#NatSecGirl Squad Press Kit
#NatSecGirlSquad is a for-profit entity working to build and support competent diversity in national security and defense through its professional development community and strategic advisory services. Our work focuses on building expertise, confidence in that expertise, and institutionalizing opportunities for success within existing systems. We want to ensure each individual has the information, ability, and support required to define professional and personal success for themselves, alter it as their priorities evolve, and achieve it over and over again.
FAQ
Q: Who is part of the #NatSecGirlSquad? +
#NatSecGirlSquad interacts with more than 20,000 people a month across a variety of platforms and mediums. Our membership is diverse, spanning six continents and a variety of sectors. Our youngest members are undergraduate students; our most senior members are in their late 80s.
Each Armed Service is represented, and over 35% of our military members are enlisted soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. Students come from small community colleges, large state schools, and private colleges and universities.
Those in the workforce are foreign service officers, civil servants, political appointees, Members of Congress and their staff, senior leaders to interns at think-tanks across the political spectrum, and more.
Q: What is “competent diversity”? +
To #NatSecGirlSquad, competent diversity in national security and defense means a more resilient, capable, and agile national security and defense workforce. And that translates to a more resilient, capable, and agile national security enterprise.
Q: Who can become a #NatSecGirlSquad member? +
#NatSecGirlSquad offers a membership program that is open to all people. Our programming is focused on three pillars
- Building expertise among women and their allies in national security and defense
- Building confidence in that expertise: meaning women’s belief and recognition in themselves as experts and the larger field recognizing and valuing their expertise
- Institutionalizing success and using leverage points within the existing system to better support members in reaching their own definition of success
Q: Is #NatSecGirlSquad affiliated with a political party or movement? +
No. #NatSecGirlSquad is explicitly non-partisan. We actively encourage membership, participation, and contributions from all people who are committed to competent diversity in national security.
Q: Is #NSGS a non-profit organization? +
No. #NSGS is a for-profit entity, working towards B-corp certification.
Maggie Feldman-Piltch
Founder and CEO
Maggie Feldman-Piltch is the Founder and CEO of #NatSecGirlSquad. Maggie specializes in operational art and innovation in national security strategy through human capital management. She enjoys creating order from chaos, and honed her skills in apparel showrooms in New York City, at The Conference Board and Risk Cooperative in addition to serving as the Chief of Staff to nearly 100 retired senior officers at American Security Project. Maggie led the organization’s on-going US-Cuba Program and its 2017 Track II Dialogue, championed the Women in Security Leadership Initiative (WiSe) at ASP, hosted their weekly podcast series “What’s Next?,” and led the creation of the Business Council for American Security.
While at Georgetown, Maggie sought a community of women in the field to offer mentorship. Unsatisfied with the limited networks she found, Maggie launched #NatSecGirlSquad. Find her on Twitter at @MaggieCaroline1 or send her an email at mfp@unicornstrategies.com.
Press Coverage
NPR - From A Hashtag To A Movement: #NatSecGirlSquad Empowers Women In National Security
Brussels Sprouts - A Conversation with Maggie Feldman-Piltch and #NatSecGirlSquad
WUSA9 - #NatSecGirlSquad: Grassroots organization helping furloughed national security professionals
For more of our latest coverage, please visit our press page.
Images for Use
Quotes from Maggie Feldman-Piltch
“We believe every national security challenge, threat, and opportunity is, at its core, a human capital issue. To be soft on diversity to be soft on defense. Full stop.”
“Nobody at #NatSecGirlSquad is looking to get more than they are owed, but we certainly want what is ours. We're damn good at what we do; we don't want anything special. We just want equal footing."
"Every national security challenge is a people challenge. There is no person in the world that can answer to everything all the time. We can at least hope that the right people are in the room."
“I've watched women go from brand-new to Washington and terrified to going through their security clearance process, and now turning around and hiring other women from our community."