Honoring the Visionary Leader Amb. Ruth A. Davis
Key Partner in ICAP’s Creation
When Dr. Rowe began planning the contents and senior participants to be involved in the International Career Advancement Program (ICAP), the first person at the U.S. Department of State that he met with in 1996 was Ambassador Ruth A. Davis. She already had an extraordinarily positive reputation in the Department and in foreign policy circles and was soon to be named first as the Director of the Foreign Service Training Institute and then as Director-General of the Foreign Service itself. Ambassador Davis was enthusiastic about the mid-career program Dr. Rowe proposed, provided important advice on the content of the program, suggested many of the senior advisors that were eventually invited, and committed herself to serve as a senior mentor. Almost every year from the outset in 1997 until her health declined after 2020, she also attended and played a central role in the ICAP sessions in Aspen.
Inspiring Career in the Foreign Service
Ambassador Davis had an inspiring and influential career as a Foreign Service Officer. During her 40-year career she was the first African-American director of the Foreign Service Institute (1997-2001) and the first African-American female Director General of the Foreign Service (2001-2003). She was also the first and only African-American woman to be named Career Ambassador, the longest-serving officer at that level and, upon retirement, the highest-ranking Foreign Service officer. She is also the first African American to be awarded the American Foreign Service Association’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award. She also served as chief of staff in the Africa Bureau (2005-2009), distinguished advisor for international affairs at Howard University (2003-2005), principal deputy assistant secretary for consular affairs (1995-1997), ambassador to the Republic of Benin (1992-1995), consul general in Barcelona (1987-1991), and as a consular officer in nations around the globe.
Leadership Beyond Government Service
After her retirement from the Foreign Service in 2009, Ambassador Davis served as the chair (and a founding member) of the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge, an organization devoted to promoting women’s economic empowerment by creating an international network of businesswomen. She also chaired the selection committee for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship at Howard University’s Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center, where she helped to oversee the annual selection process. Finally, as vice president of the Association of Black American Ambassadors, she participated in activities involving the recruitment, preparation, hiring, retention, mentoring, and promotion of Foreign Service employees.
