PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION SEPTEMBER 2015

AFSA AWARDS: HONORING THOSE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

THE FS ACT OF 1980 TURNS 35

RATING THE 360 REVIEW

4 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOREIGN September 2015 SERVICE Volume 92, No. 7

AFSA NEWS FOCUS ON AFSA AWARDS AND DISSENT New AFSA Governing Board Sworn In / 53 A Lifetime of Public Service: VP Voice State – Wanted: An Interview with William C. Harrop / 22 Your Solutions to FS Challenges / 54 The recipient of AFSA’s 2015 Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy VP Voice FCS – Zeroing Out U.S. Award talks about his Foreign Service career, his pioneering role in AFSA Trade Promotion / 54 and his view of the challenges before the Foreign Service today. VP Voice Retiree – Getting Started / 55 BY MARIA C. LIVINGSTON Capping Linked Assignments / 56 AFSA Presents 2015 Awards / 57 Constructive Dissent Awardee Deconstructing Dissent / 33 Profiles / 61 At heart, dissent is about integrity, speaking up on issues that matter, regardless of Exemplary Performance whether or not we think we can actually change anything. Awardee Profiles / 65 BY AMELIA SHAW AFSA’s Committee on Elections / 72 Stay Current on the OPM Clearing the Air in New Delhi / 37 Data Breach / 72 How U.S. Ambassadors Are One FSO explains how he used constructive dissent to advance Selected / 73 a sensible policy approach to air pollution in India. Meet the 2015-2016 BY SAMUEL KOTIS Governing Board / 75 AFSA’s New Book Captures FS History / 80 COVER STORY A Visit with USAID Acting Administrator Lenhardt / 81 The Foreign Service Act of 1980 Turns 35 / 42 2015 World Police and Fire Games / 82 The Foreign Service Act of 1980 became law in early 1981. A year later, the State Authorization Update / 83 FSJ asked Congress, State management and AFSA leadership to evaluate Editorial Board’s September Song / 83 its implementation. Here are their responses. The Navy LWOP Experience / 84 Summer Fellows Reception / 84

FS KNOW-HOW COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 Stepping Forward to Lead Going Back to Work: BY BARBARA STEPHENSON A Step-by-Step Guide for Foreign Service Spouses / 49 Letter from the Editor / 8 One of the great challenges of Foreign Service life is how an FS spouse FS Members Making a Difference can maintain or develop a career. Here are some practical tips. BY SHAWN DORMAN BY ANNA SPARKS Speaking Out / 19 The State Department Needs to Reevaluate Its Use of 360-Degree Reviews BY WILLIAM BENT Reflections / 101 Dogs in Africa BY ROBERT GRIBBIN

DEPARTMENTS Letters / 9 Talking Points / 14 In Memory / 85 Books / 90 On the Cover: The 2015 recipients of AFSA’s awards for dissent, exemplary performance Local Lens / 102 and lifetime contributions in the State Department lobby. Left to right: Thomas M. Duffy, Andrew Young, Samuel Kotis, Alexei Trofim, Megan Gallardo (who accepted the Harris MARKETPLACE Award on behalf of Jeffrey Bing), Amb. Andrew Winter, Amelia Shaw, Mary Beth Bechtel, Classifieds / 93 Melissa Fraser (who accepted the AFSA Post Representative of the Year Award on behalf Real Estate / 96 of Charlee Doom), Rodney Ford (who accepted the Delavan Award on behalf of Julia Index to Advertisers / 100 Harrison) and Amb. William C. Harrop. Photo by Joaquin Sosa.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 5 FOREIGN SERVICE Editor Shawn Dorman: [email protected] Managing Editor www.afsa.org Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected]

Associate Editor Maria C. Livingston: [email protected] CONTACTS AFSA Headquarters: LABOR MANAGEMENT Editorial/Publications Specialist (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 General Counsel Brittany DeLong: [email protected] State Department AFSA Office: Sharon Papp: [email protected] Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Deputy General Counsel Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] USAID AFSA Office: Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Labor Management Specialist Art Director FCS AFSA Office: James Yorke: [email protected] Caryn Suko Smith (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh: [email protected] Editorial Intern GOVERNING BOARD Staff Attorney Shannon Mizzi President Raeka Safai: [email protected] Advertising Intern Hon. Barbara Stephenson: Staff Attorney Isabelle Ninh [email protected] Andrew Large: [email protected] Secretary Labor Management Counselor Contributing Editor William Haugh: [email protected] Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan: Steven Alan Honley Treasurer Hon. Charles A. Ford: [email protected] [email protected] State Vice President Editorial Board Labor Management Assistant Angie Bryan: [email protected] Beth Payne, Chair Jason Snyder: [email protected] USAID Vice President James Bever Executive Assistant Sharon Wayne: [email protected] Angela Bond Lindsey Botts: [email protected] FCS Vice President Hon. Gordon S. Brown USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Steve Morrison: [email protected] Stephen W. Buck Douglas Broome: [email protected] FAS Vice President Eric Green USAID Staff Assistant Mark Petry: [email protected] Kara McDonald Erika Bethmann: [email protected] Retiree Vice President John G. Rendeiro Jr. Hon. Tom Boyatt: [email protected] MEMBER SERVICES Duncan Walker State Representatives Member Services Director Tracy Whittington Lawrence Casselle Janet Hedrick: [email protected] John Dinkelman Membership Representative THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Eric Geelan Natalie Cheung: [email protected] PROFESSIONALS The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Josh Glazeroff Retiree Counselor Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is pub- Margaret “Nini” Hawthorne Todd Thurwachter: [email protected] lished monthly, with combined January-February and Philip Laidlaw Coordinator, Retiree Counseling July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service Peter Neisuler and Legislation Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the Erin O’Connor Matthew Sumrak: [email protected] writers and does not necessarily represent the views of Leah Pease Administrative Assistant and Office Manager the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries Sam Thielman Ana Lopez: [email protected] and submissions are invited, preferably by email. The Tricia Wingerter Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, COMMUNICATIONS photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. USAID Representatives All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Jeffrey Cochrane Director of Communications AFSA reserves the right to reject advertising that is not Lorraine Sherman Kristen Fernekes: [email protected] in keeping with its standards and objectives. The appear- Director of New Media ance of advertisements herein does not imply endorse- FCS Representative ment of goods or services offered. Opinions expressed in VACANT Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] advertisements are the views of the advertisers and do FAS Representative Corey Pickelsimer Publications Manager not necessarily represent AFSA views or policy. Journal BBG Representative Vacant Shawn Dorman: [email protected] subscription: AFSA member–$20, included in annual Online Communications Specialist dues; student–$30; institution–$40; others–$50; Single APHIS Representative Mark C. Prescott issue–$4.50. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; Retiree Representatives Jeff Lau: [email protected] foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid Hon. Patricia Butenis Communications and Press Specialist at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Allan Saunders: [email protected] Indexed by the Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). Dean J. Haas Hon. Al La Porta Special Awards and Outreach Coordinator Email: [email protected] Hon. John Limbert Perri Green: [email protected] Phone: (202) 338-4045 Fax: (202) 338-8244 STAFF ADVOCACY Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Executive Director Advocacy Director Javier Cuebas: [email protected] © American Foreign Service Association, 2015 Ian Houston: [email protected] Executive Assistant Senior Legislative Assistant PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Patrick Bradley: [email protected] David Murimi: [email protected] Professional Issues and Policy Adviser Postmaster: Send address changes to AFSA BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Janice Weiner: [email protected] Attn: Address Change Director of Finance SCHOLARSHIPS 2101 E Street NW Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Washington DC 20037-2990 Controller Scholarship Director Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Lori Dec: [email protected] Assistant Controller Scholarship Senior Associate Cory Nishi: [email protected] Jonathan Crawford: [email protected]

6 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS

Stepping Forward to Lead

BY BARBARA STEPHENSON

mmediately after being sworn in as Please count on me to do my very best to make AFSA president on July 15, I turned and administered the new Oath of the Foreign Service stronger so we can lead IOffice to the incoming AFSA Govern- America’s foreign policy and deliver for ing Board. We promised to do our best to the American people. represent all members of the American Foreign Service so that we can strengthen the ability of the foreign affairs com- munity to contribute to effective foreign to a strategic, comprehensive look at the range of experience we need to grow as policies. Foreign Service workforce. Foreign Service professionals and pre- In a stroke of serendipity, our next One of my key goals as AFSA presi- pare to lead America’s foreign policy. act, just minutes later, was to receive the dent will be to ensure a healthy, attrac- Ours is a remarkable story of service, 183rd A-100 class at AFSA headquarters, tive career path for members of the next of delivering for our country in the face of welcome them to our profession and generation so that, whatever their cone or unique challenges. I want us to own that invite them to join AFSA—the voice of specialty, they have the same chance that story, to take pride and find strength in it, the Foreign Service. They, and indeed I did to grow and develop into Foreign and to share it with the American people. the new USAID class I welcomed a few Service leaders. In the coming months, you will hear days later, reminded me of myself when I spoke to the A-100 class, as I will more from me about an enhanced out- I entered the Foreign Service almost 30 speak to everyone during my tenure as reach effort to tell our story and stepped- years ago—brimming with pride at hav- AFSA president, of the extraordinary up efforts to mentor and develop the next ing been chosen and eager to serve my demands that are made of the extraor- generation as well as to support those at country on a global stage. dinary people who answer the call to mid- and senior-levels. I know AFSA State Vice President serve. As part of our pledge to worldwide These, along with my pledge to take Angie Bryan was similarly impressed availability, we in the Foreign Service a comprehensive, strategic look at when she welcomed nearly 90 new spe- willingly agree—in fact work hard to workforce planning, form the core of my cialists to AFSA on July 30. As Angie writes prevail in a highly competitive selection vision for my tenure as president. in her column for AFSA News this month, process—to take on a career that requires Please count on me to do my very the good news is that the Foreign Service us to serve in remote corners of the globe, best to make the Foreign Service stron- is attracting and hiring the top talent we often in unsafe and unhealthy conditions ger so we can lead America’s foreign need for our vitally important work. of genuine hardship, where good schools policy and deliver for the American Our challenge is to make sure the for our kids and decent jobs for our people. I welcome your feedback and career path offered spouses are scarce. will need your help, and I thank all of by the Foreign Ser- We willingly agree to rotate jobs every you who have already stepped forward vice is attractive two to three years as part of our competi- to volunteer to pitch in. enough to keep tive up-or-out promotion system. While I now invite you to find inspiration this talent across a that means that we never get to settle in this edition of The Foreign Service full career—hence comfortably in a job and a place we love, Journal, “Honoring Those Who Make a my commitment we know that this is the path to the broad Difference.” n

Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 7 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FS Members Making a Difference

BY SHAWN DORMAN

eptember is the month when air quality readings from U.S. equipment anniversary of the passage of the Foreign The Foreign Service Journal monitoring pollution in New Delhi, Mum- Service Act of 1980. The act aimed to fur- celebrates and honors those bai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. His ther unify and professionalize the Foreign S in the Foreign Service com- article, “Clearing the Air in New Delhi,” Service, and discussion of and questions munity who make a difference—through illustrates how greater transparency, about its implementation—or undermin- constructive dissent, by standing up for while initially viewed as potentially harm- ing—are ongoing today. what they believe is right, and through ful for U.S.-India relations, helped lead In 1982, one year after the act became outstanding performance and lifetime to greater cooperation on air pollution law, the FSJ asked for an assessment on contributions to diplomacy. between the two governments. how implementation was going—from First we turn to the 2015 recipient of Profiles of Shaw and Kotis can be Congress, State management and the the Lifetime Contributions to American found in the AFSA News section, along AFSA Governing Board. Those responses Diplomacy Award, Ambassador William with profiles of the other recipients: offer three different relevant perspec- Harrop. In his interview with Associate FSO Thomas Duffy (Herter Award for tives. We share them in this issue, with Editor Maria Livingston, “A Lifetime of Constructive Dissent by a senior-level an introduction from former FSO Harry Public Service,” Amb. Harrop reflects FSO), FSS Jeffrey Bing (Harris Award for Kopp. (Kopp is the author of the recently on his Foreign Service career and raises Constructive Dissent by an FS special- released AFSA history, The Voice of the concerns about the state of the Foreign ist), Office Management Specialist Julia Foreign Service.) Service today, calling for stronger invest- Harrison (Delavan Award for an FS OMS), The 1980 act has been in force longer ment in professional development. Community Liaison Officer Alexei Trofim than either of its predecessors, the acts Then we hear from this year’s dissent (Guess Award for a CLO) and Mary Beth of 1924 and 1946. We hope a look back award recipients. The dissent awards are Bechtel (Bohlen Award for an FS family at the law’s original goals, and the early unique in the U.S. government and, at member). challenges of its implementation, might their best, give inspiration to others to This year marks the establishment of inform discussion today. not just go along to get along. In “Decon- a new award, the Mark Palmer Award for In this month’s Speaking Out, FSO structing Dissent,” Harriman dissent the Advancement of Democracy. FSO William Bent offers a critique of the State award recipient and first-tour officer Andrew Young was selected for the first Department’s use of the 360-degree Amelia Shaw offers a frank assessment of Palmer Award for his democracy-promo- review and suggests adjustments. This what dissent means to her in the Foreign tion work in Mali, where he is currently month’s FS Know-How by Anna Sparks is Service context and shares a how-to on the deputy chief of mission, and earlier a guide for spouses on going back to work. dissenting within the system. She urges work on Capitol Hill and in Burma. In her inaugural President’s Views col- her colleagues to speak up when some- Two awards that had been dormant umn, Ambassador Barbara Stephenson thing just doesn’t seem right. were revived in 2015. USAID FSO Charlee lays out her vision for the way ahead for Next, Rivkin dissent award recipi- Doom was selected for the AFSA Post AFSA, and describes the new Governing ent Samuel Kotis Representative of the Year Award for her Board’s first act—taking an oath of ser- describes his ulti- work at Embassy Nairobi. Longtime AFSA vice, pledging to represent the members mately successful Treasurer Ambassador (ret.) Andrew of the U.S. Foreign Service in accordance efforts to convince the Winter received the Award for Lifetime with the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and U.S. mission in India Contributions to AFSA. to work to strengthen the Foreign Service. to share and publicize This month also marks the 35th Members of the new Governing Board are welcomed and introduced in AFSA Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. News. n

