Katrina “Kat” Fotovat is currently the Deputy Director of the Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI). The Office has a mandate to promote the rights and empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity globally. S/GWI focuses on promoting women’s economic security, preventing and responding to gender-based violence, and advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The office leads efforts to integrate gender equity and equality across U.S. foreign policy and assistance, working closely with U.S. embassies, partner governments, civil society, and most importantly, women and girls on the ground. Ms. Fotovat’s mantra, "nothing about them without them" reflects her commitment to ensuring the local needs and perspectives of women and girls across the globe are reflected in U.S. policies and programs that impact them and their communities.

Ms. Fotovat has served as the United States government delegate to G20 EMPOWER. An international human rights lawyer by training and a dedicated public servant and women’s rights advocate, Ms. Fotovat brings to this role more than 20 years of experience advocating for gender equity and equality and human rights globally, specifically in conflict and post-conflict settings. Notably, as Senior Official for Global Women's Issues from January 2021 – May 2023, Ms. Fotovat has championed women's economic security as a strategic imperative, particularly through the recent launch of the first-ever U.S. Strategy on Global Women's Economic Security, which envisions a world in which all women and girls can fully, meaningfully, and equally contribute to, and benefit from, economic growth and global prosperity.

Ms. Fotovat's previous U.S. government positions include serving as Director for the Office of Communications, Policy, and Partnerships, in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) at the U.S. Department of State, where she oversaw an expert team that led U.S. government efforts to prevent atrocities, address global fragility, and advance stabilization. Across these efforts to prevent and resolve conflict, CSO integrated the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. Prior to this, Ms. Fotovat was the Deputy Director of the Global Programs Office in the State Department’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) where she oversaw over a billion dollars in programs to support civil society and human rights, including internet freedom, transitional justice, and protecting populations at risk of violence. She has also served as Director for the Global Programs team in S/GWI, where she oversaw programs to support women and girls in all their diversity across the globe.

Before joining the U.S. government, Ms. Fotovat’s experience includes transitional justice and peace negotiations efforts with the Nobel Prize-nominated, Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG). This work included drafting post-conflict constitutions in Iraq and Kosovo, and international crisis aid negotiations in Sri Lanka. Additionally, she has done extensive gender and human rights work supporting the efforts of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), American Bar Association, and other organizations. Ms. Fotovat previously worked as a part of legal counsel at the International Human Rights Legal Clinic, focusing on Trafficking In Persons and asylum cases, with a special focus on Burma (Myanmar). Ms. Fotovat also helped to establish an anti-trafficking in persons organization in Moldova, where she was a Peace Corps Volunteer. She holds a Juris Doctor in International Human Rights Law and a master’s degree in Foreign Policy from American University. She is married and has a son, whom she is proudly raising as a gender equality champion.