Q A with Ms. Robin Smith Article. Vicenza, Italy Robin Smith became a diplomat with the U. S. State Department 3. While each of her assignments as a foreign service officer fulfilled these goals, her last position as U. S. Army Africas foreign policy advisor brought her career full circle serving the people of Africa while living in the country that inspired her to become a global citizen. Smiths desire to make a difference in others lives could be considered genetic. Her ancestors include Robert Smalls, a Civil War hero who delivered a commandeered Confederate ship to the North and went on to serve in the U. Ms Office Home Use Program Army' title='Ms Office Home Use Program Army' />S. A Game Of Three Halves Hacked Game. Senate, and Amelia Boynton Robinson and Bruce Boynton, extended family members who were civil rights movement trailblazers. Robinson was a leader in the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, and Boynton won a case against the state of Virginia that went to the Supreme Court, resulting in outlawed segregation for interstate passengers. Inspired by their examples, Smith has taken the opportunities her career has provided to share their stories with people throughout the world, illustrating how individuals can act to improve their own lives and the lives of others. It is a privilege and an honor to come from such a family and to be able to share the story, she said. Concluding her career in Italy was fitting, Smith said, because a childhood desire to live in Italy with relatives was her inspiration to pursue a career that would allow her to see the world. Oh, Italy. Maybe Im just a slow readerI said to myself, I will find a way to come back to Italy, Smith said. Then, sometime later, I hit upon the foreign service as a way to make a career of traveling and making a positive difference in peoples lives. I never thought that I would actually be assigned to Italy, because my career took a different path and I served in Africa, Europe, Latin America, Afghanistan, and had a brief tour in Iraq. So coming toward the end of my career, I just kind of forgot about Italy and never even expected to be chosen for this job and lo and behold, here I am at the end of my career where it all started. Smith agreed to participate in a question and answer session about her time as USARAFs foreign policy advisor, as well as about her foreign service assignments. Q How long were you assigned to USARAF A For two years. Q What were your day to day duties A Essentially, I advised the commanding general and the command on foreign policy issues how to best shape our support to the ambassador and our African partners and I also provided geopolitical, military, economic, cultural, social and other non military advice relevant to the activities and responsibilities of the command. I also analyzed events and matters of international significance affecting the command. At USARAF, I saw my primary duty as raising awareness of the role of the State Department. Because we all say and we all know that working within and amongst ourselves in the interagency is important. The USARAF mission cannot be done in isolation. The military needs us, us meeting U. Ms Office Home Use Program Army' title='Ms Office Home Use Program Army' />S. So, its like a symbiotic relationship. One cannot prosper without the other. So, I brought those skill sets to the command my 3. Africa or working on African policy. Q Can you give an example of something you advised onA I was involved in the exercises, the accord series, and the African Land Forces Summit, advising the senior leadership and exercise planners on any matters that might affect the successful undertaking of the exercises and the leadership seminar. Q How do you feel that those experiences contributed to your desire to come here or the work that you do here A Well its all about the partnership and capacity building and thats part of USARAFs mission, to provide that assistance, principally through security assistance to our African partners to help them build capable and credible Army forces and to contribute to the long term security and stability in their countries. So, its whatever I could do through the command to provide the connections with the embassies, for example, or link them up with the right people in the State Department, and to provide analysis and commentary on activities and actions that help us achieve the theater campaign plan objectives of partnership and capacity building. Q Have you ever had a similar assignment beforeWest Point Sexual Assault Response and Prevention SHARP Program Manager. Ms Office Home Use Program Army' title='Ms Office Home Use Program Army' />How was it different from other positions youve had A This is the first time. It is what we call an out of cone assignment. My specialty is public diplomacy and public affairs. Q How was this assignment different from a public affairs assignment A I was not actively out there working with the press, soliciting interest by the press on activities. It was very different in that way, nor was I doing the cultural information and educational exchange programs that I usually managed in previous assignments. Q Could you give me an idea of what some of your previous assignments were A Previously to USARAF I worked in Afghanistan. Ive also been a public affairs officer in Mozambique and Swaziland. Fallout New Vegas Lonesome Road Pc Download. I also worked in Nigeria. Discover a standout education that delivers outstanding flexibility. At the Fox School of Business, our Online MBA uses leadingedge virtual. Overseas assignments have included Mexico, Haiti, Paris and Iraq just a brief stint there. Domestically, Ive worked at the State Department, at very senior levels, including special assistant to the undersecretary of public diplomacy and public affairs, and special assistant to the head of what was the U. S. Information Agency. I also worked in the Africa bureau and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Garrison environmental office, students hike Sembach nature trail. By Ms. Mary Ann Davis IMCOM April 12, 2017. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook. Lost Saga Season 5. I think serving in Africa and in other places that are less developed, the work is much more satisfying because I feel like I am making a difference, which is why I joined the foreign service in the first place, to make a difference in peoples lives. For example, I really thoroughly enjoyed the activities the programs that I had to support women and children because they tend to be the most vulnerable in our society. I tried to do what I could with the resources I had on hand to help them achieve success in their communities. For example, in Afghanistan, education is really the key there. Unfortunately, in some families they dont value the girls education, or they dont see the value of girls education like they would in their boys education, so they needed help. We had English language programs that included other skills we thought of use, like computer literacy skills, to help the girls to level the playing field. Because, at a much higher level, we were trying to recruit qualified females for university studies. In order to do that, you really have to start at a very lower level, so I was happy that we were putting into place structures to help bridging efforts to help young women fulfill their dreams. So when you hear these women say, I want to be president one day, or a doctor or an engineer, youre there really helping them fulfill those dreams, in a way. Q Throughout your career, you have shared your family history of activism with audiences around the world. How did you present their accomplishments to non U. S. audiences What do you feel the benefits were A Ive had receptive feedback from audiences. I tried to tailor the message to the audience. For example, in Ethiopia, I highlighted freedom of the press, the role the press especially that, during the 1.