8 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTERS

AFSA and Vietnam a strong and public reaction from AFSA. Neither memo alluded to the post– Congratulations on the recent “Viet- I called. World War II history of U.S.-North nam” issue of the Journal (April). The “What the hell do you want?” That Vietnamese contacts, which included articles, taken together, brilliantly evoke was Eaglespeak for “good morning.” several messages from Ho Chi Minh to the drama and anguish of the times with I said that in the event the Secretary at least three American presidents and a coherence that few of us could per- or Director General took any adverse other high-ranking officials. ceive as we dealt with our pieces action against Johnstone, Historians point out that the North of the mosaic. Rosenblatt or anyone else, Vietnamese leader had modeled his The issue did not cover AFSA would throw the country’s declaration of independence AFSA’s role in the final days employee-management book closely on that of the United States and and, indeed, our actions at them. Public demonstra- had proclaimed his desire for peaceful were limited compared to tions could not be excluded. relations with our country. the heroics of our fellow “Are you threatening me?” Moreover, in the immediate post-war FSOs and AFSA members. I responded that I wanted years he appealed directly to President We had challenges. Use- him and the Secretary to Harry Truman to help his country cast ful information was hard have all necessary informa- off the yoke of French colonialism at a to come by; obviously our tion before making any time when the United States was grant- status as the recently elected decisions in what was a very difficult ing independence to the Philippines exclusive employee representative was matter. We considered the returnees to and the British were preparing to do the not officially relevant, and there was a be heroes and so should the Secretary. same in India. certain chaos up and down the chain of “I’ll get back to you.” Larry did, and Sadly, Ho Chi Minh’s appeals were command. said that there would probably be a pri- ignored and his political philosophy However, we did contribute to the out- vate scolding, but no adverse actions. and allegiances—whether he was a true come, as I recount here. Our actions were I do not know how important our communist aligned with Moscow at the all verbal and part of the inevitable “back intervention was in the Secretary’s deci- time or merely a committed Vietnamese story” that gives oral history its value. sion. What I do know is that the outcome nationalist—remained unknown. As the crisis evolved, corridor rumor was what we hoped for, and that AFSA, Two decades later, when President became fact. We learned that not a few like our heroic colleagues, had acted Lyndon Johnson directly proposed AFSA members were returning to Viet- honorably. negotiations to end the widening con- nam on personal missions (one of our Tom Boyatt flict in Indochina, Ho Chi Minh replied own small AFSA staff left for Vietnam for Ambassador, retired with grim determination that the Ameri- the same purpose). AFSA Vice President for Retirees cans should first end their bombing The question was, how will the Sec- AFSA President, 1973-75 campaign and withdraw the hundreds of retary and “the system” deal with this McLean, Virginia thousands of troops that had been sent phenomenon? Emotions were running to Vietnam to prevent the country’s high, and we feared the worst. Vietnam Lessons unification and to prop up Our conduit to the Secretary was Learned what ultimately turned out Larry Eagleburger, then the under A comparative reading to be a corrupt and unpopu- secretary for management and Henry of two substantively differ- lar regime. the K’s alter ego on many issues. AFSA’s ent memos describing “The A feeler by President Rich- small, informal Executive Committee Lessons of Vietnam” (July- ard Nixon a few years later decided that I, as AFSA president, would August FSJ) made for much was met with a similarly blunt call Larry and inform him that any thought-provoking reflec- response that mirrored the dis- action against Craig Johnstone or Lionel tion, especially for those of ciplined, implacable advance Rosenblatt (the two FSOs we were sure us who lived through that of North Vietnamese forces. had traveled), or any others, would elicit painfully divisive era. The lessons to be learned

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 9 from such contacts seem inescapable. to provide me professionally, I feel that or not, this serves as a test case that First, appeals from leaders who seek in this case, it has come up short. will affect all MSI recipients in years to our help and offer us friendship should In an economic environment where come. be thoroughly vetted instead of being the public sector is fighting to retain Joshua Levin-Soler ignored or dismissed outright. employees of quality, simple measures Foreign Service Special Agent, The price for not having done so such as financial incentives can help. Diplomatic Security Service in terms of the potential avoidance of Furthermore, reneging on a fundamen- Kabul, Afghanistan military involvement and its enormous tal agreement to pay out performance cost in blood and treasure is a matter of awards sends a message to all employ- IRM Promotions record in the case of Vietnam. ees, not just MSI recipients, that good Attention fellow information technol- Second, a people’s struggle for inde- work is not valued or rewarded. ogy managers, especially those of you pendence from oppression, foreign or This is a message that the federal (and your families) who have dedicated domestic, may be considered legitimate government can ill afford as unemploy- more than two decades to the Foreign regardless of how closely the political ment drops and private-sector hiring Service and are still at the FS-2 rank. philosophy of their leaders resembles accelerates. You may find State’s 2014 promo- our own. State Department employees, like all tion statistics sad and depressing (see And finally, the enemy of a friend or employees, value recognition, respect “By the Numbers” in the April edition of ally (in this case, the French) may not and rewards for performance. However, State magazine). prove to be our enemy unless having over the past 30 years, federal employees You may get the impression that the been forced into being one. have endured the screeds of politi- State Department does not fully appreci- Ironically, a half-century later we cians and media pundits vilifying us as ate or value your sacrifices, dedication or enjoy cordial relations with our erst- inefficient, wasteful and undeserving of the documented evidence that you are while foe and even find ourselves proper financial compensation. ready to serve at the next higher pay grade. aligned with Vietnam in facing the When public employees leave In my opinion, based on the num- expansionist aspirations of its historic government employment tired and bers, you would be right. enemy and increasingly assertive neigh- embittered, they are then criticized for According to the 2014 promotion bor, China. walking through the “revolving door” of statistics, the average time in service Fred Kalhammer public and private employment. for an information technology manager USAID SFSO, retired In my experience, morale has taken (ITM) to make FS-1 is 17.7 years. Feeling Sun City Center, Florida a severe hit due to these attacks, and the pain yet? The average time in grade our best employees are expressing their at FS-2 is 6.8 years. Paying MSIs sentiments not only with their voices, If these stats were a one-off, maybe The State Department’s attempt to but with their feet, moving to the private even a two-off, we might accept that avoid payment of 2013 and 2014 Merito- sector. during that panel’s review the other rious Step Increase financial awards is a The department should view the MSI employees simply told a better story. public relations and staffing mistake. In financial award as a tool to maintain But, no, this is the reality for ITMs. response, AFSA filed an implementation and motivate a cadre of high-performing Across the board, we FS-2 ITMs with dispute that is entering its final stages. employees working at the forefront of more than 20 years of service and 10 I want to thank AFSA for fighting diplomacy where our country needs years in grade have apparently failed to this fight. It is not just about the money. them most. tell our own story and convince panels Rather, it is a fight on principle; the I encourage my colleagues to stand that we are ready for the next level. department should demonstrate that in solidarity with AFSA in requesting The good side of this is that the it stands by its employees and wants to that all MSI recipients from 2013 and people we have mentored, trained and hold onto them. While I am grateful to 2014 promotion boards receive the counseled are doing very well. In fact, the department for my employment and financial awards they are due. Whether you can now work for someone who was for the myriad opportunities it continues you received an MSI during these years once a new hire working for you at their

10 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL

Take AFSA With You! Change your address online, first post. So, in a way—you succeeded. present profession: theology. If that does not lighten your heart, Further, if the Service is not fully a visit us at remember you are working for an orga- profession, the links between it and www.afsa.org/address nization that pays well, has not eroded theology discerned in my book Theology Or all of the benefits and consistently ranks and the Disciplines of the Foreign Service Send changes to: in the top five places to work in the gov- (reviewed in the April FSJ) would not AFSA Membership ernment. See? Good news! work. In making these links apparent, However, if you feel as many of those the book gives an account of the Foreign Department I have spoken to do, that a promotion Service, highlighting the following key 2101 E Street NW is the true mark of success—either we features. Washington DC 20037 have failed miserably, or the department The Foreign Service was forged by is trying to tell us that they do not need its history, above all its post-World War our experience, our esprit de corps or II history. In his historical survey, Ray our successes. recognizes a difference before and after There is a new breed on board and the war. the Oldersauruses (that’s us) are extinct, But in my view he does not allow suf- even though we are still walking around ficiently for the transformation that the for a little while longer. nation, and with it the Foreign Service, Richard E. McCormick underwent in those few years. From a FSS, Operations Officer secondary player in the world it went to Regional Information being one of two superpowers, locked, Management Center Bangkok moreover, in a struggle for survival with each other. The Epitome of The resulting pressures on the Professions Foreign Service were tremendous. They In his significant Speaking Out col- may be seen as the main source of its umn in the July-August FSJ, “America strict hierarchism; its insistence on total Needs a Professional Foreign Service,” commitment by its members; its stress Ambassador Charles Ray questioned the on teamwork, not solo performance; professionalism of the Foreign Service. its insistence on both cogency and On the basis of criteria offered by exactitude in reporting; and its tradition Professor Dan Snider of the Army War of accomplishing assignments no matter College, Amb. Ray concluded that the how difficult and of meeting deadlines Foreign Service was not fully a profes- no matter how tight. sion, at least not yet. I, on the These features are per- other hand, consider it the haps most evident in its epitome of professions, the performance in pre-1975 standard by which other profes- Vietnam. sionalisms should be judged. And they have implica- Moving? Practically speaking, I have tions for training, one no choice. I was formed by the of Amb. Ray’s concerns. Foreign Service; apart from a Certainly more training is stint in the Army during World desirable. But for officers War II, I had no previous institu- to become fully profes- tional formation. Foreign Service sional, years of service under disciplines are the ones I bring to my supervisors already formed are required,

12 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL somewhat as with apprenticeships under a master in a medieval craft guild. Perhaps the Foreign Service should be considered as much a craft as a pro- fession. Ray himself speaks of “the art and craft of diplomacy.” None of this is to say that the Foreign Service is without difficulties, exacer- bated no doubt by the politicization which the July-August FSJ so forthrightly addresses and by other agencies’ intru- sions into its domain. But these difficulties should be regarded as declines from its previous standards rather than as evidence that it is still on the way to professionalism. Overcoming them requires looking back to the Service’s own traditions, not importing values from the outside. The Rev. Theodore L. Lewis FSO, retired Germantown, Maryland

Out of the Shadows Hats off to the FSJ for bringing the need for a professional Foreign Service out of the shadows. For too long we have ignored this issue, feeling smug in having run and survived the gauntlet of the highly selective FS examination and selection process. Ambassador Charles Ray’s article in the July-August issue points the way forward, but AFSA and its membership need to continually advocate and press for needed changes to transform the Foreign Service into a true profession. There will be little interest and no support from the management of the department in this effort. This is some- thing we need to do ourselves, and AFSA needs to lead the charge. Ted Strickler Senior FSO, retired Kansas City, Missouri n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 13 TALKING POINTS

