Member Interviews
Sa
rah Yerkes, Visiting Foreign Policy Fellow- Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution
1. How is being a WIIS member valuable to you?
I first joined WIIS about a decade ago when I was just starting out in my career and at that point it was incredibly valuable as a networking tool. I remember attending a WIIS career fair at one point and that was really helpful because there were all sorts of different jobs represented within this field and I was Read More…
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Jolynn Shoemaker, Senior Consultant- Global Business Strategy and Gender Equity at The LcHoesGroup
- How is being a WIIS member valuable to you?
I learned about WIIS when I was in graduate school. I was very fortunate to have mentors who were very involved in the organization. One of the first events I attended was a conference on women in Read More…
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Alistair Millar, Founder and Director of the Global Center on Cooperative Security
Alistair Millar is Founder and Director of the Global Center on Cooperative Security. He teaches graduate-level courses on counterterrorism and U.S. foreign policy at The Johns Hopkins University, where he received the 2010–2011 Excellence in Teaching Award for Advanced Academic Programs. He is also a nonresident Senior Fellow at The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute. Previously, he has had lecturing posts at The George Washington University and the Department of Homeland Security’s Center of Excellence on the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland. He has written numerous chapters, articles, and reports on international counterterrorism efforts, sanctions regimes, and nonproliferation. He is a coauthor, with Eric Rosand, of Allied Against Terrorism: What’s Needed to Strengthen Worldwide Commitment. He has an MA from Leeds University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom.
Why are you a member of WIIS?
The main reason I support WIIS is because women have an important role in international security but in the world as they are make up half — or slightly more than half of society. The participation of women should reflect the make-up of the society in which we live. Women also reach out to other women, which can have an exponential impact. WIIS helps women all over the world inspire one another. Men have a lot to learn from that.
What do you think is the role of men in advancing women’s leadership in the international peace and security field?
The peace and security field has been traditionally male-dominated—men still hold most of the higher political and research positions. Men need to reach out to women and do more to help give them a chance to gain ground based on merit. It is far better promote people based for what they can do, rather than for who they are. Many women I’ve known and worked with have shown they can do as much as or more than men in the same or higher positions, but they are still not always getting the recognition they deserve. Men can help validate the merit of what women can bring to the table.
Do you have any female role models in this field?
I have many. On example that comes to mind is Dr. Rebecca Johnson from the Acronym Institute has marshaled her skills as an analyst and communicator in the field of non-proliferation. When I worked in that field I was in awe of her abilities. Then I look at recent Secretaries of State, I may not always have agreed with Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice or Hilary Clinton, but the clarity of their vision and their hard work is inspiring and, dare I say, puts many men in similar positions to shame. Also, I would like to see increased awareness of the important roles women play in countries in other parts of the world where they may be facing difficult challenges as women in high-profile position, in or out of government; WIIS is really helping to raise that awareness.
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Interview with Amy Frumin and Brooke Stedman
Amy Frumin, President of WIIS Florida, and Brooke Stedman, WIIS Global Program Manager, were featured in a radio interview with the American Heroes Network at 11:00am EDT on March 31. Ms. Frumin and Ms. Stedman discussed the significance of WIIS, highlighting the mission and activities of the global network. In addition to emphasizing the impact of WIIS within the peace and security field, this interview explored issues related to women in combat roles within the US Armed Forces.
Amy B. Frumin
Amy B. Frumin is a strategic planner and works on issues in the Middle East and South and Central Asia as an associate for Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH). Ms. Frumin focuses on stability and countering violent extremism. As an independent consultant, Amy designed and executed trainings for U.S. military and civilian personnel preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. Training topics included understanding the underlying causes of conflict, the Afghan Government structures, and the role of civilians on the battlefield. Prior to working as a consultant, Amy was an international affairs fellow in residence at the Council on Foreign Relations where she wrote and commented on the international humanitarian relief regime, Afghanistan, and the efficacy the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s work in unstable environments. Ms. Frumin returned from Panjshir, Afghanistan in 2007 where she was the USAID representative to the Provincial Reconstruction Team. As one of three civilians on this mostly U.S. Air Force team, Ms. Frumin managed the USAID portfolio and offered the development perspective to project discussions with the military and the Department of State. Prior to working in Afghanistan, Ms. Frumin covered Latin America for USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). From 2000-2001, Ms. Frumin worked as a political affairs officer in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations Mission in Kosovo. Amy also worked for UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Operations. Additionally, she has been published by and worked for several think tanks, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the United Nations Association for the USA, and the World Policy Institute at the New School in New York City. Amy founded Women in International Security (WIIS) Chapter in Florida in 2014 and is the current president of WIIS-Florida. Ms. Frumin earned her BA in political science with a minor in international development at McGill University and her Masters of Science in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Amy is married with two daughters.
Brooke Stedman
Brooke Stedman is the Program Manager of Women In International Security. Prior to joining WIIS, she worked at the International Criminal Court and International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as a legal assistant. Stedman also worked for the United States Institute of Peace where she developed gender programming to ensure the full participation of women in conflict and post-conflict societies. In this role, Stedman partnered with civil society organizations to develop capacity building programs focused on the economic and political empowerment of women in conflict-affected countries. More specifically, she worked extensively on the development of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and helped facilitate the U.S. Civil Society Working Group. Stedman holds an LLM in International Human Rights and Criminal Law from Utrecht University and a BA in Criminology and Law from Marquette University. Her research interests include sexual and gender-based violence in conflict settings, the role of women in peacebuilding, transitional justice and security issues, and counter-terrorism initiatives
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