Bermuda is one of the great postings in the State Dept. says new US Consul General

photo by Glenn Tucker Gregory Slayton

Q & A

AS probably the only person in Bermuda who is in regular contact with the President of the United States, Gregory Slayton should be regarded as an influential friend of the island.
He arrived just over two months ago, having been selected by President George W. Bush for the post of US Consul General of Bermuda.
With the island so heavily reliant on business, tourism and travel links with our giant neighbour, the maintenance of good relations between Bermuda and the US are of critical importance. Mr. Slayton has come with the stated aim of strengthening those links.
The extraordinary range of experiences Mr. Slayton has enjoyed in his 46 years would appear to equip him well for a role in international relations.
He has lived on five continents, been a hugely successful businessman, managed micro-credit schemes that have helped to haul people in far-flung places out of poverty and learned five languages.
His education included the study of economics at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and, as a Fulbright Scholar, he gained a master's in Asian Studies from the University of the Philippines.
He spent a number of years working on projects to help the poor in Asia and Africa before illness forced him to return to his home country.
Mr. Slayton then earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and used his knowledge to find success as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and as managing director of Slayton Capital, a venture capital outfit.
Formerly a Democrat and supporter of Jimmy Carter, Mr. Slayton is now very much a Republican and served as co-chairman of the Silicon Valley Bush 2000 fundraising campaign.
He is married to Marina and the couple have four children aged between four and 14 – Sasha, Christian, Daniel and Nicholas.
In a relaxed conversation with reporter JONATHAN KENT and photographer GLENN TUCKER at the US Consulate building in Devonshire, Mr. Slayton spoke of what he hopes to achieve during his term on the island, how he overcame a life-threatening illness, his first impressions of the island and how he hopes to establish new links in many areas between the island and the US.

