Spotlighting T 18
GROWING BY DOING Kathleen A. Ambrose
BY PATRICK FOLLIARD
During the second Clinton administration, Kathleen Ambrose served in the U.S. Department of Commerce as deputy assistant secretary and deputy general counsel. At the same time, she also served in the White House as special adviser for major international summits. But there was a catch to the latter job. Ambrose agreed only to act as a Sherpa for conferences that had never before been organized by a woman. President Clinton, she says, used to joke that it must be very nice to stipulate your own job description, and then he would typically grant her request.
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hroughout her varied and wide-ranging career— whether in government or as a public policy adviser in the corporate world—Ambrose has consistently strived to serve and work in positions previously reserved for men. “It’s something I’ve tried to do in my professional life; and I think it’s important to help younger women do
the same—not only through mentoring but by really sponsoring them too. I agree with the famous Madeleine Albright quote: ‘Tere’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.’” Today, as senior vice president of government affairs
for Siemens Corporation, Ambrose is the first woman to head the multibillion-dollar German engineering and energy conglomerate’s Washington, D.C. office. In the United States alone, Siemens has 60,000 employees, 100 different manufacturing plants, and 72 businesses primarily in the healthcare and energy industries. With interests in wind and hydro power and building natural gas plants, Siemens is a huge player in the traditional and renewable energy markets. Ambrose leads an experienced team of profession-
als in representing the multifaceted company’s diverse interests before the U.S. Congress, the executive branch, and state and local governments. “On a day-to-day basis we deal with businesses categorized in four groups: Healthcare, Energy, Industry, and Infrastructure & Cities, whose interests are sometimes divergent. We advise them on what we think their public policy priori- ties are, and what we’re trying to accomplish to create the right business atmosphere for them.” She may be Siemens’ top lobbyist, but Ambrose says
she always comes to the profession first as a lawyer. Fortunately, legal skills translate well to public policy work that deals with laws and regulations. It also involves amassing heaps of information and cutting it down to the pith—similar to what Ambrose learned as a young litigator in private practice. “An advocate can be a lawyer in front of a court, or a lobbyist in front of a con- gressional committee. Both require getting on top of the facts, prioritizing, and spitting out an orderly, defendable position. It’s not that different.” Good fortune on top of tragedy—that’s how she
describes the beginnings of her impressive career. Ambrose grew up in Westchester County, New York, and came to D.C. as a high school senior when her father (also a lawyer) joined the Nixon administration. She graduated with a degree in French literature from
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