From Passion to Purpose: Leading Women, Peace and Security

In this special episode celebrating Women’s History Month, our host Leland chats with Dui Mora Turner, a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel who led U.S. Southern Command’s Women, Peace and Security program. Listen as Dui describes her personal and professional journey: coming to the U.S. from Brazil, becoming an Air Force meteorologist, inspiring young service members across LatAm, and launching FIU’s WPS Forum! Duilia "Dui" Turner is a Leadership and Foreign Affairs Advisor with a special interest in Latin America and the Caribbean. As an international speaker and lecturer, she has collaborated with the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Wilson Center, and the Special Operations Community. She is also a non-resident senior fellow for the Women in International Security (WIIS) and a contributing author and editor for multiple publications, including “Twenty Years, Twenty Stories: Women, Peace, and Security in the Western Hemisphere” and “Culture Shock: Leadership Lessons from the Military’s Diplomatic Corps.” A retired Air Force Officer, Duilia held key positions in crisis response, STEM, human capital development, and global management. As a scientist, she supported shuttle missions at Cape Canaveral—including NASA’s STS-95 when Senator John Glenn returned to space—and served as the Chief Meteorologist for President Obama’s Air Force One. As a Foreign Affairs Officer, she promoted military diplomacy, worked on policy and strategy, and became the first Chief of the Women, Peace, and Security Program at the United States Southern Command. Duilia has been deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Afghanistan. She has received three congressional recognitions and was named New America’s “2020 Latino National Security & Foreign Policy Next Generation Leader”. Duilia is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and holds a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master in International Relations.