FS Brats in the at each participating Shark Tank college represent A Historic Step in Havana n February, Alley Heffern (daughter of Taaluma Totes and IFSO Ambassador John Heffern) and her spread the word. business partner Jack DuFour appeared Although the on the popular ABC television show “sharks” declined “Shark Tank” to convince the hosts to to back the year-old invest in their business, Taaluma Totes. company financially, A Foreign Service moment on national noting that it was “too television is unusual, but it is all the more soon,” they praised surprising when it turns out that “shark” Alley and Jack on their investor “Mr. Wonderful” (Kevin O’Leary) innovative business is himself a Foreign Service brat. model, and encour- U.S.DEPARTMENT OF STATE U.S.DEPARTMENT “I had a little connection with this aged them to seek Secretary of State John Kerry (forefront left) and Chargé when Alley said that her dad worked for funding when the d’Affaires Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis watch as the State Department and traveled a lot,” company is more U.S. Marines raise the American flag at the ambassador’s residence in Havana, Cuba, on Aug. 14. he said. “That was also my story. I lived mature. in Cambodia, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Cyprus, They expressed Japan, Switzerland, France. Every two admiration for the fact that two young still a long way to go before transgender years we moved.” people, inspired by examples of public people have equal rights. Taaluma Totes was inspired by Alley’s service, were hoping to continue the For example, on May 7, The Times of Foreign Service childhood and a col- tradition. “Taaluma” means “culture” in India reported on the case of transgender lege trip to Uganda, where she and Jack Swahili, and according to Jack and Alley, visa applicant Amruta Alpesh Soni, whose sourced their first fabric to make beautiful, with Taaluma Totes, “You carry more than application to attend a trans health con- unusual backpacks. a backpack; you carry a country.” ference in Philadelphia was put “on hold” They co-founded the company with the —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern due to an inconsistency in her paperwork. goal of strengthening economic ties within The gender in her Indian passport, “T” the global community. Taaluma Totes Passports, Visas and (transgender), did not match the gender sources traditional fabrics from local arti- Transgender Rights she listed on her DS-160 visa application, sans in Asian, African and Latin America. olling Stone called 2014 the “big- because State’s online form only allows A portion of the money earned from Rgest year in transgender history.” Its applicants to choose male or female. the sale of each backpack funds a micro- December 2014 issue highlighted some of While U.S. Consulate General Kolkata loan for an artist, farmer or entrepreneur the victories, from Amazon’s “Transpar- reportedly did issue the visa, after two in the country where its fabric originated. ent” television series’ two Golden Globe days and a likely legal “advisory opinion” Assembled in Richmond, Virginia, in a nominations (which it ultimately won) from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the facility that employs adults with disabili- to certain women’s colleges’ adoption of incident was indicative of the many chal- ties, the backpacks retail for $65 to $75. trans-inclusive admissions policies. lenges faced by transgender persons even Currently, about 20 percent of profits Even the State Department got in on when dealing with trans-friendly govern- go to microloans, which are typically paid the action by asking its health insurance ments and institutions. back within 12 months. The money from providers to lift exclusions related to “sex Apart from India, a handful of coun- repaid loans is then put toward purchas- reassignment” (see December 2014 Talk- tries including Australia, Bangladesh, ing more unique, traditional fabrics, ing Points). Though 2014 was indeed a Nepal and New Zealand, offer their completing the cycle. banner year for the advancement of trans- citizens a third gender category on their Heffern and DuFour also run what they gender rights in the United States, and passports. Germany and Malta have call a campus ambassador program aim- Caitlyn Jenner’s completing her transition legislation that will soon offer passport- ing to expand their business. Two students has only added steam in 2015, there’s seekers gender options other than male

14 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL and female, as well. first Foreign Service officer to publically Technology Throughout the Department Though the United States changed its transition, discusses how the support she of State” emphasizes why constantly policy in 2010 to allow its own citizens received from embassy colleagues was key improving S&T competencies is integral to change the gender in their passports to helping her through that critical time to a range of foreign policy issues in our without having undergone sex reassign- as part of a New York Times series titled rapidly changing world. ment surgery, it still doesn’t offer the third “Transgender Today.” The report offers specific steps to boost gender option. (Under the new policy, a —Maria C. Livingston, Associate Editor S&T competence: passport applicant must present a physi- ■ Establish an S&T Advisory Board to cian’s certificate verifying that they have Improving Science and provide insights on S&T issues related to had appropriate clinical treatment for Technology at State the foreign policy agenda. gender transition.) recent report from the National ■ Maintain and, when appropriate, And since the department is unable to AResearch Council surveys the current increase S&T counselors at embassies comment on Soni’s visa application due science and technology landscape at the where S&T issues are important. to privacy laws, it remains unclear how State Department and recommends ways ■ Elevate the organizational status of future visa cases involving non-American to strengthen S&T capabilities. Published the S&T adviser to the equivalent of an third-gender passports will be handled. in June, “Diplomacy for the 21st Century: assistant secretary. Meanwhile, Robyn McCutcheon, the Embedding a Culture of Science and ■ Conduct S&T-oriented foresight

50 Years Ago

A Consular Conundrum he introduction to the Welfare and Protection Chapter of the Foreign Affairs Manual calls upon the consular officer to Tkeep “in mind that the manner of performing a service may be of equal importance to the service itself,” and to dem- onstrate to individuals that “their problems are receiving careful attention (even in those cases in which it is not possible to accede to a request or bring about the desired solution).” The concern of many consular officers, including myself, is that the implementation of this standard is becoming increasingly difficult. At posts with a significant volume of consular activity, the officer is being compelled to realign his attention from the human predicament in the waiting room to the rapid and, too often, mechanical production of ser- vices. The difficulty exists because consular resources have failed to keep pace with a rising volume of activity, and because the department has chosen to respond by encouraging a rapid expansion of productivity, and not the resources. In fiscal year 1964, the nonimmigrant visa workload rose 23 percent over the preceding year, and comparable increases were recorded in other consular functions. The difficulty is compounded by the attitude that the sole function of consular sections is to produce “services.” As a consequence of the attitude, and the inadequacy of consular resources, many posts are being analyzed by a “productivity index”—essentially a ratio of “ser- vices” produced per man hour. At the same time, the consular process is being realigned so that an officer’s day is strictly allocated to “service”-producing functions, such as taking oaths, signing passports and visas. The interview, formerly a well of information and contacts, is being formalized into a one-to- five-minute routine or eliminated altogether. Various steps in the procedures are being elimi- nated. Sections are being pressured to deploy form letters and information sheets instead of personal attention. —From “That Which Befits a Profession” by Robert F. Ober Jr., in the September 1965 FSJ.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 15 “The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Contemporary Quote Action with Iran stands as a landmark agreement in deterring the proliferation The decision we are going to take today is not only on Iran’s nuclear of nuclear weapons. If properly imple- program; it is much, much more than this. It is a decision that mented, this comprehensive and rigor- can open the way to a new chapter in international relations and ously negotiated agreement can be an show that diplomacy, coordination and cooperation can overcome effective instrument in arresting Iran’s decades of tensions and confrontations. I think this is a sign of hope nuclear program and preventing the for the entire world, and we all know that this is very much needed spread of nuclear weapons in the volatile in these times. and vitally important region of the Middle —Federica Mogherini, European Union foreign policy chief, speaking at a news conference East. … on July 14 following the historic signing of a deal with Iran limiting Iranian nuclear activity. “As former American diplomats, we have devoted much of our lives to ensur- ing that the president had available the assessments that synthesize actionable Under Secretary of Defense for Inter- best possible diplomatic approaches to conclusions. national Security Affairs Frank Wisner dealing with challenges to our nation’s ■ Increase efforts to understand the and Under Secretary of State for Political security, even while recognizing that a composition, reactions and influences of Affairs and Ambassador to Israel, Russia, strong military is essential to help the large foreign audiences via social media. India and the United Nations Thomas president and the Congress to carry out The report also recommends a culture Pickering. their duties to protect the nation and its change throughout the department and Drafted by The Iran Project, the letter people. … American embassies so that S&T profi- states in part: “We recognize that the JCPOA is not ciency is considered equal in importance to language fluency and area expertise. To purchase a copy of the report Fun with Idioms or read it free online, go to www.bit. Test your language skills on this sampling of idioms. Can you interpret the real ly/1N66xAk. meaning of these literal translations? —Brittany DeLong, Assistant Editor 1. German: Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. 7. Portuguese: Quem não tem cão More than 100 Former English: “I only understand the train caça com gato. U.S. Ambassadors station.” English: “He who doesn’t have a dog Applaud Iran Deal 2. German: Die Katze im Sack kaufen. hunts with a cat.” s the controversy over the Iran English: “To buy a cat in a sack.” 8. Portuguese: Empurrar com a bar- A agreement heated up in mid-July, 3. Swedish: Att glida in på en räk- riga. more than 100 former U.S. ambassadors macka. English: “To push something with signed a letter to President Barack Obama English: “To slide in on a shrimp your belly.” applauding what they characterized as a sandwich.” 9. Croatian: Doce maca na vratanca. “landmark agreement” and urging its sup- 4. French: Avaler des couleuvres. English: “The cat will come to the port by Congress. English: “To swallow grass snakes.” tiny door.” Signatories include such Foreign Ser- 5. Latvian: Ej bekot. 10. Dutch: Lets voor een appel en een vice luminaries as former Under Secretary English: “Go pick mushrooms.” ei kopen. of State Nicholas Burns, Ambassador to 6. French: Se regarder en chiens de English: “Buying something for an Israel and Egypt Daniel Kurtzer, Ambas- faïence. apple and an egg.” sador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and English: “To look at each other like Syria Ryan Crocker, Ambassador to India, earthenware dogs.” See p. 18 for the answers. Egypt, the Philippines and Zambia and Source: http://blog.ted.com/40-idioms-that-cant-be-translated-literally/ Source:

16 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL SITE OF THE MONTH: FOREIGNASSISTANCE.gov

eat and user-friendly, this redesigned and much-improved website from Nthe State Department enables both policymakers and the public to better understand the United States’ foreign aid budgeting and allocation process. This tool for informing the general public about the development work of foreign affairs agencies is espe- cially important at a time when most of the public mistakenly believes that approximately a quarter of the national budget goes to foreign aid (in fact, it is less than 1 percent!). Foreign assistance experts and novices alike can explore the world of American foreign assistance by downloading comprehensive datas- ets or by clicking on an interactive map to view statistics by country. The site presents, in simple terms, how budgets are formulated for each agency, as well as a primer on U.S. global development policy. The tool also breaks down funding by agency and nine sectors: peace and security, program management, economic development, health, democracy, human rights and governance, humanitarian assistance, education and social services, and the environment. You can find out how much is planned, obli- gated and spent in any given year since 2005, showing which implementing organizations received even the tiniest sums and for what purpose. There is even a handy glossary of relevant bureaucratic lingo, acronyms and abbreviations. Though more than 20 differ- ent agencies are involved in dis- pensing foreign aid, the website currently covers the expenses and activities of 10, account- ing for 98 percent of U.S. foreign assistance. They are: USAID, Peace Corps, Department of State, U.S. African Develop- ment Foundation, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Department of Agricul- ture, Inter-American Foundation, Department of the Treasury, Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services. The United States became party to the International Aid Transparency Initiative in 2011, and the website’s managers have been working to provide U.S. data in an internationally comparable format ever since. This transparency will not only benefit the public, but the participating agencies who will be bet- ter able to track successes to be replicated and failures to be avoided, and to coordinate to avoid overlap. —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 17 a perfect or risk-free settlement of this ANSWERS to Quiz, p.16 problem. However, we believe without 1. “I don’t understand any of what it, the risks to the security of the United that person is saying.” 2. Refers to purchasing something States and our friends and allies would be without inspecting it first. far greater. 3. Refers to somebody who didn’t have to work to get where they are. “We are satisfied that the JCPOA 4. “To be so insulted that you’re not will put in place a set of constraints and able to reply.” inspections that can assure that Iran’s 5. “Go away/leave me alone.” 6. “To look at each other coldly, with AFSA Scholarship nuclear program during the terms of the distrust.” agreement will remain only for peace- 7. “You make the most with what AFSA.org/Scholar you’ve got.” ful purposes and that no part of Iran is 8. “To keep postponing an important Clements Worldwide exempt from inspection. As with any chore.” 9. “What goes around comes clements.com negotiated settlement, the most durable around.” and effective agreement is one that all 10. “Buying something very cheaply.” Embassy Risk Management sides will commit to and benefit from over Embassyrisk.com the long term. “We support close congressional the rule of law in Afghanistan that gives The Hirshorn Company involvement in the oversight, monitoring much food for thought. Hirshorn.com/USFS and enforcement of this agreement. Con- SIGAR aimed to determine the extent McGrath Real Estate Services gress must be a full partner in its imple- to which (1) the rule of law strategy and McGrathRealEstate.com mentation and must evaluate carefully objectives are current and define the the value and feasibility of any alternative scope of assistance, (2) agencies can fully Peake Management, Inc. that would claim better to protect U.S. account for programs and funding, (3) Peakeinc.com security and more effectively to prevent progress is being systematically measured, Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. and (4) challenges encountered are being Senior Living Foundation In particular, Congress must give careful addressed. SLFoundation.org attention to evaluating whether alterna- Distressingly, the answer in each case tives would be more or less likely to nar- was “not much.” This is captured in the WJD Management row the options for resolving this issue report’s title, “Rule of Law in Afghanistan: wjdpm.com without the use of force. U.S. Agencies Lack a Strategy and Cannot “In our judgment the JCPOA deserves Fully Determine the Effectiveness of Pro- congressional support and the opportu- grams Costing More Than $1 Billion.” nity to show it can work. We firmly believe SIGAR details its findings that the that the most effective way to protect U.S. Departments of Defense, State, Justice national security and that of our allies and and USAID have spent at least $1 billion friends is to ensure that tough-minded on some 66 programs since 2003, but diplomacy has a chance to succeed before that there is little indication of what was considering other more costly and risky achieved and, moreover, there has been alternatives.” no comprehensive rule of law strategy —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Intern since 2009. The IG’s recommendations, as well Spotlight on Rule of Law as comments from DOD and DOJ, and Programs in Afghanistan joint comments from Embassy Kabul and n July, the Special Inspector General for the USAID Mission for Afghanistan are IAfghanistan Reconstruction issued the included in the report. n results of an audit of the efforts to develop —Susan B. Maitra, Managing Editor

