Tracy M.
Speaker, Writer, Founder at Tracy Macdonald Consulting
Women Empowerment
Education: B. A. Wesleyan College - Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, 18-11 Certified Federal Agent
Atlanta, GA, USA
Biography
Tracy K. Macdonald is from Columbus, Georgia and holds a B.A. in Sociology from Wesleyan College. She is a Fraud and Risk consultant and public speaker, drawing on her experience as a former Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service, as a Counter-Terrorism Instructor for the Defense Intelligence Agency, and as a Lead Associate in Counter-Illicit Finance for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Tracy is a passionate advocate for helping women advance in unprecedented fields, breaking barriers and setting new standards. From her beginnings as a southern debutante to a professional with a mission and a badge, her journey is a testament to a woman’s resilience and determination.
Since 2013, Tracy has been living overseas as a diplomat with her husband, son, and Golden Retriever “Biscuit” supporting the U.S. mission, most recently in Libreville, Gabon. Living and working abroad has given Tracy a unique perspective of the challenges and opportunities facing families in the Foreign Service. Tracy thrives in dynamic environments that demand innovative thinking, adaptation, and strategic insights. Her commitment to integrity and excellence drives her to deliver impactful solutions that safeguard financial systems and promote global security.
Passion
Tracy’s personal passions are nature photography, exploring new cultures, and writing. She captures her travels and life as an expatriate on her personal blog, Carpe Diem Creative. She’s an active member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), and has recently completed the first draft of her debut fiction novel, “Becoming McKenna.” Her freelance articles have been published in Bella Grace Magazine and on Stampington & Company’s official blog, ‘Grace Notes’.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions
Topics
Best Story
While working at DOD, being asked, "Are you the General's secretary?" when I was waiting to give a speech on using counter-finance as a counter-proliferations measure. And being told in the Secret Service, which is 10 percent women, that I was "a flower amongst the weeds" by my male supervisor. How a military coup affected our family. Diplomatic life: more grit than glamour. Anecdotes from life in the foreign service.
Origin Story
My career path has been unconventional. Banking to Federal Law Enforcement, then Federal Government Consultant to Diplomat as a spouse in the Foreign Service. Have lived overseas 20+ years in England, Europe, Egypt, Eswatini, Honduras, and currently in Gabon (West, Central Africa).
Example talks
Becoming a Global Citizen: Stretch Beyond Your Comfort Zone
This speech emphasizes the importance of stretching beyond your comfort zone through experiencing life abroad, and the impactful skill of learning and speaking foreign languages. As an expat and diplomat, I share stories to illustrate how we become more culturally-sensitive and globally-focused- by engaging in experiences beyond our own borders.
Your Major Doesn't Equal Your Career
A talk for college students to emphasize how a major does not have to define their career. University is a time of exploring passions, interests, and gathering the necessary skills that can be combined later in a myriad of creative ways as they navigate their professional paths, allowing them to reinvent themselves and pivot with changing times and lifestyles. This discussion draws from my own experience, graduating with a degree in sociology, then following an unconventional career path in banking, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, and the foreign service.