Women’s Foreign Policy Network with Jenna Ben-Yehuda

“Many times [young women] think they need to go after their dream job, but if you set that standard for yourself, you’ll be consistently disappointed. Early in your career, cast a wide net. Get out there, get your hands dirty, dig in, and do your homework. Don’t wait for the perfect role; getting your foot in the door is important. At the end of the day, you need to be doing work that matters to you.” http://media.blubrry.com/womenindiplomacy/content.blubrry.com/womenindiplomacy/Jenna_Ben-Yehuda_3.m4a   JENNA BEN-YEHUDA is Vice President of the foreign affairs practice of Wittenberg Weiner Consulting, a woman-owned public sector management consulting firm. In this role, she manages a global network of eight diverse teams in support of clients at the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development and leads foreign affairs business development efforts. A seasoned national security professional with over 15 years of service at the State Department, Ms. Ben-Yehuda has served in a variety of policy, intelligence, communications, congressional, and programmatic roles and has regional expertise in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Ms. Ben-Yehuda developed programming for Secretary of State Clinton and accompanied her on foreign travel and led intelligence briefings for and traveled with Secretary Powell. She has written for President Obama and five Secretaries of State and represented the State Department in numerous interagency fora, including at the National Security Council. She has served in the political sections of U.S. embassies in Panama and the Dominican Republic. A fluent Spanish speaker, Ms. Ben-Yehuda holds a BA in International Affairs and a BA in Spanish Literature from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University; an MS in National Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School of National Defense University (formerly the Industrial College of the Armed Forces); and an MS in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. A Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she is the recipient of five State Department Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor Awards and Adjunct Professor of International Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.   Jenna Ben-Yehuda is the founder of the Women’s Foreign Policy Network, an international network of 1,300 women leaders in international security, business, and development.