Extra-Ordinary Woman: Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley

Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, is Women of Peace Corps Legacy’s “Extra-Ordinary Woman” in this extraordinary episode. She served with the Peace Corps in Oman, and won WPCL’s 2023 Deborah Harding Women of Achievement Award.Featured Guest:Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley has had a pathbreaking career in the Foreign Service and has created new opportunities and possibilities for women and minorities. Among her many accomplishments as a U.S. diplomat, she served as a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, focusing on Israel-Palestine relations; became the first woman to lead a diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia where she promoted gender equality and coordinated the largest evacuation of American citizens from a war zone since WWII; and was the longest-serving U.S. ambassador to Malta. Recently she served as the State Department's first chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility officer. There, her many contributions included helping women and minorities be considered for high-level positions and reducing the importance of the oral exam for entry into diplomatic service. She co-founded the Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS), championing accomplished women for senior leadership positions in national security and foreign policy. Currently she is the first female president of the Middle East Policy Council, which produces a highly regarded journal, hosts the Capitol Hill Conference Series for policy makers, and offers numerous educational opportunities for teachers, including an exchange programs for students from the U.S. and the Middle East.  Podcast Host:Kathleen Corey is past president of Women of Peace Corps Legacy.  She spent sixteen years with Peace Corps getting her start as a Volunteer in Liberia.  She has been Country Director in North Macedonia and Sri Lanka and held various headquarter positions responsible for opening Peace Corps China, Cambodia, and numerous countries in the Former Soviet Union.  As a retired diplomat, she currently teaches various courses to Department of State employees at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute.Women of Peace Corps Legacy (WPCL) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women and girls empowerment to create a more just, equitable, inclusive, and safe world for future generations.  WPCL seeks to partner with and highlight the work of those existing organizations and programs that are effectively addressing the issues of women and girls.