The Women in Public Service Project

A partnership of the U.S. Department of State and Smith, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke and Wellesley colleges, the Women in Public Service Project works to advance women’s leadership in politics and governance worldwide.

“At a time when governments, NGOs, and businesses are increasingly recognizing how educating women and girls allays poverty and political instability, we need women leaders, committed to the public sector, from many nationalities and socioeconomic backgrounds, globally educated and prepared to lead,” said Smith President Carol T. Christ. “That is the venture on which we embark.”

Launched December 15, 2011 with an international colloquium at the State Department, the project's first Summer Institute was held in 2012. Smith alumna Farah Pandith ’90, who serves as the State Department’s special representative to Muslim communities, has been a key mover in the formation of the project, helping ensure that the Sister colleges’ legacy of education for leadership is leveraged to address today’s challenges around the globe.

Women’s Leadership: Public Service and Global Health, to be held October 17–21 in Paris, is organized by Smith College and co-sponsored by Smith and the U.S. State Department as part of the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP). Primarily targeted at early- and mid-career women drawn from Francophone Africa, or women in France and greater Europe working on issues relevant to Francophone diaspora communities, the conference will combine presentations, small group workshops and informal discussions centered on the broad topic of public service leadership on issues of public health. Learn more...