According to the United States Office of Personnel Management, “women comprise 43.3 percent of the Federal workforce compared with 46 percent of the total U.S. civilian workforce (2014).”[1] Although strides have been made in recent years to bring more women to the table where decisions are made, including a record number of women in U.S. Congress, there is still much work to be done at the local, state, and federal levels and in our communities.

The Stennis Center for Public Service is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative branch agency created by Congress in 1988 to promote the highest ideals of public service in America. We created Public Service Review to provide a forum for young leaders to share their inspirations and experiences as they work as interns and volunteers in the public service sector and, in many cases, prepare for careers in public service. We are proud to highlight their voices and are especially proud to highlight the voices of women in public service in this special edition of the journal.  

This edition introduces you to eight extraordinary young women who share their unique experiences as agents of change in government, the military, and their respective communities. Mia Robertson, a student at Mississippi State University, interviews Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, the first woman to lead a nuclear aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. Katie Medford-Davis, a naval aviator, shares how women leaders in her field influenced her path to public service in the U.S. Navy. Additionally, Alexis Eberlein of Ohio University describes how she gained a deeper understanding of diplomacy through an internship at the U.S. Embassy Dublin. Finally, authors Alanna Cronk, Amitoj Kaur, Hannah Krawczyk, Preeti Chemiti, and Sarah Glaser provide inspirational testimonies and examples of how to influence change where it is needed most.

Our country needs the fortitude, intellect, integrity, and perspective embodied by the female voices featured in this edition as we foster new pathways to make government and our communities more effective and create more significant opportunities for present and future generations. We hope these women will inspire other women to increase the participation of women in public service and mobilize a new generation of women leaders.

[1] U.S. Office of Personnel Management. (2014). Women in federal service. www.opm.gov/fevs. Retrieved December 20, 2022, from https://www.opm.gov/fevs/reports/special-reports/women-in-the-federal-service-a-seat-at-every-table-2014.pdf