ICAP assists highly promising mid-career professionals from underrepresented groups in advancing to senior positions in international affairs. There have been 20 classes of "ICAP'ers" who have participated in this seminar-- rising leaders in non-profit organizations, government, academia, and business. The participants and program have not only advanced careers, but diverse voices in foreign policy-making.
Currently, there is a lack of diversity, and thus diverse perspectives in the increasingly important field of international affairs. Leadership and thus perspective is overwhelmingly homogeneous--white, and most often male. Diversity and dialogue improve crucial foreign policy and security decisions. Minority professionals benefit career-wise, but the U.S. benefits as more reasoned, debated foreign policy decisions are made when diverse voices are included.
ICAP brings together promising minority mid-career professionals and provides leadership and skills training, as well as a network that over time, has come to extend to all levels of the U.S. policy landscape. Continuing to educate new minority leaders and also provide training on penetrating the "glass ceiling" and finding a way to add their voices to the policy dialogue is what ICAP accomplishes through the seminar, and also the network and ongoing events to bring together ICAP professionals.
Minority communities benefit when their members are able to rise based on their merit. ICAP helps underrepresented minorities to do this. The U.S. foreign policy community benefits from diverse voices. Promising minority high school and college students benefit from ICAP alumni outreach and mentoring to them through the GAP program. Finally, U.S. interests, particularly security interests, benefit from having more diverse voices participate in leading dialogue to sensible solutions.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