18 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL SPEAKING OUT

The State Department Needs to Reevaluate Its Use of 360-Degree Reviews

BY WILLIAM BENT f used correctly, 360-degree reviews The department’s current use of the can be a valuable tool for an organiza- tion seeking to develop its workforce 360-degree review process to determine Iand foster a culture of leadership and assignments is misguided and detrimental management excellence. The increasing use of 360s in organizations, including to the long-term health of the Foreign the State Department, stems from the Service. recognition that a performance appraisal alone does not give a full picture of an inflate accomplishments to the point as positive—from supervisors, peers and employee’s effectiveness and potential. where every Foreign Service officer “walks subordinates, true career development As Richard Lepsinger and Antoinette on water,” it is natural that those respon- can begin if the individual can translate Lucia stated in their 1997 book, The Art sible for filling Foreign Service positions this feedback into a plan of action to and Science of 360-Degree Feedback: would seek a more reliable method of grow. “Neither upward nor downward feedback screening bidders. Two examples of the State Depart- includes the perspectives of a significant Assignment decision-makers obvi- ment’s use of the 360 are in line with this population—colleagues, peers, members ously want to find the most qualified per- approach to human resource develop- of project teams, other senior managers son for the position, particularly when it ment: the Foreign Service Institute’s use and customers—who depend on and involves significant leadership and mana- of the 360 in its leadership and manage- are affected by the behavior of a given gerial responsibilities, such as a deputy ment training classes and the Bureau manager. These people are also in a posi- chief of mission job or the supervisor of a of Consular Affairs’ use of the 360 in its tion to observe a wide range of behaviors large consular operation. annual Consular Leadership Indicator that might not be apparent to a direct Worthy as these intentions may be, survey. CA’s CLI offers every consular supervisor or a direct report. Gathering the department’s current use of the supervisor the opportunity to, on a information from many different people 360-degree review process to determine voluntary basis, solicit feedback from provides a complete portrait of behavior assignments is misguided and detrimen- subordinates via an online tool that then on the job.” tal to the long-term health of the Foreign aggregates the results and provides a This probably explains why the various Service. scorecard to the manager. bureaus in the State Department are rely- In both examples, the results are not ing more and more on 360s in the assign- A Development Tool the end point, but rather constitute the ment process. Given the criticisms often The true value of the 360-degree first step in a process of self-reflection lobbed at the Foreign Service Employee review—and its most common use by and, hopefully, growth as a leader and Evaluation Review, it is understandable far in the private sector—is as a develop- manager. Indeed, the literature on 360s that their use has increased in the depart- ment tool. When an employee receives makes it very clear that discussion of the ment. In a system where some claim EERs constructive feedback—negative as well results is a key component of the process, the purpose of which is to develop lead- William Bent, a consular-coned officer serving in Bridgetown, Barbados, is a ers. former member of the Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board and the AFSA Gov- Unfortunately, other than these two erning Board. Bent joined the Foreign Service in 1992 and has served in Prague, examples, the department’s use of 360s is Kingston, Santo Domingo, Kabul and several domestic assignments. He recently not for developmental purposes, but for graduated from the National War College. what amounts to hiring decisions.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 19 Use of 360-degree reviews for purposes ■ The State Department’s use of 360s in determining assignments was not other than development remains adequately studied prior to implementa- controversial among human resource tion. This practice appears to have been experts. implemented on an ad hoc basis several years ago, with a few bureaus using email as a platform to receive input. The use Hiring Decisions: assessor. On the whole, most peers and of 360s has now proliferated, with all The Concern subordinates resist being frank and can- bureaus involved in the assignment pro- Use of the 360-degree review for hiring did in their reviews. Having the assessed cess utilizing them to make decisions. decisions that can make or break a career employee pick his or her own assessors Yet there seems to have been no prior is of concern for the following reasons: emphasizes this tendency, skewing the centralized review of the ramifications of ■ The reviews are seldom transpar- results. broad use of the tool on the Foreign Ser- ent. In current practice, the assessed It also replicates the EER problem: vice workforce. The use of SharePoint and employee usually has no idea what feed- when everyone walks on water, the deci- other technologies to gather the results back the deciding official has received, sion-makers try to read between the lines, also raises confidentiality questions and an employee receiving any negative looking for any chinks in an individual’s (some 360s have been posted—I assume feedback is rarely, if ever, contacted to armor. Paradoxically, this feeds into the accidentally—on the State Department’s discuss the issues raised. This creates the concerns discussed above, since any intranet site). potential for unsubstantiated criticism negative review raises bells and whistles ■ Some recipients of the results may that can unfairly undermine an employ- and is given extra weight. lack the training and expertise to inter- ee’s chance for advancement. One does ■ Use of 360-degree reviews for pur- pret them effectively. There is a reason not have to assume deliberate career poses other than development remains there are books and articles written by sabotage here: as a manager, one some- controversial among human resource human resource academics and special- times has to make unpopular decisions experts. Using them to determine assign- ists on how to effectively implement and that years later still rankle former subordi- ments is akin to using them as perfor- utilize the 360-degree review process. nates who, because of inexperience, may mance appraisals, which some human Has the State Department trained offi- not have had the full picture. resource experts see as detrimental to an cials using the results in human resource The Bureau of Consular Affair’s recent organization because of its negative effect management or the 360-degree review development of the Consular Bidder on personal growth. When the results are process? Do these officials have goals Assessment Tool addresses the issue of not shared in a transparent way, trust is beyond filling the position in question transparency by allowing the assessed undermined. (e.g., the further career development of employee to see the anonymous feedback In its book Maximizing the Value of an employee)? statements. But the employee is denied 360-Degree Feedback, the Center for Cre- Moreover, what role has the Bureau the opportunity for a timely discussion of ative Leadership explained: “Conditions of Human Resources—the one bureau the results (bidders are instructed not to for personal growth frequently can be at theoretically best placed to manage this attempt to discuss results until after bid- odds in an organizational environment process—played in implementing the 360 ding season is over). This is a surprising where there are concerns over issues review requirements? Are career devel- approach from the bureau that brought us of trust, candor and openness of com- opment officers discussing the results of the innovative CLI. munication. In such a situation, it is not 360s with clients to improve the employ- The DCM/principal officer 360-degree surprising that when 360-degree feedback ee’s chances of strengthening skills? reviews are neither transparent, nor do is used as part of performance appraisal, ■ The annual deluge of 360s creates they provide any opportunity for assessed the organization risks losing the value of significant time and resource issues. Let’s employees to obtain feedback. individual and organizational develop- face it, the 360 process has become a ■ The reviews have little value because ment because the conditions necessary major time suck for everyone involved, the assessed employee chooses the for change are taken away.” with email inboxes inundated each sum-

20 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL mer with requests for 360-degree reviews. department. Certainly 360s can play a sig- input into this process. Although we all have a responsibility to nificant role in this process, but the focus • Ensure that any plan to utilize assist our colleagues and the organiza- must be on career development. 360-degree reviews in the assignment tion as a whole by diligently filling out The focus on development does not process is transparent. Members of the the reviews, the sheer volume of requests preclude the use of 360s for assignments, Foreign Service should know what is can be overwhelming. This could result but the State Department should explore being said about them, even if the com- in less comprehensive responses that the following recommendations: ments remain anonymous. don’t give a full portrait of the assessed • Immediately suspend the use of 360s • Tie the 360s, even if used for assign- employee. in the Foreign Service assignment process ments, to career development. CDOs pending the completion of a study, con- should discuss the results with clients and Put 360s into Perspective ducted by an outside consultant, on the establish voluntary individual develop- The State Department continues to effectiveness of their use. ment plans involving additional training make great strides in the area of leader- • Coordinate any decision on the use and coaching. ship and management development. of 360-degree reviews for assignments All of us are ultimately responsible for The Bureau of Consular Affairs’ pioneer- with the Director General, and ensure our careers. But by adopting the above ing work has spread to several other that the Bureau of Human Resources recommendations, the State Department bureaus, and the past year also witnessed directs the implementation. As the profes- could take a giant leap forward in foster- the Secretary of State’s increased focus sional association and bargaining unit of ing a supportive climate where personal on fostering a culture of leadership and the Foreign Service, the American Foreign growth and advancement are more managerial excellence throughout the Service Association should also have attainable. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 21 FOCUS ON AFSA AWARDS AND DISSENT

A LIFETIME OF PUBLIC SERVICE: William C. Harrop The recipient of AFSA’s 2015 Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award talks about his Foreign Service career, his pioneering role in AFSA and his view of the challenges before the Foreign Service today.

BY MARIA C. LIVINGSTON

mbassador William C. Harrop is Honor Award and the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the 2015 recipient of the Ameri- among numerous other honors. can Foreign Service Association’s Since retiring in 1993, Amb. Harrop has dedicated himself Lifetime Contributions to American to supporting diplomacy and its practitioners. He is a board Diplomacy Award in recognition of member of the Henry L. Stimson Center, a think-tank which his distinguished Foreign Ser- promotes innovative solutions to global security challenges. In vice career and lifetime of public addition to serving as a member of the Washington Institute of service. Foreign Affairs and of the Foreign Affairs Council, he is a direc- During his 39-year career as a tor of the American Academy of Diplomacy, the Senior Living Foreign Service officer, William Harrop served as United States Foundation of the American Foreign Service and American Aambassador to Guinea (1975-1977), Kenya and the Seychelles Diplomacy Publishers. He is also a member and former chair- (1980-1983), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known man of the board of Population Services International, the larg- as Zaire, 1988-1991) and Israel (1992-1993). est health social-marketing nongovernmental organization, and Among other assignments, Ambassador Harrop was the the Humane Society of Washington, D.C. Inspector General of the State Department and Foreign Service For many years, Amb. Harrop has directed a sizable portion (1983-1988), principal deputy assistant secretary of State for Afri- of the charitable activities of the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation can affairs (1980-1983) and deputy chief of mission in Canberra toward projects strengthening the Foreign Service and AFSA. (1973-1975). He was also a member of the State Department’s In 2010, Amb. Harrop became president and chairman of the Policy Planning and Coordination Staff, and served in Italy and Foreign Affairs Museum Council, which is now the Diplomacy Belgium as a junior officer. Center Foundation, at the State Department. The groundbreak- Amb. Harrop chaired the association’s Governing Board ing ceremony for the project took place in September 2014. from 1972 to 1974, and has served on AFSA’s Scholarship Amb. Harrop and his wife of 53 years, the former Ann Dela- Committee (which he also chaired) and Awards and Plaques van, have four sons and nine grandchildren. Committee. He has received the Foreign Service Cup, conferred Foreign Service Journal Associate Editor Maria C. Livingston by DACOR, as well as the State Department’s Distinguished interviewed Amb. Harrop on June 10.

22 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL COURTESY OF WILLIAM C. HARROP William C. Harrop poses with current and former Secretaries of State during the September 2014 groundbreaking event for the United States Diplomacy Center. From left: Henry Kissinger, James Baker, John Kerry, Harrop, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell.

Foreign Service Journal: First of all, congratulations on your FSJ: Tell us about your first assignments. You went to Palermo award. and Rome, right? William C. Harrop: Thank you. WCH: I should first note that I never went through the A-100 orientation course because we were needed in the field FSJ: Maybe we could begin by having you explain what drew so badly. So I went right out to Palermo as a visa officer. Very you to a diplomatic career. restrictive legislation excluded anyone with even a remote con- WCH: Well, when I graduated from Harvard I didn’t know nection to the Communist Party from receiving an immigrant what I wanted to do. I joined the Marines during the Korean visa. There were a lot of those people in Sicily whom I had to War and several people said, “The hardest examination is the turn down, which was heartrending at times. one for the Foreign Service.” My reaction was, “Well, I’ll see if I Eighteen months later, I moved on to Rome. I spent the can do it.” I went to a 10-week cram course at The George Wash- next 38 years after that trying to get back to Italy! In fact, I was ington University, and then took the test in the fall of 1952. To enjoying myself so much there, doing economic reporting, that my surprise, I passed and made it through the oral afterward. when the department assigned me to the personnel division Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.) was a very powerful figure back in Washington, I sent an angry note back saying that if in Washington at that time and, because he blocked appropria- I’d wanted to be a personnel officer I would have worked for tions, the State Department couldn’t take in new people for two Westinghouse. years. I got a very firm reply saying, “If you want to stay in the While waiting, I got married and entered the University of Foreign Service, you’ll do what you’re told. Come back here!” Missouri’s journalism program. I was within three weeks of my Fortunately, the personnel division turned out to be a very master’s degree when I received a call from the State Depart- interesting, useful assignment. I learned about the workings of ment in 1954 that said, “If you get here in the next two weeks, the system from the inside. we have an appointment for you.” I thought about it and talked to my wife, who said, “Well, heck, that’s what we want to do as FSJ: That’s so often the case in the Foreign Service, isn’t it? You a career,” so I accepted. I never did get that master’s degree in never know what these opportunities will lead to. journalism. WCH: No, you don’t.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 23 FSJ: Around that time, you started diving more into African affairs. In fact, you spent about half of your career working on Africa, didn’t you? WCH: Yes, at least half.

