and peace and security, highlighting how each of these strands brings key perspectives to the study of foreign policy.

This book complements the study of the women, peace, and security agenda. It will be of great use to practitioners, including government officials, addressing issues of foreign policy, multilateral and bilateral engagement, and the promotion of gender equality and social inclusion. It will also be of interest to students and scholars of foreign policy, security studies, international relations, gender studies, development, governance, and political science.

The Stephenie Foster Advocate of the Year Award (AYA), recognizes the passion, effort and resourcefulness of someone who persistently takes action and fights for equality – strategically overcoming obstacles and challenges that thwart progress and success– on behalf of women and girls.

Get involved in the fight for women and girls…

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Blog & Publications

Stephenie is a frequent lecturer on why investing in women and girls is critically important.  She has been a Professorial Lecturer at American University’s Women & Politics Institute. She publishes regularly on the importance of investing in women and girls to our foreign policy, women in leadership, women and economic engagement, and women and security. She writes regularly for the Huffington Post and other media outlets.

Are you part of a book club or other social group interested in advocacy? Do you work for a company or non-profit that wants to know more about how to help at home and have a global impact? Contact Stephenie today!

To learn more, take a closer look at her publications. Alternatively, you may want to discover more on her blog.