1. WHAT COLLEAGUES SAY
Mary wasa transformationalleaderin incorporating genderprogramming into oneof thelargestforeign
aid programsin U.S.history.Shebroughtdedication and a high level of expertise,butjustasimportantly,
real professionalism,to thisdemanding position.When Isay real professionalism -- Imean shewas
driven but patient,sheembraced constructivecriticism even asshe provided it, and shebroughta great
senseof humorto this challenging environment.
The results wereprofound and willhavea lasting impactforwomen and girls in Afghanistan.Under
Mary'sleadership a genderanalysiswasconducted forevery programin every sector in the largest
USAIDmission in the world.Working with Mary,a critical genderpolicy wasimplemented forUSAID
Afghanistan -- thispolicy documentwasultimately cited the mosttimes as the modelto follow when
USAIDrolled outits worldwidegenderpolicy. Many commitmentsremain rhetoricaland policies stay on
the booksbutaren'tputinto practice -- Mary achieved tangibleresults by ensuring thatgenderissues
were actually incorporated into resourcing decisions,which in turn led to more sound development
practices.
I worked very closely with Mary forovera year,learned a greatdeal fromher on incorporating gender
into ourwork,and would gladly workwith her again. (MarkKerr, formerly RegionalLegal Adviser,
USAID/Afghanistan)
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Oneof the firstthingsyou notice aboutMary is thatshe is literally the smartestgenderperson in the
room.The second thing you noticeis thatshe is NOT an ivory-towered academic,butrathera woman
who hasspentlegitimate time on theground in someof the mostfemale-unfriendly placesin theworld –
and we’renot talking for2-4 week tours,we’retalking years…yearsof living and learning the intricate
cultural nuancesof a place in a way thatshe can articulate the mostefficient courseof action to address
a problem.Shewill challengeyourexisting beliefs and force you to think outsidethebox aboutroot
causesof a problemthatactually makea difference…sheismostcertainly notthe kind of person who will
advocateforpre-packaged ideas….Sheisvery thoughtful,deliberateand holisticabouther approach to a
problem.Shehasan uncanny abilityto translatecomplicated cultural and customary normsin an easy-
to-digestway.Shealso happensto havea great,dry senseof humorand an easy laugh.I’velearned so
much fromher, and any organization would benefitgreatly by having heraspartof their team.” (Neilish
Shelat,ProgramOfficer,USAID)
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It is my great, good fortuneto haveknown and worked with Mary Fontaine herein Afghanistan forover
3 yearsnow. During thattime shehasbeen a colleague,a mentorand a friend. Her knowledgeand
experiencein thefield of genderissuesis immense and herwillingness to shareit alwayscomeswillingly
and graciously. Her drive and dedication to the goalof improving thelives of Afghan women continues
to inspire. Mary is someonethatI can (and have) turned to forinformation and supportaboutany and
all genderissues. Ourbrainstorming sessionsgavedirection to the strategiesthat were then developed
forbothprovincialand regional levels. Mary is passionateaboutherbeliefs,butalwaysapproachable
and open to discussions. HerdeparturefromAfghanistan leavesa holethat will notsoon befilled. A

2. neworganization and otherwomen will benefitfromher expertiseand passion,butherlasting effortsfor
the women of Afghanistan willimpactpositively forgenerationsto come. (Elizabeth Smithwick,formerly
SeniorDevelopmentOfficer,Eastern Afghanistan)
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It is my pleasureto providea reference forMary Fontaine,KabulUSAIDSeniorGenderSpecialist and
formerGender UnitDirector, whomI haveworked with at USAIDasa colleagueand lived beside here at
the USEmbassy compound in Kabulasa friend for overtwo years.
As the Genderpoint of contactin the Officeof EconomicGrowth and Infrastructure,Ihaveinteracted
with Mary extensively overthe lasttwo yearsthrough formaland informalmeetings,briefings,work
sessions,and emails. As the co-chairof the Interagency GenderWorking Group,Ms.Fontaineled the
effortto craftan Inter-agency GenderStrategy thatincorporated a knowledgeableand practical
approach to empowering Afghan women. Throughouthertime in Afghanistan,Ms.Fontaineworked
with all USAIDoffices,otherUSGentities, and other donorsand organizationsthroughoutAfghanistanto
raise knowledgeand action levels to empowerwomen and reducegenderinequities.
As theUSAIDgenderexpert,Ms.Fontainemadeoutstanding contributionsto theUSMission,the welfare
of Afghan women and Afghanistan. A majoraccomplishmentin hertenureat USAIDincluded the
implementation of a USAIDpolicy to conducta Gender Analysisforevery projectto informits design,
implementation and monitoring to ensurethatAfghan women areempowered andgenderinequitiesare
addressed and reduced—34completed in thefirst two years. AnothermajoraccomplishmentwasMs.
Fontaine’sconception,design and procurementof thelargestwomen-empoweringprojectin the
world. This “Women in Transition”[Promote] projectaimsto create a leadership group of Afghan
women in the economic,political,civil society, and privateand public sectorsto protectand further
women’srightsin all areas. These two seminal accomplishmentsaredirectly due to Ms.Fontaine’s
expertiseas a women’sdevelopmentprofessional,herwriting skill and her ability to persistagainstall
odds. Ms.Fontaine’stirelessworkwith all USAIDofficeshasresulted in an increase of awarenessof
genderissuesMission-wideand a coordinated effortto addresstheseissues.
I recommend Ms.Fontainewithoutreserveasa talented professionalwith theenthusiasm,ability and
stamina to makeimportantthingshappen.(Susan Coleman,PhD,SeniorProgramEconomist,
USAID/Kabul)
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I wantto recognizeand praiseMary Fontaine’s performanceastheSeniorGenderAdvisorfor
USAID/Kabul. Forthelast two years I had theprivilege of working with Mary on genderissues. I want
to emphasizeherpatience,professionalismand utterdevotion to all things“Gender” in the Mission,
resulting in increased visibility and institutionalization of “Gender”as a seriouscross-cutting issuewithin
USAIDand in Afghanistan. Mostimportantly, Iwantto recognizeher effortsin advocating forand
securing a projected $600 million over thenextdecade to supportgenderframework and
programming. Becauseof Mary,USAIDstaffnow regularly speakof…”genderand genderaudits”in
routineprogramdeliberations – nota small featas the culturepreviously wasto assumegenderefforts
were accomplished by simply adding a sentenceto projectdocumentsthatmerely stated the intention to
considergenderin programdesign and delivery.