FSJ: How did it come about that you ended up specializing in that region? WCH: Complete luck. Toward the end of my three years in Brussels, the office director I’d worked for in AF, Mac Godley, became ambassador to the Congo. And he called me and asked me to think about serving as principal officer in Elizabethville. I agreed, and spent two years there. The name changed to Lubumbashi while I was there.

FSJ: I understand that after that experience, you went to an even more exotic place: New Jersey. WCH: Yes, I attended Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School COURTESY OF WILLIAM C. HARROP William C. Harrop (right), in his role as inspector general of for mid-career training. I don’t think I got as much out of the the Department of State and the Foreign Service, meets with Princeton experience as I should have, but then again, I didn’t Secretary of State George Shultz. get as much out of my time at Harvard as I could have either.

FSJ: And then? FSJ: You did several domestic tours in a row, right? WCH: After my year was up, I went back to Washington WCH: Yes. I was interested in the Atlantic Community, to direct the Africa division of the Bureau of Intelligence and having been in Italy, so I took a job in the European Bureau’s Research. While I was there, the outgoing chairman of the Regional Affairs Office working on atomic energy. I was the desk American Foreign Service Association, Lannon Walker, was des- officer for Euratom [the European Atomic Energy Community], perate to find a successor. It’s a peculiarity of the Foreign Ser- which initially was seen as the most likely vehicle for European vice that although AFSA does a great deal for its members most integration. As it turned out, that was not the case—the Com- people aren’t interested in working for it. But I agreed to run for mon Market was the vehicle. chairman (at that time the president’s title) and was elected. Still, it was very interesting work. After about a year and a half there, one morning in 1962, I received a call: “Oh, I’m sur- FSJ: You’ve played a key role in making AFSA what it is today. prised to find you over here—you’re now an African.” When did you first realize that there was a need for AFSA to be a I said, “What do you mean?” strong advocate for the Foreign Service as a union? “You have been reassigned to the Congo desk.” WCH: Well, it was really less the relationship between AFSA I was a bit annoyed by that, but I picked up my stuff and went and the department than the fact that the federal government down to be the economic officer in that office. That was another was unionizing. At that time, the relationship between AFSA fascinating job, because the Belgian investment in Congo, the and State management was quite amicable, because there were so-called Congo Portfolio, was very important. My colleague on Foreign Service people on both sides of the table. the political side was Frank Carlucci, and we became the best of The AFL-CIO was quite excited about the prospect that the friends. American Federation of Government Employees, its federal Next, I went to Brussels as an economic officer. I was kind government branch, might become the exclusive representa- of the Congo expert there, too. It was an exciting period. Many tive of the Foreign Service. And I just thought that was a very hostages had been taken in Stanleyville and a Belgian paratroop bad idea. We would have represented only about one-tenth of unit—Dragon Rouge was the name of that operation—rescued one percent of their constituents, so they wouldn’t have done them. anything for us. And that just looked like tremendous trouble.

24 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL So we embarked on a huge effort to prevent it. There were several of us: Tom Boyatt and Tex Harris, and one or two others. I took a year of leave without pay to work on this, it was so demanding. Luck- ily, former Under Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury Douglas Dillon agreed to pay two-thirds of my salary, and I found someone else to pay the last of it—a New York investment fellow who had been a public mem- ber of a selection board and had come to like the Foreign Service. So that worked out pretty well. COURTESY OF WILLIAM C. HARROP FSJ: Still, it must have been William C. Harrop with Mobutu Sese Seko, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in a real struggle. 1 9 87. WCH: Yes. One woman in particular, a former FSO, wanted AFGE to be the union repre- that definition. senting FSOs. She really went after me in an unpleasant way. I In my opinion the whole system has worked well for more actually knew her slightly; she’d been in Kinshasa just before than 40 years now. But I continue to worry that we could lose I arrived in Congo, and we overlapped by about a week. Later, our identity as a professional association and just become an she was working in Southeast Asia and was due to come back to outright union. We’ve seen that happen with the National Edu- Washington to work at the Board of Examiners, which she didn’t cation Association. Within two years of unionizing, the NEA was want to do. I was then the director of the Africa part of INR, and no longer a professional association. I didn’t want that to hap- she contacted me to ask if she could come work for my office pen to the American Foreign Service Association, and it has not. instead. I called up the personnel people and they were fine with it, so she came to INR. FSJ: Maybe we’ll return to AFSA later because there’s a lot to Later, when I was elected chair of the AFSA Board, she filed talk about there. I know that you were deputy chief of mission in suit with the Labor Department to disqualify me on the grounds Canberra in the mid-1970s. What did you take away from that in that I was a management official, so not eligible to head a terms of mentoring young officers? union. And she tried to use my helping her change assignments WCH: Well, before I went to Canberra, there was an organi- as evidence of that. zation in Washington which I don’t think exists any more, the Junior Foreign Service Officers Club. As the name suggests, it FSJ: How ironic. was a group of mainly first-tour and second-tour diplomats who WCH: It really was disgraceful. I was able to fend that off, but saw themselves as something of a rival to AFSA. the episode showed how important it was to have the narrowest I spent a lot of time with those guys, and I think I learned a possible definition of a supervisor or manager, so virtually every good deal about how to deal with younger people, something FSO could be a member of the bargaining unit. Surprisingly, I focused on during the rest of my career. I really was very con- both the Labor Department and State, whose leadership was cerned to bring people along. largely Foreign Service officers at that time, were sympathetic to I remember one disaffected woman who was an entry-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 25 which is really very important. The actual competency of the Foreign Service has declined somewhat in recent years. There’s not enough professional train- ing by any means. And Congress is very reluctant to appropriate much money for that.

FSJ: Three of your five ambassadorships were to African countries and came during the Cold War. That must have been a very fascinating time of power politics. How do you think our policies during that era influenced Africa’s development? WCH: When I arrived in Conakry as chief of mission in 1975, I had an office of 15 people. There were 700, I think, in

COURTESY OF WILLIAM C. HARROP the Chinese mission, and about 1,100 in William C. Harrop, center, with President George H.W. Bush and Yitzhak Rabin in Kennebunkport, Maine on July 10, 1992. the Soviet embassy. Both countries were spending a good deal of money in Guinea level officer in Tel Aviv when I was working there. She was and throughout Africa, but the Chinese were there primarily to so unhappy and felt so unappreciated that she told me she oppose the Soviets, not us. planned to leave the Foreign Service. So one night my wife and The Soviets were building a big refinery for bauxite, which is I took her out to dinner and the outdoor opera in Caesarea, one of Guinea’s biggest resources. The main bauxite company and we spent three or four hours talking. She never said she’d was internationally owned, and because the World Bank had changed her mind, but she stayed in the Service. And she conditioned its support on all transactions being done in hard recently became an ambassador. currency outside the country, President Sékou Touré, a dictator, could not manipulate the money. For their part, the Chinese FSJ: That must be very gratifying. built a magnificent public palace, which was a huge auditorium WCH: Yes. It shows why it’s so important for experienced and opera house. They did the same thing in other African people to mentor younger officers. That’s one of the great chal- countries and also built railroads. lenges the Foreign Service faces today: It’s so young. Moscow had built the main airport in Conakry, and its huge After the end of the Cold War, appropriations were way transport aircraft would fly from the Soviet Union over the down—something else AFSA fought to fix—and there was a Atlantic to survey the NATO fleet and sometimes harass it. Then period where no one came into the Foreign Service. Now we they would land in Conakry, refuel and get maintenance before have so many FSOs who have been in for less than 10 years that flying over to Cuba. there’s a shortage of more experienced folks to work with them. FSJ: Which was a problem for the United States. FSJ: You’re no stranger to the challenges associated with WCH: Yes, so without instructions from Washington I really working with the Hill. How do you think that the current budget put pressure on Sékou Touré to stop those landings. Because of battles will impact the Foreign Service and its effectiveness in its the complete inefficiency of socialized agriculture, his agricul- mission overseas? turally rich little country was starving. So when the time came WCH: Well, I think we may not come out too badly on this in to negotiate the next round of our PL-480 food support, I made the end. I think there’s a recognition by Republicans as well as it clear that I was having trouble working out a renewal; no Democrats of the importance of diplomacy. A big difficulty is telling how long it would take. Sékou Touré was furious, but he that we don’t have a personnel “float” like that of the military, couldn’t manage without our food.

26 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FSJ: And that did the trick. WCH: Right. He said, “Okay, no more Soviet planes,” and they stopped coming. But he also had signs put up which read, in French: “Down with food blackmail!” I don’t think anybody else had the slightest idea what that was about, but he knew I knew what it meant.

FSJ: Yeah, you got the message. Since you retired from the Foreign Service in 1993, Africa has become the scene for a differ- ent kind of power struggle. How do you view the huge Chinese investment in Africa, and what does it mean? WCH: Well, Beijing is keenly aware that Africa will keep growing in importance, because it’s both a huge source of raw materials and a huge market. I’m optimistic about the conti- nent’s prospects. The proportion of Africans with cell phones has gone up astronomically, and there’s growing industrial activity. Despite the dreadful corruption and infrastructure mess in Nigeria, it’s still a major economy, as is South Africa. I also think governance will gradually improve throughout the region. So, yes, I’m optimistic about Africa.

FSJ: You were the last FSO to serve as State Department inspector general. How has that job changed since then? WCH: The reason I was the final career FSO in the position is simple: Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) hated me and hated the Foreign Service. As he once said on the floor of the Senate, “The Foreign Service is an institution which is downright un-Amer- ican. It appoints itself, it assigns itself, it promotes itself, and, lo and behold, it even inspects itself.” Then he added, “We had best change it.” And he proceeded to do just that. The fellow who replaced me, Sherman Funk, had been inspector general of the Commerce Department; he was also a college classmate of mine, though I didn’t know him at the time. But he was very competent, putting more stress on auditing, in combination with inspecting embassies to improve operations. We’ve had one or two very weak inspector generals since he left—people appointed as though it were a political patronage job. But overall, they’ve been pretty good.

FSJ: Your next two ambassadorships were in Kenya and Zaire. Did you draw any lessons about democratization from your time in those places? WCH: Maybe one lesson to learn is that our concept of democracy simply may not be applicable everywhere. Yet we keep trying to impose it all over the world. A friend of mine, Mark Palmer, who died in 2013, was obsessed with that long

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 27 Guided by a Special Image of the Foreign Service William C. Harrop delivered these remarks at the 2015 AFSA Awards Ceremony.

