Stephenie Foster is Co-Founder and Partner at Smash Strategies and is a recognized voice in women’s leadership and empowerment. Stephenie has dedicated her career to advising businesses, foundations, and non-profit organizations on how to achieve better results by focusing on women’s leadership and gender equality. Before forming Smash Strategies, Stephenie served at the U.S. Department of State from 2012-2017, where she was a Senior Advisor and Counselor to the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, and managed various key policies and programs. Stephenie also served at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she focused on women and civil society and worked with various individuals and organizations on advancing the role of women in Afghan society. Additionally, Stephenie has deep experience working in government and policy. She served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT), and was General Counsel of the U.S. General Services Administration.