3. No doubt,Mary’s efforts(WITand POWER) will haveresounding impacts in the coming yearsif
implemented asdesigned and will result in many changed lives especially forwomen and girls. By that
time, Mary’snamewill mostly likely be forgotten butthelegacy will live on. Such an impactis what
thoseof us passionateaboutsocialchangeand eagerto makeprogresson women and girls’issues in the
world admire and seekto emulate. Forthis, Mary is our role model.
Mary wasable to achievethese featsnotjustbecauseof her passion and knowledgeof genderissues,
butbecauseshe mobilized similar minded women and men through herstrong
personality, frequent requestsforideas,smalland large meetingsand her ability to workwell with
othersand her practice of inclusiveness. As someonebased in thefield, I valued Mary’srequestsfor
inputsand her teamspirit. I felt my ideaswere welcomed and thatMary served as the leader of the
gendergroup and a good teamplayer with a good senseof humor. Working with her wasa pleasurein
spite of the grim statisticswe were dealing with on the treatmentof women and girls in Afghanistan. I
believe Mary hasmadesignificantcontributionsto the Mission in her promotion of thewell-being of
women and girls in Afghanistan and wish to documentthateffortforposterity. (DunniGoodman,former
EconomicOfficer,USAID,Bagram,Afghanistan)
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I first worked withMary in 1994, when shehired me as a ProjectCoordinator.Atthetime,Mary wasthe
Director of SavetheChildren’sEgyptField Office,and I wasa relatively new graduatewith about2 years
of experience undermy belt.
I hadn’thad many supervisorsbefore,butIhavehad many since,who havehad varying degreesof
competency in management.Ihaveand still use Mary asthe standard againstwhich othersare
compared.
Communication isoneof her mostoutstanding abilities. Wheneversheassigned me a new worktask,it
wasaccompanied by a conversation thatprovided mewith all thecontextI needed to understand the
priority of the taskand the expectationsshehad forit. Her information-sharing wasnotrestricted to just
the basicfacts,as so many managerstend to do,butwasrich with detail, background and context. Her
conversationswerealwaysvery well-tailored to her audience.
As a relatively inexperienced person,thiswasinvaluableto me. Every taskincluded a lesson abouta new
aspectof internationaldevelopment.They werelearning experiencesthat wentbeyond thetaskat hand
and provided mewith knowledgethatIcould carry with me throughoutmy career.
This is not to say thatMary wascontrolling or micro-managing. Along with thedelegation of taskscame
a greatdeal of trust. It wasthe kind of trust thatmadeonewantto be worthy of it. I and my colleagues
had a distinct feeling thatwe were Mary’s protégés,and itwasup to usto proveher right.
Whetherpositive or negative,feedbackwasshared immediately and clearly so thatwe were understood
exactly whatcould improveour work.Negativefeedbackwasneverhurtfulordemeaning;itwas kind,
constructiveand delivered as much to improveourselvesasthe assignment. Positivefeedback,on the
otherhand,wasloud and public.This applied to all staff,notjusta few favorites.

4. Finally,Mary’sconstantencouragementkeptusreaching forhighergoals,notshying away fromthem.
Today,20 years later, I missthe “reach forthe stars”approach thatcharacterized hermanagement
style. While I thoughtImightnotbe “ready”for a task,Mary had a way of sensing my potentialand
giving me opportunitiesto learn and grow.
All thistookplace in an atmospheremadeenjoyableby Mary’sgreatsenseof humor,a characteristic
thatcomes fromherlove of laughterand of life. I can honestly say thatunderherleadership,it wasa joy
to go to work. (SaharShahin, ContractsAdministrator, CreativeAssociatesInternational)
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