WASHINGTON, D.C. –
Three Navy judge advocates have been named 2021 fellows in the International Career Advancement Program (ICAP). The program is sponsored by the Navy and hosted by the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
The selectees were:
- Lt. Cmdr. Joanna Gonzales, staff judge advocate, Naval Special Warfare Group 10
- Lt. Cmdr. Ingrid Paige, assistant fleet judge advocate, U.S. Fleet Forces
- Lt. Cmdr. Cynthia Parmley, military professor, Naval War College
Since the program’s inception in 1997, ICAP’s goal has been improving the quality of U.S. leadership in international affairs by helping ensure the field reflects the diversity of the U.S. population.
Each year, the ICAP Selection Committee reviews applications from across the country and ultimately selects 24 to 34 ideal candidates for the program – accomplished international affairs professionals with five or more years of experience, advanced degrees, and language skills. ICAP selectees also must be committed to increasing diversity in U.S. leadership, eager to mentor junior colleagues in both pre-professional and professional roles, and dedicated to supporting other ICAP alumni and advancing ICAP’s goals. Of all Navywide applicants this year, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations chose three judge advocates to represent the Navy as 2021 fellows.
For Gonzales, her selection was significant for several reasons.
“While I know the Navy considers females diverse, and I think that is important, my selection was on two accounts, both as a Hispanic and as a female,” said Gonzalez. “I think this fellowship is one of the most pivotal programs I have ever had the honor of being a part of and I highly encourage the DoD and the Navy to send more individuals and not just females, and not just judge advocates – as promoting diverse international leaders requires both people of diverse backgrounds, and to challenge those who are in a position to support individuals from such backgrounds.”
Gonzales attended Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English and Philosophy. She worked for the Institute for Justice, as well as the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, prior to entering law school. She attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she specialized in maritime and international law.
In law school she was a member of the
Maritime Law Journal, the vice president of Loyola's International Law Society, and she participated in Loyola's Comparative Law Summer Program in San Jose, Costa Rica. As an active member of the Hispanic Law Society, she helped organize the National Latina/o Law Conference in New Orleans.
She spent the past year in Korea as the staff judge advocate for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea and Commander, Navy Region Korea, and she currently is serving as the staff judge advocate for Naval Special Warfare Group-10.
ICAP selectees enjoy an introductory day in Washington, D.C., and they later spend a week at the Aspen Institute. There, they enjoy time away from daily responsibilities, and they focus on themselves, fellow participants, their careers, broad policy questions, and the future. Career advisors, senior mentors, and university faculty assist them in these reflections. Strong, lasting bonds form among ICAP selectees and mentoring relationships develop with senior officials.
“After finishing a transformative week at the Aspen Institute, I am incredibly honored to be joining the more than 600 ICAP Fellows,” said Paige. “Learning from and collaborating with leaders and contemporaries in international affairs and diversity, equity, and inclusion was powerful, inspiring, and humbling. I am looking forward to continuing my journey as an ICAP fellow as well as continuing to implement lessons learned from ICAP in my day-to-day work as well as my work with the JAG Community’s Standing Advisory Council on Inclusion and Diversity.”
Paige was born in Arlington Heights, Ill. She received her bachelor of arts in politics from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, in May 2003. Paige then attended Boston College Law School, where she was a member of the National Moot Court Team. She completed her juris doctor degree in May 2006.
Paige currently is assigned to U.S. Fleet Forces Command as the assistant fleet judge advocate. Previously, she served as the staff judge advocate for Singapore Area Coordinator and deputy staff judge advocate for Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73. Paige also served as the mission staff judge advocate for Pacific Partnership 2018 onboard USNS MERCY.
Before moving to Singapore, Paige was assigned to Region Legal Service Office Southeast and served as the command judge advocate of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., as well as a special assistant U.S. attorney. Paige also completed tours at Defense Service Office West and Naval Legal Service Office Southwest in San Diego, Calif.
“I am truly grateful to OPNAV N17 for my selection as one of the three U.S. Navy 2021 ICAP fellows,” said Paige. “I am extremely proud of my community – the JAG Community – who put forth such strong candidates this year that all three of OPNAV N17’s selectees were judge advocates. With ‘Diversifying Global Leadership’ as the ICAP motto, it was fitting that the three judge advocates selected were women with diverse backgrounds and experiences.”
The ICAP selection process reflects Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday’s goal to make the Navy the most diverse branch of military service, ensuring that it’s as competitive as possible.
“Women compose 16 percent of the U.S armed forces, and 39 percent of the Navy JAG Corps. When I began my journey into military service in 2011, I was limited in the designators and military occupation specialties I could apply for because I am a woman,” said Parmley. “I commissioned into the Navy in 2012, and only in 2013 was the Department of Defense Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule rescinded, finally opening up all military occupations to women and officially recognizing that women have been active and integral participants in combat operations for decades.”
Parmley currently serves as the Navy military professor at the Stockton Center for International Law, U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I.
Parmley has more than a decade of experience in the international sector. In the Navy, she has specialized in operational law with a particular focus on intelligence and cyber law, special operations, sensitive activities, and unique international jurisdictional matters. Parmley served as the first chief of operational law and staff judge advocate of the Joint Operations Group-Europe at U.S. Special Operations Command Europe in Stuttgart, Germany. Prior to her naval service, Parmley worked as an intern and policy officer at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. embassy in Libreville, Gabon, and at the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations in Washington, D.C.
“I am incredibly honored to represent the Navy as a 2021 ICAP fellow, alongside Joanna Gonzales and Ingrid Paige. Already, I feel personally and professionally transformed after a week spent with the exceptional 2021 ICAP fellows, who represent the best and brightest across government and non-profit sectors in foreign affairs and national security,” said Parmley.
Parmley earned a bachelor of arts degree with high distinction in Peace and Conflict Studies with from the University of California, Berkeley; a Diplôme d’échange from Sciences Po Paris; and a master of arts degree in International Affairs and a juris doctor degree from George Washington University.
ICAP has successfully provided assistance during the past 22 years to an extremely talented cadre of young professionals as they move through their careers. As the network grows and more alumni of the program achieve senior positions themselves, ICAP intends to play an increasingly important role in enhancing the quality and diversity of U.S. leadership in international affairs.