he opening lines of great works in literature and history All modern nations maintain a professional diplomatic capture your attention. For example, “Call me Ishmael” service. So has the United States since the Rogers Act of 1924, Tfrom Moby Dick. “It was the best of times, it was the which was extended by the Foreign Service Acts of 1946 and worst of times” from A Tale of Two Cities. Or “All Gaul is divided 1980. Article II, Section 2 of our Constitution provides that the into three parts” from Julius Caesar’s history of the Gallic Wars. president “shall nominate and, by and with the advice and Or “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit” from…well, you consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public can guess. ministers and consuls.” Section 3 adds, “he shall commission all We Americans quickly identify certain opening lines: “When the officers of the United States.” in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one Thus, America’s diplomatic service consists of presidentially people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected appointed and commissioned Foreign Service officers. These them with another...” Or “We the people of the United States, in are reinforced by an increasingly sophisticated and technically order to form a more perfect union…” Or “Fourscore and seven expert Foreign Service specialist corps. And the Civil Service years ago, our forefathers brought forth on this continent a new provides an essential, knowledgeable backup in Washington. nation…” By law, the Foreign Service is a rank-in-person system, I am moved by the first sentence of Charles de Gaulle’s whose members are available worldwide and recruited through Mémoires de Guerre: “Toute ma vie, je me suis fait une certaine rigorous examination. They are promoted on merit through idée de la France.” Hard to translate, but maybe: “I have always competitive performance evaluation, and are subject to “up or been guided by a special image of France.” out” provisions modeled on those followed by officers of the That is pretty much the way I feel about the Foreign Service United States Navy. Through such provisions, Congress sought of the United States. I served 39 years as a Foreign Service offi- to establish an exceptional, professional diplomatic service. cer. I was chairman of the American Foreign Service Associa- Non-career political appointees and Civil Service employees tion when it was elected exclusive representative of the Foreign of the State Department and USAID are governed by separate Service. Some of us worried that when we added the responsi- personnel regulations; they are not subject to the legal require- bilities of a union to AFSA’s vocation as a professional associa- ments and disciplines of the Foreign Service. tion, the professional side would be crowded out. That had Yet the Human Resources Bureau of the Department of State happened to the National Education Association. But AFSA has has been systematically blurring the distinctions between the successfully combined the two missions. In fact, they proved to two systems, apparently seeking to shape a more egalitarian and be complementary. homogeneous workforce at home and abroad. This includes an absurd attempt to suppress the title “Foreign Service officer” True Professionals in favor of the disparaging label “generalist,” and even to avoid Foreign Service professionals develop a deep understand- public reference to the Foreign Service. This policy negates the ing of the concerns of other nations and, more important, of intent of Congress. Such institutional disrespect of presidentially America’s own international objectives. Fundamental Ameri- appointed and commissioned officers of the United States is can values and purposes remain largely constant over time. unworthy. For generations, the Foreign Service has been promoting these When I was on active duty, Foreign Service officers occupied enduring values and purposes. all but a handful of positions dealing with foreign policy in the If we imagine the international relations of the United States State Department’s geographic bureaus and over half of those to be a great ship, the Foreign Service would be its keel. The positions in the functional bureaus. Today, 40 percent of the elected Democratic or Republican administration steers the officer positions in the geographic bureaus and 80 percent in rudder of foreign policy while the keel contributes stability and the functional bureaus are occupied by civil servants or political continuity—as well as practical expertise. appointees. The Foreign Service is being squeezed out of the

28 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL policy process in Washington, in direct contravention of the letter and spirit of the Foreign Service Act. In this way, the formulation and administration of foreign policy is denied the benefit of actual diplomatic experience in the field. In this young century, the United States has already fought two savage, costly and inconclusive wars in Iraq and Afghani- stan. We have learned that the United States is not able to impose a new system of government on other peoples by force of arms, nor can our military intervention resolve deep-seated ethnic conflicts in unfamiliar cultures. We must rely more than ever upon diplomacy. So the national interest demands a major effort to better train, improve, prepare and strengthen America’s professional diplomatic service—not to downgrade it.

The U.S. Diplomacy Center Let me turn to another subject. There are over 400 muse- ums in the United States celebrating the role and achieve- ments of our armed forces—but not one that recognizes what American diplomacy has done for our national security and well-being. That gap is now being filled. The United States Diplomacy Center, a public-private enterprise of the Department of State and the Diplomacy Center Foundation, is under construction at the 21st Street entrance of this building. More than a museum, it will be a hub of national educational outreach, informing the public about American diplomacy and the Foreign Service. The Diplomacy Center Foundation is now under the capable leadership of Ambassador Ted McNamara, who is well known to most in this room. I would like to salute the strong support of Secretary John Kerry, who hosted five illustrious predecessors for a ceremonial groundbreaking in September; and also the effective backing of Under Secretary for Management Pat Kennedy, who has been a mainstay of this vision from the outset; and Ambassador Eliza- beth Bagley, a most persuasive fundraiser—in fact, a fearsome fundraiser. We could not have succeeded without her. We anticipate that our host today—the American Foreign Service Association—will administer the docents program for the Diplomacy Center, I hope with the cooperation of DACOR, the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide, the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Council of Ameri- can Ambassadors, many of whose members have contributed generously to the cause. And now I thank AFSA for the great honor I have received today.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 29 COURTESY OF WILLIAM C. HARROP William C. Harrop and his wife, Ann Delavan, in Meru National Park, Kenya, in October 1981.

after he retired. He worked closely with George Soros, another The U.S. ambassador is important in Israel, though perhaps democracy promoter. less so than in most other countries. Much of the work is done in Many of the people in favor of inculcating democracy over- personal telephone calls between the U.S. president or the Sec- seas tend to be neo-conservatives, interestingly enough. I think retary of State and the prime minister, so you’re often paddling Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Perle and Dick Cheney are enthusi- about trying to catch up on what’s happening instead of being astic about forcing democracy on other countries. On the other the one who makes things happen. And, of course, Israel is so side, you have people like the present national security adviser, much a part of American domestic politics that everything you Susan Rice, and the present ambassador to the United Nations, say and do finds a way into the media at home. Samantha Power, who cite humanitarian grounds to justify using our armed forces to press proper human rights and democracy FSJ: Since you retired in 1993, you’ve stayed very busy. Tell us on other countries. about some of your main endeavors and what drew you to them. WCH: I think it’s very important to keep active when you FSJ: Let’s move on to your final assignment as ambassador retire. A few of the nonprofit boards on which I have served have to Israel. The Middle East was a completely new region for you, taken more time than others, such as the Washington Humane wasn’t it? Society. I was chairman of Population Services International for WCH: That’s right. It was a surprising appointment; the a couple of years, and then remained on its board for another 12 only Islamic country I’d ever served in was Guinea. But I’d like or 14. to believe they saw me as a professional who might be able to I was also on the board of the Henry L. Stimson Center, one handle it. I’m not sure I did all that well there, to be honest. The of the major international relations and security think-tanks in principal problem that clouds Israel’s future is the military occu- Washington and a very worthwhile enterprise. And then there’s pation, a truly intractable issue. the American Academy of Diplomacy. I was head of its program

30 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL committee for about eight years, publishing books on diplomacy Henry Kissinger has advised. And we have this remarkable and organizing conferences around the country. woman, Elizabeth Bagley, a former ambassador who is a gifted fundraiser and has worked hard for the center. FSJ: Some of our readers may not be familiar with your involvement with the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation. Can you FSJ: Presumably last fall’s groundbreaking ceremony mobi- explain how that operates? lized a lot of support for this effort. WCH: Nelson B. Delavan, my father-in-law, was a self-made WCH: Actually, it didn’t result in as many donations as we’d man. He went to Cornell but never finished, because the First hoped. But we’re pushing forward. World War intervened. He came back from France and studied engineering, but never completed a degree. Instead, he started a FSJ: Great. Let me change course a bit here and ask about machine tool business in his basement; it grew into a company the American Academy of Diplomacy’s recent report, “American that made precision nozzles for agricultural spray equipment, Diplomacy at Risk,” which highlights some of the challenges faced fuel burners and other equipment. When World War II began, it by today’s diplomatic corps. As an AAD board member, you’re no made nozzles for jet engines, and the company just took off. doubt aware that the report itself has incited some controversy, When it was sold, after his death, my mother-in-law was some really interesting discussion. Why is there a sense that the persuaded to use a part of the proceeds to start a small founda- Foreign Service is being downgraded? tion in his name. We use it to promote and support institutions WCH: The controversy is not within the Academy. No. Maybe we care about, in animal welfare and particularly diplomacy and you’d see this as controversy if you are a senior manager of the foreign policy, such as AFSA, AAD, the Association for Diplo- State Department or are accused of undermining America’s matic Studies and Training, and American Diplomacy Publish- professional diplomatic service. The ADAR report is based on ers. hard fact. The Delavan Foundation is modest compared to other such Colin Powell set out early on to try to erase the substantial organizations; many of our donations are $5,000 or less. But differences between the Foreign Service and Civil Service. He we’re able to do good in the world, and it’s fun. changed the name of the Foreign Service Lounge to Foreign Affairs Lounge and Foreign Service Day to Foreign Affairs Day. FSJ: You’re also a longtime supporter of the Senior Living Then it gradually took a really extreme form, such as not using Foundation, correct? the title “Foreign Service officer” anymore. The fact that the title WCH: Right, I didn’t mention that one. The need there obvi- “Foreign Service officer” was established by law in the Foreign ously grows each year, but for now the SLF is keeping up with Service Act does not seem to deter the department. the demand and we feel it does not need significant help from This has occurred at the same time as a growing politiciza- Delavan. The rank and file of the Foreign Service has really come tion of the State Department, with dramatically more non-career through in terms of donations, plus we’ve had a few important appointees occupying positions traditionally held by Foreign bequests from former diplomats. Service officers, both at senior policy-making levels and more junior levels. So the career diplomatic service is playing a declin- FSJ: And you’re also chairman of the U.S. Diplomacy Center ing role in the diplomacy of the United States. Foundation. WCH: Yes, that’s where most of my time has gone during the FSJ: So if we could boil it down, what are the main solutions to last four or five years: working to open the United States Diplo- this problem? macy Center. WCH: First, increased investment in professional formation and development of the Foreign Service. As I mentioned before, FSJ: How is that progressing? Foreign Service competence is down because people don’t have WCH: Pretty well, thanks to excellent, consistent support time or cannot be made available to go through training. And from Under Secretary for Management Pat Kennedy and most the training that does exist is not what it should be. That’s very recent Secretaries of State. Hillary Clinton and Madeleine important. Albright are very positive; Colin Powell, a little less so, maybe, One reason there isn’t a high proportion of career Foreign but in favor of it. And James Baker has been a huge supporter. Service officers in under secretary and assistant secretary posi-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 31 a son who rose to the rank of admiral. He retired from the U.S. I wish we could persuade Navy two years ago, and now has a very profitable job help- ing Lockheed Martin sell equipment to the Defense Depart- more members to devote their ment. attention to strengthening and All these trends are a great wheel that never stops turning. It makes it hard for us to get away from the sickness of resolving protecting the Foreign Service. international problems by military means, although President Obama has tried.

FSJ: Do you still recommend the Foreign Service as a career to young professionals? WCH: Yes. I also tell them that the best way to prepare for the Foreign Service exam is to read The Economist every week cover tions is that the quality of our “bench” has declined. The country to cover. But my dear friend and previous recipient of AFSA’s needs diplomatic knowledge and experience. The idea that the Lifetime Contributions Award, George Landau, did not advise nation does not have people in these policymaking positions his sons to join the Foreign Service, and they didn’t. He felt it was who’ve actually worked diplomacy and dealt with other coun- not the best career move, that it’s tough on families and seemed tries and handled the intricacies of international relations is not to be losing influence. And yes, it’s hard for adolescents to break rational. off their friendships and move every few years. But I do think You have to dramatically increase the numbers—the appro- my own four boys benefited from growing up overseas. They all priations—so there’s a larger stock of people that you can work speak French, and two of them use the language in their work. with. And then you have to enforce the law. Schedule B and But I would begin to have misgivings about endorsing it as Schedule C appointees, in growing numbers, are supposed to a career if the current trend continues of equating the Foreign stay only a short time, while there is a need, yet somehow they Service with the Civil Service, of replacing professionals with are sliding into career status. employees who don’t have the background, don’t accept Service discipline, and don’t follow the same rules. Then I think it prob- FSJ: How optimistic are you that the Foreign Service can over- ably will not be a good career, and young people will not neces- come some of the challenges you describe? sarily commit their lives to it. And the United States will suffer: WCH: For starters, it has to relate to society as it is today, like other modern nations, it needs a competent professional including the complexities of globalization, the Internet and diplomatic service. social media, and ever-more rapid communications. But the impact of person-to-person diplomacy is still going to be very FSJ: Any final thoughts you’d like to share? important. I think our country would suffer badly if the Foreign WCH: Just a real regret that such a small proportion of the Service were eviscerated, leaving us vulnerable to the malady Foreign Service pays attention to the structure of the career and (to paraphrase President Dwight Eisenhower) of the military- to the institution itself. They all are so busy doing their daily jobs, industrial-congressional complex. planning their careers and promoting the national interest—very successfully, for the most part—that they don’t pay much atten- FSJ: What do you mean by that? tion to the state of their own profession. Just 20 percent of AFSA WCH: I mean our growing tendency to make the use of force members voted in the last election, even as their system is erod- our primary approach to foreign relations. There are many com- ing around them. So I wish we could persuade more members panies like my father-in-law’s that have prospered because of to devote their attention to strengthening and protecting the war. Defense spending has become important to our economy, Foreign Service. and many members of Congress refuse to allow any military base in their district to be closed—even when it is a plain waste FSJ: We’ll continue to work at that. Ambassador Harrop, it’s of money—because bases employ constituents. been a pleasure. Thank you very much for your lifelong support of A good friend of mine, someone I met at my first post, has AFSA and the Foreign Service. n

32 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON AFSA AWARDS AND DISSENT

DECONSTRUCTING Dissent

At heart, dissent is about integrity, et’s just call a spade a spade. speaking up on issues that matter, Shortly after I got news of receiving the regardless of whether or not we think W. Averell Harriman Award for Construc- we can actually change anything. tive Dissent, I went running with our consul general at post. BY AMELIA SHAW I go running a few times a week around a dusty old field in front of the consulate. I find the hot midday sun in Baja California somewhat more pleasing than adjudicat- ing visas in my cubicle. And when the CG has the time, he likes Lthe opportunity to exercise and mentor entry-level officers. “So, not to take away anything from your achievement,” he starts, as we round the curve near the carcass of a dead dog. “Sir?” I manage to pant as I trip over the curb. (Our CG is twice my size; my short legs have to move twice as fast to keep up.) “Your article. Well written.” He sails over some trash. “But it seemed like too easy a win. Nobody dissents anymore. I won- der if anyone else was even nominated.” Now, some people might have taken offense at that. I just took it on the chin. I’ll take honesty over platitudes any day.

