Cynthia Iglesias Guven
Falls Church
Summary
Senior Foreign Service Officer with nearly 25 years experience working in the field of international affairs. Leading teams, advocating for U.S. stakeholders, and negotiating to further U.S. trade policy objectives in foreign countries are my core strengths.
A dedicated leadership professional with strong background in executive development and organizational growth. Known for creating transformative coaching programs that align with organizational goals and boost performance. Committed to fostering collaborative environments and adapting to evolving organizational needs.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
USDA Executive Coach
USDA
12.2023 - Current
- Boosted organizational performance with the implementation of talent management strategies focused on employee engagement and retention.
- Promoted work-life balance for clients with tailored coaching sessions addressing stress management and personal wellbeing.
- Optimized client productivity levels by identifying gaps in skill sets or knowledge areas that required additional training or resources.
- Developed comprehensive executive development plans to address individual strengths, weaknesses, and career goals.
- Cultivated a high-performance mindset among clients by sharing best practices in time management, prioritization, and delegation techniques.
- Enabled organizational growth by designing customized team-building workshops and facilitating group discussions.
- Fostered a culture of continuous improvement through strategic planning and goal-setting initiatives.
- Enhanced client leadership skills by implementing personalized coaching strategies and assessments.
- Increased client confidence in decision-making through targeted coaching sessions and role-playing exercises.
- Improved communication skills of executives by providing guidance on public speaking, presentation techniques, and interpersonal dynamics.
- Supported clients in achieving work satisfaction by guiding them through career development initiatives, setting attainable goals, and celebrating achievements.
- Troubleshot, brainstormed and collaborated with fellow coaches on ways to make coaching more impactful for clients.
- Monitored and analyzed clients' progress, results and overall satisfaction to implement process improvement initiatives.
- Fostered positive, proactive and professional relationships to achieve short- and long-term business goals.
- Navigated complex business challenges alongside clients through scenario planning exercises and strategic problem-solving methods.
- Analyzed needs, established learning objectives and delivered training programs and other education and development services.
Senior Strategic Partnerships Liaison
Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA
10.2023 - Current
- Served as the primary point of contact, fostering strong relationships between internal teams and external partners.
- Coordinated multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely completion and alignment with organizational objectives.
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends, sharing insights with colleagues to drive continuous improvement efforts.
- Maintained a high degree of professionalism at all times, representing the organization with integrity in both internal and external interactions.
- Collaborated closely with department heads to identify opportunities for process improvement initiatives.
- Aided in the development of training materials, contributing to the ongoing education of team members and improved performance outcomes.
- Successfully communicated with entities inside and outside of the organization.
- Developed effective improvement plans in alignment with goals and specifications.
- Evaluated staff performance and provided coaching to address inefficiencies.
- Educated staff on organizational mission and goals to help employees achieve success.
AGRICULTURAL COUNSELOR
U.S. EMBASSY
01.2019 - Current
- Represented the United States government in the United Kingdom and Ireland with the goal of increasing U.S. agricultural exports to these two countries.
- Managed a team of seven local agricultural specialists and coordinated with interagency team to track trade developments and strategically influence policymaking.
- Managed nine virtual interns through the Department of State's Virtual Internship program
DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR
Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Managed nearly 500 staff (Foreign Service Officers and local experts) in over 100 offices worldwide and in Washington, DC.
- Ensured effective implementation of agency objectives.
- Handled sensitive information discreetly, maintaining strict confidentiality at all times as required by company policy or legal regulations.
- Led the hiring and training of new Foreign Service Officers.
- Collaborated with HR to implement the Commissioning and Promotion Boards for the Foreign Service.
- Managed the overseas assignment process for Foreign Service Officers.
- Integral member of the Senior leadership team designing the Thrive reorganization of the agency.
- Oversaw the FAS, USDA international internship program.
ASSISTANT DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR
FAS, USDA
01.2016 - 01.2017
- Managed and supervised the FAS, USDA Asia offices, handling both personnel issues and policy objectives.
- Managed and led FAS, USDA's Assessment Center recruiting over 500 applicants, assessing over 100 candidates, and hiring 22 new foreign service officers, and managing the onboarding and assignment processes.
AREA DIRECTOR
FAS, USDA
01.2015 - 01.2016
- Supervised foreign service officers and local staff in South and Southeast Asia offices.
- Managed the FAS, USDA international internship program worldwide.
- Organized the agency's annual week-long Global Attache Conference in Washington, DC.
- Managed the onboarding and training curriculum and in-house job rotations for 30 foreign service trainees.
DEPUTY MINISTER COUNSELOR
U.S. MISSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
01.2011 - 01.2015
- Managed a staff of seven local experts and three foreign service officers to effectively further our agency's mission with the European Commission, Parliament, and Council.
- Participated in three years of negotiating rounds of free trade agreement talks between the United States and the European Union.
- Managed three in person interns at post.
SENIOR AGRICULTURAL ATTACHE
U.S. EMBASSY
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Managed ten staff in three different countries with the aim of increasing U.S. agricultural exports to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.
- Oversaw various USDA export credit and marketing programs to further the agency's mission.
AGRICULTURAL ATTACHE
U.S. EMBASSY
01.2005 - 01.2008
- Managed seven staff in two countries to further USDA's mission of increasing agricultural exports to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Education
Associate Certified Coach -
International Coaching Federation
02-2025
MA - Political Science (Comparative Politics)
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio01.1995
BA - International Relations and French
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama01.1992
Academic Year Abroad -
Complutense University of Madrid
01.1992
Skills
- Time management
- Multi-tasking abilities
- Effective written communication skills
- Effective oral communication skills
- Positive team leadership
- Mentoring skills
- Peer counseling skills
- Ability to analyze data
- Ability to synthesize data
- Ability to present data clearly
- Ethical leadership
- Growth mindset
- Coaching and mentoring
- Organizational development
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Attention to detail
- Critical thinking
- Organizational skills
- Team collaboration
- Active listening
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Experience with Microsoft Office systems
- Strategic thinking
Rank of Career Minister Counselor
Equivalent to two star rank (O8) in the U.S. military
Languages
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
French
Full Professional
Turkish
Limited Working
Arabic
Elementary
Timeline
USDA Executive Coach
USDA
12.2023 - Current
Senior Strategic Partnerships Liaison
Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA
10.2023 - Current
AGRICULTURAL COUNSELOR
U.S. EMBASSY
01.2019 - Current
DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR
Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA
01.2017 - 01.2019
ASSISTANT DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR
FAS, USDA
01.2016 - 01.2017
AREA DIRECTOR
FAS, USDA
01.2015 - 01.2016
DEPUTY MINISTER COUNSELOR
U.S. MISSION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
01.2011 - 01.2015
SENIOR AGRICULTURAL ATTACHE
U.S. EMBASSY
01.2008 - 01.2011
AGRICULTURAL ATTACHE
U.S. EMBASSY
01.2005 - 01.2008
MA - Political Science (Comparative Politics)
The Ohio State University
BA - International Relations and French
University of Alabama
Academic Year Abroad -
Complutense University of Madrid
Associate Certified Coach -
International Coaching Federation
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