Our Story

The Future Strategy Forum (FSF) grew out of brainstorming sessions between then-PhD candidates Rachel Tecott and Sara Plana in their shared office space at MIT back in the fall of 2017. As the co-chairs of Women in International Politics and Security, Tecott and Plana developed a concept for a workshop in which women experts in international security would share their expertise to educate, inspire and mentor an audience of rising women scholars who might not otherwise have the opportunity to connect with them. Embracing their germ of an idea, Dr. Kathleen Hicks, formerly of CSIS, encouraged them to “dream bigger.” Dr. Hicks and CSIS joined forces with Dr. Frank Gavin and the Kissinger Center at John Hopkins SAIS to jointly sponsor what became the FSF. When the FSF was held in 2018, it was the first time a foreign policy conference had been held in DC that featured all-women speakers.

Sara and Rachel with Dr. Hicks and Dr. Gavin at the first FSF

Sara and Rachel with Dr. Hicks and Dr. Gavin at the first FSF

Since then, Tecott, Plana, CSIS, and the Kissinger Center have worked to build a multidimensional initiative encompassing an annual conference series amplifying women’s expertise, opportunities for professional development for policy-interested PhD students, and short- and long-form publication pipelines. The organizing team has expanded to include PhD students from various different universities, providing concrete management experience to junior scholars. 

FSF continues to experiment with novel ways of advancing its three goals—amplifying the expertise of women in international security; bolstering mentorship; and bridging the academic-policy divide. 

If you are interested in helping FSF in its mission, learn more about how to support FSF here. 

For more about how FSF came to be, its priorities, and its history, see:

 
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