Amelia Shaw joined the Foreign Service (public diplo- macy cone) in 2014 after careers in journalism and public health. She is currently doing consular work in Tijuana, her first post. She is the 2015 recipient of the W. Averell Harriman Award for Constructive Dissent.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 33 then he added, “But if you do do it, try not to sound like such a As a former journalist, I was bleeding namby-pamby.” Bam. Another one, right on the chin. It was my first indication that dissent is not something the accustomed to questioning State Department takes lightly. In later days, as I approached the establishment. I soon various senior officers in Mission Mexico, I was aware of how their bodies tensed visibly at the idea of a new officer question- found that the State ing immigration law, or worse, the Bible of consular policy— Department is different. the Foreign Affairs Manual. (Wince.) To me, this was perplexing. As a former journalist, I was accustomed to questioning the establishment. I soon found that the State Department is different. Here, dissenting voices are not received the same way as they would be in, say, the I also happen to think he’s right. I was probably one of the private sector, where out-of-the box thinking is valued because few ELOs considered for the award this year. I hear that gener- it can lead to innovation and profit. Here, dissenting voices are ally the nomination pool is small. In fact, I hear that sometimes viewed as suspect, and possibly dangerous. there are no nominees at all. I also realized that the Dissent Channel is really for officers So I have to ask—where is everybody? who have no other recourse. Those who have pulled every lever and bent every ear, to no effect. For them, the Dissent Channel On Dissent is their last card—the bullet train to the mothership. In the end, I Surely the dearth of dissent isn’t for lack of things to say. Just didn’t need to use it, because I found a way to dissent from within. look at the Sounding Board. The fact that we as an institution even have Constructive Dissent Awards (thanks to AFSA) speaks Working from Within volumes about our intellectual ethos. So, why don’t we speak up? There are many ways to dissent. Here is what I did. It’s no secret that many officers fear using the Dissent Chan- 1. Choose your battle wisely. If you’re going to speak up, nel. Let’s face it, the consequences to one’s career could be choose your issue carefully. I picked the one that rankled me dire. Promotions passed over. Maligned corridor reputation. most at the passport window. The one that felt unfair in my gut. Brazen resignations that achieved—what exactly? And I knew it wasn’t just me. I heard it at lunchtime when other But there are other reasons besides fear. Like complacency. passport officers would do a post-mortem on their adjudica- Apathy. Not to mention a culture that in general seems to dis- tions. courage creative thinking. That small talk showed me how many officers feel frustrated Besides, how many dissent papers have ever actually at how this one particular aspect of immigration law seems to accomplished anything? Did a war get stopped? Did a policy unfairly limit some people’s chances to become Americans. change? Did State change the way it operates because some- When I mentioned I’d like to speak up somehow, a fellow ELO body spoke up? Cynics would say a big fat no. It’s a big risk to jumped at the chance to do something and suggested we co-write take, for so little measurable reward. a cable. And so we did. It was the beginning of everything. But since I’m new, I didn’t really think about those things. 2. Find a fertile management environment. We had the I just wanted to write about what I considered unfair require- fortune to serve under two highly supportive managers. When ments for transmitting citizenship for unwed mothers along we approached them, they both nodded their heads and said, our land borders. I thought I would write a dissent cable on it. “This bothers a lot of people. It could make a good cable.” I had no idea how to go about it, so I approached previous dis- One passed me a copy of the book The Dissent Papers (by sent award winners for their advice. Hannah Gurman) and carefully read every draft of our cable I got a lot of responses. One stood out. that we sent her. The other actively supported our efforts to “I spent many nights staring at my computer screen before lobby senior management to take this issue seriously. I pressed send,” said one officer, remembering the weeks he And senior management—particularly the CG, who in spent imagining all the ways his career could blow up. afternoons around the dirt field would coach me in the art of “If I were you,” he said, “I probably wouldn’t do it.” And writing for the State Department—offered maxims like “Never

34 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL show your emotion to the State Department,” or “Expect most of what you write to be rewritten by someone else,” or “You After decades of silence on this have to make your point—without making enemies.” Their support was quiet, but invaluable. Without it, our issue, what are the chances efforts would likely have been dead in the water. that two cables would come And when it looked at one point like the cable might die in clearance, I had their encouragement to write an op-ed for The from separate border posts Foreign Service Journal. So that is what I did. I wrote a cable in Mexico and Canada on the with a colleague for inside communication to the department (with clearances) while simultaneously writing a personal same day? Our entire ACS opinion piece (no clearances) for a wider public. section in Tijuana cheered. 3. Seek allies and collaborators. As part of the cable-writ- ing process, we reached out to other border posts in Mission Mexico, to get a sense of their numbers of denials to unwed mothers attempting to transmit citizenship. Not every post responded, but the ones that did supported our position. thousands of women each year. They also provided breadth and depth in describing the When one considers the length of our land borders with challenges to adjudicating the physical presence requirements Canada and Mexico, the numbers of unwed U.S. citizen moth- of unwed mothers as a regional issue affecting hundreds, if not ers who cannot transmit citizenship due to Section 309(c) of

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 35 the Immigration and Nationality Act over the past few decades is likely in the tens of thousands. This is a serious issue. It mer- As one senior officer pointed its attention. In reaching out about our cable, we also got some intel. out to me, we dissent every Apparently, the Bureau of Consular Affairs has been advo- day—but the difference is cating change on this issue for years. In 2014, they sent an action memo to the Bureau of Legal Affairs to find a vehicle for whom we dissent to and how amending Section 309(c)—though it’s unclear if anything has far we are willing to go with it. come of it yet. 4. Work within the hierarchy and push for change. Any- one who has gone through a clearance process knows how painful it can be. I personally thought giving birth was easier. Our cable took six months to clear, and had a list of clear- and trying to catch up with the CG. Our cable was written, but ances that was probably longer than the cable’s total read- it was languishing in that no-man’s land of clearances with no ership. Reworking every draft that came was an exercise in end in sight. patience. At the time, in my inexperienced ELO haste, the edits “It doesn’t matter if your cable goes nowhere,” he said, look- were excruciating, as entire paragraphs we had agonized over ing over the scrub brush to the horizon. I’d been running along, got sliced clean away. listening to him talk about his career, how hard it is sometimes But I’ve changed my mind about that. Every edit was worth to get beyond the bureaucracy and feel like anything one does it. When the cable was finally released, it surged out on a wave actually has any impact. of momentum, carrying with it the full support of Mission “It’s really rare to make a change. Sometimes,” he said, “it’s Mexico. As a result, that cable rang out to the department with all you can do to add your voice.” a clearer, more resounding voice than we could ever have We ran in silence for a few paces, dodged a bit of scrub. And achieved on our own. then he added, “No matter what, be proud of this. It’s impor- Incidentally, two hours after our cable hit the wires, a north- tant." ern border post from Canada released a cable on the very same So I can’t say I stood up to an unjust war or risked my career issue—on the very same day. A bizarre but timely coincidence. to expose some glaring injustice inside the State Department. After decades of silence on this issue, what are the chances But I stand next to officers who have. I am deeply honored. And that two cables would come from separate border posts in grateful to AFSA, for helping to create a safe space for dissent. Mexico and Canada on the same day? Our entire ACS section On the face of it, all I did was co-write a cable and submit in Tijuana cheered. It felt like we had just hit the establishment an article on an issue I felt was unfair. I won an award probably with a continent-sized one-two punch. because few other people bother to do this sort of thing. The drafting officer in Toronto later told me that Canada has I’m not belittling the achievement. I am proud that I found a been pushing for years to change the transmission require- constructive way to take a stand on an issue that matters to me. ments for unwed moms under INA 309(c). When they heard But I can’t help wondering what the department would look that Mexico was doing a cable on it, they wanted to be part of like if there were more of us willing to speak up about issues the movement. that matter, large and small, regardless of whether or not we Me, I couldn’t help thinking about chaos theory—how the think we can actually change anything. Or as one senior officer force of a hurricane can be influenced by a butterfly’s wing. pointed out to me, we dissent every day—but the difference is whom we dissent to and how far we are willing to go with it. Get Real At heart, it’s a question of integrity. Sometimes just adding So let’s be real. I would probably have more luck at finding your voice is enough. n Jimmy Hoffa than I would at inducing Congress to amend an obscure part of the INA. But that’s not the point. About a year ago, I was again rounding that dirty old field

36 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FOCUS ON AFSA AWARDS AND DISSENT Clearing the Air IN NEW DELHI

How one FSO used constructive s members of the Foreign Service, we face an inherent tension between dissent to advance a sensible the obligation to provide our best approach to air pollution in India. analysis and advice in the policy- making process, and our recogni- BY SAMUEL KOTIS tion that there will be many times in our careers when we will be asked to carry out policies and actions with which we may personally disagree. Embedded in that tension are endless variations on how, Aand to what degree, we should offer a dissenting view, how far to push that dissent, when to accept “defeat” and—con- versely—when to push on in the face of objections from those

Samuel Kotis just concluded an assignment as deputy minister counselor in the economic, environment, science and technology affairs section in New Delhi. He is headed to the U.S. Mission to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal next. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1991, he has also served in Jakarta, Singapore, Tunis, Am- man, Budapest, Baghdad and London. He and his wife, Beth, have two children. He is the recipient of AFSA’s 2015 William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent by a mid-level FSO.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 37 One of the major daily papers started an air pollution box that included Embassy New Delhi data every day, and the level of discussion among Indians and expats alike continued to rise.

further up the decision-making food chain and press for a change of approach. For any individual, how that tension plays out depends on a host of different factors ranging from personal relations with colleagues and supervisors and the frankness with which you feel you can convey your views, to the importance you attach to getting a policy COURTESY OF U.S. EMBASSY NEW DELHI right. Samuel Kotis (far left) shows Embassy New Delhi’s air quality monitor to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Indian government air quality Looking back on the past two years of my work in experts during the EPA team's March 3-7 visit to New Delhi. The EPA New Delhi, it has been very satisfying to see the U.S. visit was a direct follow-up to President Barack Obama’s January trip policy approach I advocated on air pollution move from to India in which he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to cooperate on air quality. one of dissent to one of high-level support and action. I have drawn some lessons from this experience. If you feel you are right on principle, stand up for your view, tion and other bodies; and an expanding body of research by listen to those who don’t agree, find ways to address their con- scientists from a host of eminent universities, we now know cerns, build alliances with those who are likeminded, make that Indian cities suffer from some of the worst levels of air sure the facts are on your side and choose your timing wisely. pollution ever recorded. WHO’s Global Burden of Disease 2010 When all those pieces come together, you really can make a study, released in 2012 and considered the gold standard in difference. global epidemiology, estimated that air pollution is the fifth greatest risk factor for premature death in India, claiming Identify the Problem and Decide to Speak Up more than 630,000 lives each year. As anyone who has flown into New Delhi will tell you, one When I arrived in New Delhi with my family in August 2013 of the first things you notice as you land is a thick cover of to start our assignment, the U.S. mission—thanks to the hard smog that envelops the city most days. Those first impressions work of those who had preceded me at post—had already provide an initial inkling of the scale of New Delhi’s—and, installed five EPA-standard air quality monitors (AQM) at more broadly, India’s—air pollution problem. Thanks to our embassy in New Delhi and at the four U.S. consulates in extensive coverage over the past year by the New York Times, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. New Delhi’s bad other international media outlets and, increasingly, the Indian air was already an increasingly distressing issue for many in media; sobering reports from the World Health Organiza- the embassy community, as well as for many Indians.

