Meet Janet Heg

Process Improvement
In Paris, Janet led the transition to digital submissions for business visas, eliminating bulky paper applications and saving time for both applicants and adjudicators. She persuaded reluctant staff to embrace the change, communicated the new requirements to applicants, and trained staff in how to review applications digitally without printing hundreds of pages.
Organizational Change
In Mexico, Janet established the Monterrey Service Center, designed to handle all inquiries from U.S. citizens in Mexico in both English and Spanish. This was the Department of State's first contact center outside the United States and there was no blueprint to follow. She designed a bilingual telephone tree, balancing the need for callers to get help in an emergency with the dissemination of informative voice recordings to answer routine questions and save staff time.
A former Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, Janet has extensive experience in addressing management issues in an international environment. Now based in Lake Chelan, she is committed to helping local businesses overcome obstacles to success.
Human Resources
In Djibouti, she reorganized the Human Resources Office, increasing efficiency and directing a recruitment drive that substantially reduced the number of vacant positions. As a result of her success in Djibouti, she was assigned to take on regional responsibilities in Africa, troubleshooting HR problems and providing direct assistance to small embassies without a full-time HR officer.
Click here for a full resumé. 
Why Hire a Diplomat?
Conference Planning
Janet organized a week-long conference in Zambia for Human Resource Officers at every embassy in Africa. She combined fun team-building activities (Lego anyone?) with substantive content and inspirational guest lectures from senior State Department leaders.
  • Key Skills ● Human Resources Management in a cross-cultural context, honed through HR operations at American embassies in Africa. ● Organizational Change, exemplified by the establishment of a U.S. government call center in Mexico to assist U.S. citizens. ● Communications and Media, grounded in print, radio and TV experience, and sharpened through advising blue chip companies on their media image. ● Event Management and Logistics, shown through the coordination of a U.S. government sponsored tour by the Afghan Youth Orchestra. ● Crisis Management, demonstrated by leading the U.S. government response to the 2016 terrorist attack in Nice, France, in which three U.S. citizens were killed. ● Strategic Direction, illustrated through service on the board of the Mendip Primary Care Trust, UK. U.S. Department of State Represented the United States as a diplomat in Mexico, Jamaica, Norway, Afghanistan, France, and Djibouti, as well as positions in Washington D.C.
  • Key accomplishments, recognized by awards for outstanding performance ● Streamlined the processing of business visas at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. ● Process improvements in the office that coordinated global visa policy, facilitating legitimate travel to the United States and enhancing national security. ● Established a regional support program to enable embassies in Africa to tackle HR challenges. ● Promoted employment and career development for diplomats’ family members. ● Aided American citizens in Israel, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza following the October 2023 terrorist attacks. ● Addressed a diplomatic housing shortage in Mexico City and provided exceptional customer service.
  • Positions held within the Department of State
  • Team Lead, Regional Policy & Programs, Office of International Migration (2023-2025) Led a team of seven subject matter experts who collectively managed more than $30m in grants that enhanced migration management capacity in 49 countries.
  • Regional Human Resources Officer, Bureau of African Affairs (2021-2023) Responsible for HR at 46 embassies in Africa, collectively employing around 20,000 personnel. Coached senior officials on addressing conflict, misconduct, and performance issues affecting American diplomats and locally hired staff.
  • Human Resources Officer, U.S. Embassy, Djibouti (2019-2021) Directed HR operations for a strategically important embassy employing around 60 U.S. citizens and 300 locally hired staff.
  • Deputy Chief of American Citizen Services, Monterrey (2017-2019) Established the Monterrey Service Center, which answers all U.S. citizen telephone inquiries for Mission Mexico, and was the first State Department call center outside the United States.
  • Consular Officer, U.S. Embassy, Paris (2014–2016) Assessed visa and passport applications and aided distressed American citizens.
  • Staff Assistant, Visa Office, Washington D.C. (2013–2014) Coordinated the activity of an office of 60 staff responsible for visa policy, ensuring that all documents were correctly drafted and completed on time.
  • Cultural Affairs Assistant, U.S. Embassy Kabul (2012-2013) Managed speaker programs in challenging conditions, supporting the U.S. government’s mission to counter violent extremism.
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  • Private & Public Sector Positions Media Analyst, Echo Research, New York and London (2001-2012) Advised governments and major international companies on reputation management. Board Member, Mendip Primary Care Trust, Somerset, UK (2001-2003) Strategic direction of organization providing medical care for 100,000 people with a budget of £70m. Chaired governance committee, ensuring the board operated effectively and ethically. Independent editor and publications manager (1983-2012) Managed production of business information reports for the Financial Times, Datamonitor, and Informa. Edited and produced magazines for non-profits in the healthcare sector. Assistant Producer, BBC Radio & Television, and World Service (1981-1983) Produced light entertainment segments for popular early evening TV program. Wrote news items for major news bulletins and hourly news summaries, and reported on proceedings in Parliament. Education BA Magna Cum Laude, Communications-Journalism. Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey

Resumé