Coast Guard Headquarters (CGHQ) hosted a panel discussion to honor Women's Equality Day on August 26th, exploring the event’s theme "Inspire Inclusion: How Do We Get Beyond First to Equitable Representation." Rear Adm. Matthew Lake, Assistant Commandant for Resources & Chief Financial Officer, served as the Executive Champion. The panel featured distinguished leaders including Rear Adm. Tiffany Danko, Senior Reserve Officer to the U.S. Coast Guard, Rear Adm. Zeita Merchant, Commander, Personnel Service Center, and Capt. Jennifer Bowden, Chaplain of the Coast Guard. Michael Barton, the Coast Guard’s Ethics Attorney and a retired Coast Guard Captain, moderated the panel. Each panelist shared insights from their careers and covered topics like mentorship, leadership, and becoming a more inclusive Service.
Rear Adm. Matthew Lake, Executive Champion, addresses the audience during CGHQ's Women's Equality Day observance, 26 August 2024.
Bowden emphasized the importance of addressing labels and cultural shifts, stating, "We have to get to the labels before we can get through them." She noted the need to acknowledge these pivotal moments to change culture and also encouraged women to confidently embrace their individuality, asserting that they should showcase their full potential without questioning their place or fit.
Merchant noted how positive experiences at her first unit, Marine Safety Office New Orleans, helped her thrive in the Service. "I would not have been as successful in the Coast Guard if my first unit did not provide me with a sense of belonging because I could have easily felt like an outsider." Danko discussed the experience of being the “only” in many situations: "Many of these people on this panel were an 'only' in many points in their careers. And we have people who continue to be an only in their workplaces. It can be gender, it can be race, it can even be a specialty. But every one of those things is something that we as leaders have an opportunity to make sure that they are a part of a team."
Rear Adm. Zeita Merchant responds to a question during CGHQ's Women's Equality Day observance, 26 August 2024.
In closing, the panelists offered words of advice:
Bowden urged everyone to "Be bold and be authentic and just understand you belong here." Merchant encouraged attendees to push their boundaries, stating, "Never let anyone define your limits and do not limit yourself. There's no growth in the comfort zone, and there's no comfort in the growth zone. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable; that is one thing you can do to allow growth." Danko concluded with "Opportunity is what you make of it, and we can provide opportunities, but everybody here has to take it, and they have to run with it because that's how we end up succeeding."