The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the American Academy of Diplomacy welcome you to a conversation with Ambassador Tatiana Gfoeller. She will be interviewed by Professors Monica Toft and Daniel Drezner. The conversation will focus on civil-military relations in the United States and great power competition in Central Asia. Ambassador Gfoeller will touch on her experiences serving in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and the Soviet Union. The event will be open to the public and will include the launch of the Summer 2022 edition of The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs on “Contemporary Armed Conflict.” Refreshments will be served. Please make sure to register via myFletcher to participate in the event in person.

The event will build upon a podcast episode of The General and The Ambassador Podcast, which she previously recorded with General Blaine Holt. Attendees are expected to listen to the podcast episode ahead of time. General Holt and Ambassador Gfoeller describe their efforts to keep the Manas base as an airbridge for the U.S. effort in Afghanistan during a local coup, violent ethnic cleansing, and managing competing Russian and Chinese interests. They underline the importance of U.S. influence in this volatile region including stemming Islamic extremism.

Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller-Volkoff most recently served as the Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD) to two successive members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She served as POLAD to the Chief of Staff of the Army from 2011 to 2015, and as POLAD to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau from 2015 to 2017. In these positions she undertook sensitive diplomatic mission in support of U.S. military interests in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. She also served as the primary diplomatic link between the Pentagon and the State Department. Ambassador Gfoeller is currently serving as President of American Women for International Understanding, a global women’s rights NGO.

From 2008 to 2011, she served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia.  She was responsible for all aspects of U.S. policy in this country, including support for the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan. The Kyrgyz Republic served as the primary transit corridor for U.S. troops into and out if Afghanistan. Ambassador Gfoeller-Volkoff kept this vital military link open, despite massive from Russia to close it. She also spearheaded US counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics policies in the Kyrgyz Republic.

During her 33-year career with the Department of State and the Department of Defense, Ambassador Gfoeller-Volkoff reached the highest levels of the U.S. diplomatic service, attaining the rank of Minister-Counselor.  Her many postings in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East contained a string of command positions.  They included Consul General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Consul General in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires in Turkmenistan.  She also served as Advisor on the Former Soviet Union to the Secretary General of NATO.  Her other overseas assignments included Warsaw, Poland, Moscow, Manama, Bahrain, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ambassador Gfoeller-Volkoff earned a strong reputation in the diplomatic service for protecting her staff from harm, often at great risk to her personal safety. While serving as Ambassador in the Kyrgyz Republic, she took direct responsibility for the safety of all American government personnel and U.S. citizens in country during the coup and ethnic pogrom of 2010. She personally led the safe evacuation of 92 Peace Corps volunteers. Despite the chaos and violence the Kyrgyz Republic experienced, not a single U.S. citizen was injured or killed. The U.S. Embassy and air base functioned without interruption throughout months of unrest.

One of the most highly decorated American diplomats in recent decades, Ambassador Gfoeller-Volkoff holds numerous awards from the Department of State and Department of Defense. They include the U.S. Army’s highest civilian award, the National Guard’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award, and the State Department’s Distinguished Career Achievement Award. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in international affairs from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, in addition to a certificate in international law from the University of Florence. Her foreign languages include Russian, French, Italian, and Arabic.