Q: Are you settling in well to your new life in Bermuda?
A: Yes. A move is never easy, especially when you have four children. All of them are very happy in school and generally, things are going well.
Q: Is the island as you expected or has it surprised you in any way?
A: There are always surprises when you move anywhere. And we have lived all over the world and it's been a wonderful experience.
Q: Where else have you lived?
A: I've lived in Asia, Africa, South America, North America and Europe.
Q: When President Bush chose you for this job, how did you feel about it? Did you think it sounded like a wonderful opportunity or did you feel you were being sent to an outpost?
A: It's a great honour. Bermuda is a very important ally and has a great and long history with the United States. We'd been here before on holiday and we really enjoyed it, so we're happy to be back.
Bermuda is one of the great postings in the State Department. Having four young children, being so close to home is also important.
The fact that it's English-speaking and has great schools and there's such a rich and vibrant American community, amalgamated with the Bermudian community and the British community, it's all a very good thing.
Q: Do you ever speak with President Bush?
A: Yes, I do, but I'd rather not talk about those conversations at all.
Q: Can you describe your role and your major responsibilities?
A: Our Consulate wears a number of different hats and is responsible for a number of different activities. One is the care of US citizens and US interests in Bermuda.
As you know, hundreds of thousands of Americans come to visit every year and we want to ensure that their trips are successful and fun.
Then, there are approximately 8,000 Americans living on this island. We want to make sure we're providing the services they need, from a Consulate perspective.
There are other responsibilities too. One of the most important is building bridges. The relationship between Bermuda and the US has long been strong and cordial as, of course, has the relationship between the US and the UK. We have no stronger and better ally.
As with any relationship, there can always be improvements, it can be strengthened and that's what we're hoping to do.
Q: Have you met many people in your short time on the island?
A: Yes. There are some political, business and spiritual leaders in the community that I haven't met with yet and I very much look forward to doing that. I'm out there pretty much as much as I can be, meeting a representative cross sample of our community and it's been a rewarding experience.
Q: And you've met the Premier?
A: Of course and I really have enjoyed our discussions. Also the Governor and I have met a number of times. I haven't been here long, but judging from the initial reception – and I should say receptions because I've met a number of times with both – bode well for a really productive partnership.
Q: How often do you meet with the Premier and the Governor?
A: Again it's early days, so I don't think there's a normal pattern yet and we are talking about regular meetings, but that's all I want to say about that. I just want to be as helpful as I can be.
Q: How would you summarise Bermuda's current relationship with the US?
A: It's very strong, I would say. The partnership is very strong from a number of different angles – from a tourism angle, from a law enforcement angle, from a commercial angle – it's very strong and Bermuda is certainly one of our most important partners. Given its proximity to the US, that's not going to change any time soon.
Q: What do you hope to achieve during your tenure in Bermuda and how long will you be here?
A: Well, I serve at the pleasure of the President, as do all presidential appointees. But the general understanding is that I will serve the second term, which is over in January 2009, at which point a new president will be sworn in. And he or she will almost certainly have their own ideas of who will be best to represent our country, here and in other places.
In the meantime, that still gives us three to four years to build on a very strong base, to continue to build strong relations, more cross-cultural programmes, more visitors' programmes.
There's a lot that the people of America can learn and a lot that the people of Bermuda can learn from their counterparts in the US. We want to see more of those types of programmes going forward.
Q: Would some of those programmes involve education, as many young people from the island go to the US to get some form of education?
A: Certainly, educational initiatives are important.
Q: What kind of initiatives?
A: Well, I'm talking with the Education Minister, Terry Lister, about that right now. Please understand, we're just starting our third month on the island, but we come here with an attitude of service. My family and I know that we've been given a great deal. And, as the Good Book says, 'To whom much is given, much is expected'.
So we're hoping we can serve US people and US interests, but also the interests of Bermuda and American citizens together and then, the good people of Bermuda, to the extent we can be of service to them.
Q: Are there other areas you can think of where cross-cultural programmes could be applicable?
A: Well, quite a lot. I don't think there is an area where discussion and interaction isn't helpful. Look at youth development, which is a big issue here and in the US.
There are programmes in the US that have proven to be pretty effective in helping our young people get into a productive way of life and away from the streets and drugs and crime. There are things going on in Bermuda that are interesting in that way.
To the extent that we can co-operate, co-ordinate, share resources, share information, share ideas, benefit from each other's knowledge, then that's a good thing.
That's one of the reasons I try to get out and meet people who are doing great things in the community on a daily basis. I have a meeting coming up with the leaders of the Salvation Army in Bermuda. They're doing some very innovative work and I want to learn more about it.
There's a lot to learn.
Q: I understand you were very successful in business, as a Silicon Valley CEO in the 1990s and also as the head of a venture capital business. Do you miss the cut and thrust of running a business?
A: This is a full-time job and the US Government quite rightly wants me to concentrate fully on what I'm doing here.
I had to give up all my business operational responsibilities and sell off many of my assets and put some into blind trusts.
There are good parts about every job and I loved the business world. I was doing that stuff for a dozen years. And there is a vibrancy in business that can be a lot of fun.
Q: Your role as Consul General here is very different from anything you've experienced in business, is it not?
A: Yes, it's a different role, but there are similarities. In Silicon Valley, you're only effective if you establish trust-based relationships with other key players. If nobody's willing to return your phone call, it doesn't matter how smart you are, you're not going to be effective.
Building trust-based relationships takes time, but when you have those relationships, you can do a lot of good in a variety of ways.
Q: In the past, I understand you've been involved in micro-credit schemes to help the poor. Do you miss that work?
A: That was before my venture capital days and Harvard Business School. But I do miss it. I remained involved in that stuff through a variety of boards I sat on, until I was sworn into this job by Condoleezza Rice. But hopefully there will be other opportunities to get involved with it in the future. Life is like a tapestry – all the different people you meet and experiences you have get to be woven into the tapestry.
Q: Where in the world did you work on those schemes?
A: Well, I was a Fulbright scholar in Southeast Asia for two years and then I ran an orphanage in Manila, the Philippines, for about a year and then I went to West Africa, Senegal and Mali, ostensibly as the project economist for six months, but I ended up staying three years. And I would probably still be there, except for the fact that I got acute viral hepatitis from drinking some old camel's milk and was medically evacuated to the US.
Q: Was that a life-threatening situation?
A: Very much so. I was very close to dying.
Q: Some people who face death and recover come out with renewed determination to get the most out of life. Did that happen to you?
A: I would hope that was an attitude that has grown as my spiritual commitment has grown. I was not born into a religious family and did not have the easiest upbringing. I went to an Ivy League school called Dartmouth College and while I was there I became a baptised Christian. That has had a huge effect on my life.
We at the US Consulate here recognise that we have a noble mission. It's not every job that gives you the opportunity to do something that really is to the benefit of humanity, even in a small way. Similarly to my micro-credit work, the work here has a noble purpose.
Q: What is a micro-credit scheme?
A: It's very simple. The working poor do not have any access to capital. Micro-credit is simply recognising that any business person, small, medium or large, cannot expand a business without access to credit.
If you have a little chicken coop and you want to double the size of the coop, then you need money, even if it's only $50, to buy the materials for the coop and buy the chickens to put in it.
Micro-credit's been a phenomenally successful tool to help people help themselves, which is what it's all about.
It showed me that there's hope for anybody out there. If you give kids a chance, they can achieve great things.
Q: I've read that you can speak seven languages. Is that true?
A: No, no, no, that's a gross exaggeration! I've been accused of speaking English. I also speak French and Spanish relatively well. I have spoken fluently in the past – though it's hard to practise it – Philippino Tagalog. And I also speak Wolof, which is the main language of Senegal. I'm afraid those languages are very rusty now!
Q: And I understand you enjoy sports like, golf, tennis, water sports and soccer.
A: Yes, though I'm not particularly good at any of them!
But I do enjoy playing and one of the reasons we were excited about coming to Bermuda was the whole outdoor and exercise culture. I've played a lot of tennis since I've been here.
I haven't played a lot of golf yet because you need so much time to play 18 holes. The couple of times I have played golf, I've been pulled off the course on official business.
We're starting to do more water sports. One of my boys is becoming a certified diver.

Courtesy of the Mid Ocean News - November 11, 2005