38 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Clarify the Benefits of Change I was told that publishing From the start, I was told that senior leadership was opposed to publicizing our air quality data, and that that posi- our data widely was not tion was very unlikely to change. I wanted to understand why. appropriate and could cause The opposition was based on two assumptions: (1) official Indian government air pollution data was already available damage to our bilateral for anyone who was interested, and thus there was no need to relationship. publicize ours; and (2) it is best not to do anything that might generate a negative backlash, as calling attention to India’s air pollution might do. While the first point was technically true—Indian govern- ment AQM data was indeed available online—that data was not easy to find, nor easy to understand, nor always accessible (for example, the system frequently went offline for extended The AQM readings, updated hourly, were available to periods of time without explanation). The difficulty in locating all mission personnel on our intranet system and to family and understanding the Indian official data alone was sufficient members through a password-protected weblink. The data reason for the U.S. mission to change our position and publish was disturbing, but I was glad to have it so that my family and our data. It just did not seem right that my family should have I could know the levels of pollution we were experiencing. access to clear, understandable, reliable U.S.-generated air What’s more, the data was available in an easy-to- understand format keyed to the EPA’s Air Quality Index and accompanied by EPA-approved health guid- ance for various levels of pollution. I was, however, dis- mayed to learn that no one else had access to this U.S.-generated data, and I began to ask why. It did not make sense that a U.S. mission would not share helpful health information with other U.S. and Indian nationals. As I discussed this with colleagues over lunch or coffee and in any number of spontaneous “bad air” conversations that would come up, I found that COURTESY OF U.S. EMBASSY NEW DELHI many people had a similar Samuel Kotis gives a speech, “The Health and Climate Change Co-Benefits of Action on Air Pollution,” view. But most shrugged at the International Symposium on Combating Climate Change in C40 Mega Cities on Earth Day, April 22, in Kolkata. The conference was organized by U.S. Consulate General Kolkata in collaboration their shoulders and said, in with Kennesaw State University, the South Asian Forum for Environment and India’s National Council effect, “good luck.” on Climate Change and Sustainable Development.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 39 India-California Air Pollution Mitigation Program, an initiative Deciding when, how or that offered practical, actionable recommendations on ways to improve air quality in an affordable and technically feasible whether to offer constructive manner. California’s experience offered a compelling, posi- dissent on an issue is a tive story of how an American state had overcome significant environmental challenges and had simultaneously grown its personal decision dependent economy substantially. It was a story I felt would resonate in on the specifics of a given India, and it was something I began to stress in discussions on the issue. situation. Second, a few of us at the embassy met with the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs scientist Dr. Josh Apte, who had been doing research on New Delhi’s air pollution for several years. Apte’s slide presentation was a concise, powerful, easily pollution data while all others did not. digestible summation of the factors contributing to New Del- As for the second assumption: in fact, whether intended or hi’s bad air, the health impact it was having on the population, not, our continued public silence about India’s very unhealthy the importance of raising public awareness of the problem and air pollution levels sent a message that this was not an impor- the steps that could be implemented to begin making a differ- tant problem worthy of Mission India’s effort. ence. Those of us in that first meeting were so impressed that In the first few months of my time here, I had met many we proposed that he give his presentation to the ambassador Indians who felt strongly that air pollution was an increasingly and country team. pressing issue that needed more attention. They acknowledged A few weeks later, Dr. Apte did just that, and its impact was that they were fighting a steep uphill battle to get others to critical. In a short span of time, Ambassador Nancy J. Powell care about it. As I discussed these issues with them, I became became a supporter of publishing our data, often referring to increasingly convinced that, in addition to our obligations to Apte’s briefing as a turning point in her own thinking on the other Americans, making our data public would send a subtle importance of acting on air pollution and how it could fit into but important signal of support to those within Indian society our diplomatic engagement with India. trying to address the problem. Third, in May WHO released its list of cities suffering high I hoped that making the data public could help move air pollution levels, and New Delhi was identified as the worst the issue forward in our bilateral relationship and in India’s in its 1,600-city worldwide database. domestic political discourse, as well. A small, core group of likeminded colleagues in the embassy and in Washington Timing Is Key agreed, and we began to coalesce and brainstorm. In June 2014, with the Indian elections behind us, the WHO My initial efforts to make progress on this issue were not designation of New Delhi as the most polluted city in the encouraging. I was told that publishing our data widely was world, and a positive narrative based on the California experi- not appropriate and could cause damage to our bilateral ence to shape our efforts, all of our senior leadership agreed to relationship. My view was that air pollution was an issue make our AQM data available on our public website. that would only get more important over time. Furthermore, While the initial reaction was subdued (June is a “low” pol- upholding our values of transparency and honesty would lution month in New Delhi), air pollution levels spiked in the serve the U.S.-India relationship best in the long run. city by the fall, and the Indian media began to report regularly on the embassy’s public numbers, which quickly became a Create an Alternative Narrative, Nail Down the trusted source of reliable information. During the following Facts and Build Alliances months, Indian news channels devoted substantial coverage Between February and May 2014, several things happened to India’s bad air. One of the major daily papers started an air that ultimately helped change the nature of the debate. pollution box that included Embassy New Delhi data every First, a conference was convened in New Delhi of officials day, and the level of discussion among Indians and expats and academics from India and California involved with the alike continued to rise.

40 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Air pollution is the fifth greatest risk factor for premature death in India, claiming more than 630,000 lives each year.

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi included cooperation on air pollution in their January 2015 Joint Statement during the president’s visit to New Delhi. And, on Feb. 18, Secretary of State John Kerry and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy signed a State-EPA Joint Agreement to Enhance Post Air Quality Monitoring and Action Overseas globally. At the Feb. 18 signing ceremony, Administrator McCarthy stated: “We came out of the president’s recent trip [to India] knowing that this was an issue of importance to the president, but to India, as well. This would never have happened if it were not for the commitment of the EPA staff, as well as the staff in the embassy [and] at State who understood they had an obli- gation. And the president talks about this a great deal, about our moral obligation to our children. Well, you folks—Mr. Secretary, your folks—understood that they had an obligation to their embassy staff, and they were going to meet that obliga- tion by moving forward with this commitment.”

Would I Do It Again? Yes. As noted at the outset, deciding when, how or whether to offer constructive dissent on an issue is a personal decision dependent on the specifics of a given situation. For me, chal- lenging the prevailing status quo on air pollution data sharing was something I felt was important to do and could succeed if we kept at it and addressed the bases of concern. Seeing the needle move on policy—and, more generally, seeing public awareness of the issue grow—as a result of our work has been among the most satisfying experiences of my Foreign Service career. It is something I am very glad to have done, and I believe I have emerged as a stronger, better officer as a result. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 41 COVER STORY

The Foreign Service Act of 1980 Turns 35 The Foreign Service Act of 1980 became law in early 1981. A year later, the FSJ asked Congress, State management and AFSA leadership to evaluate its implementation. Here are their responses.

robably no president since Grover the “maximum compatibility” that the act called for. Cleveland could say, as Jimmy Carter Necessity, expedience and changing circumstances reversed did, that “the reform, simplification and the simplification of personnel categories, which are many and improvement of personnel administra- complex once again. And the act’s statement that “contributions tion” is “a top priority of my admin- to political campaigns should not be a factor” in ambassadorial istration.” The president’s passion for appointments was weightless and wishful from the outset. the subject produced the Civil Service The Foreign Service Act of 1980 has now been in force longer Reform Act of 1978 and the Foreign than either of its 1924 and 1946 predecessors. Could a new act Service Act of 1980, which he accurately take into account the changes in the Service and its role, and called “the first comprehensive revision of personnel legislation lead to better management and better performance? Perhaps, Pfor the United States Foreign Service in 34 years.” but without a president intrigued by the problems of administra- The 1980 Act aimed, in the words of a Government Account- tion, a Secretary of State eager for reform and a Congress willing ability Office report, “to provide a Foreign Service character- to take on a project with no political payoff, a new act has no ized by excellence and professionalism, representative of the realistic prospect of adoption. American people and operated on the basis of merit principles.” Anyone involved with the Foreign Service at the time of its It covered seven agencies (two of which no longer exist) and passage knew that the Act of 1980 was a great and transforma- codified in one law authorities scattered in various executive tive accomplishment. But those responsible for carrying it out orders and regulations. had different ideas about what was important and how well the The act created the Senior Foreign Service, reduced the work of implementation was going. The three-part article below, number of Foreign Service personnel categories, established a reprinted from the May 1982 issue of The Foreign Service Journal, single Foreign Service pay schedule, added new benefits and presents views from the Hill, from State’s management and from allowances, authorized a Foreign Service union, set parameters AFSA’s governing board. for a grievance system and strengthened congressional oversight The reader in 2015 may feel a tingle of recognition in the fol- by requiring regular reports from the Department of State on lowing pages and a sense that Ecclesiastes had it right: “There is affirmative action, professional development, workforce plan- nothing new under the sun.” ning, language skills, ambassadorial nominations, operations of —Harry W. Kopp the inspector general and other matters. Some of the act’s injunctions were never fulfilled, and oth- Harry W. Kopp, an FSO from 1967 to 1985, is the author of Commer- ers have lost force with the passage of time. The act intended cial Diplomacy and the National Interest (2004) and, with the late but failed to create a single, uniform Service across the foreign Tony Gillespie, Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the U.S. Foreign affairs agencies: an interagency Board of the Foreign Service Service (2008). His most recent work, The Voice of the Foreign Service: quickly fell into disuse, and although the agencies negotiated A History of the American Foreign Service Association, was released by common regulations one by one, they never defined or adopted Foreign Service Books on July 13.

42 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The View from Congress in 1982: Much Unfinished Business Remains

he Foreign Service Act of 1980 prepared the way Career Development for some fundamental changes in the opera- Of these, the most vital are contained in Chapter 7, which tions of the Service. Some of these changes have governs career development, training and orientation, and the already begun to be felt after the first year of operations of the Foreign Service Institute. The institute’s new the act’s implementation, but much unfinished programs will combine core professional training to develop Tbusiness remains. The main purpose of the act was to develop substantive and management skills and expertise, with special- a Foreign Service structure that could meet the challenges of ized training in a variety of fields to develop mastery of new areas the next century. To that end, the provisions of the act reflect of foreign policy. The latter should include the areas such as a philosophy of the Service which, although it may not be science and technology, energy, multilateral diplomacy, systems understood or shared by some diplomatic personnel, is held by analysis, economics and trade, and international communications Congress and, one hopes, the majority of the Service. and information. For Foreign Service personnel whose training A number of assumptions underlie this philosophy: in the past has fallen short, the development of functional and ■ First, the complex challenges of modern diplomacy and management training, including language training, is vital to international relations require more flexibility in the use of permit effective career patterns. Meanwhile, to reflect the changes diplomatic skills and talents. in American society, provisions will be made for orientation, lan- ■ Second, the Foreign Service must deal with the fact that guage training and job training to help family members function almost all governmental activities and many private activities effectively abroad, whether employed or not. now have international components. For the Foreign Service member, the goal of career develop- ■ Third, the unique demands of U.S. foreign policy and the ment should be effective use of his or her expertise. It should fundamentally different conditions of service required for its prepare that individual for challenges that may not have been conduct demand a specially organized, trained and disciplined anticipated when the career path was chosen. To this end, group of professionals who are willing to accept burdens and specialized training at the Foreign Service Institute is helpful risks unknown to any other professional group. and desirable. Equally important, however, are the use of the ■ Fourth, the Foreign Service cone system must be made act’s Chapter 5 authorities to assign members of the Service more flexible to deal with the new realities of diplomatic opera- outside their parent agencies or Washington, the creative use of tions. out-of-cone assignments, the use of Chapter 7 authorities that ■ Fifth, Foreign Service operations need to recognize the permit training at outside institutions at agency expense and recent changes in American family life. the provision of university degree credit where possible. ■ And, last, regardless of parent agency, members of the One problem with career development, however, is the Foreign Service must work as a unit when the issue or problem method of recruitment. Under the present system, the Foreign requires it. Fragmentation among agencies in Washington Service examination does not test for the talents and skills jeopardizes U.S. policies and imperils the country team con- actually used in the Foreign Service. It focuses almost exclu- cept overseas. sively on analytical skills, without testing for those needed The centerpiece of the Foreign Service Act is a group of for the technical and managerial positions in the Service. It provisions that reflect these assumptions. If implemented is easier to take an individual with commercial experience imaginatively, they will produce a dynamic, flexible and effec- and train him or her for the Foreign Service than it is to train tive Service. These provisions include those on career develop- an individual with little or no experience to be a commercial ment and training, the Senior Foreign Service, allowances and officer. The same holds true for budget and fiscal experts, benefits, and compatibility among the foreign affairs agencies. personnel experts, communications and security officers, and

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 43 many others. Indeed, even political officers will need some be the dynamic corps it was envisioned to be. specialized training if they are to analyze technological trends, In addition to an effective career development program, communications issues, etc. a barometer of the vitality of any institution is its system of Changes should be made to accomplish this type of recruit- rewarding exceptional performance and its ability to support ment. The lateral entry and excursion tour programs should be performance of duties. The system of incentives, allowances used more creatively, and more attention should be given to and benefits provided under the act is intended to provide permitting personnel to change career ladders within the For- these rewards and overall support equitably, yet they must be eign Service and Civil Service systems. To some Foreign Service adequately funded and applied within the Service and among members, this may sound like heresy, since entry into the the agencies. Service has traditionally been by examination. Nonetheless, unless the Foreign Service is willing to meet the new challenges Requirements for “Maximum Compatibility” of foreign policy creatively, the problems that have plagued the Ultimately, all the benefits, employee policies and programs Service in the past will destroy it in the future. discussed above will be tied together in a united system com- prising all five foreign affairs agencies. The act’s requirements Senior Foreign Service in Sections 203–205 for maximum compatibility among the Also vital to career development is the use of out-of-cone administrative agencies of the Service were not only designed assignments. If cones are used as straitjackets, to confine an to promote efficiency. Implemented effectively, these provi- individual’s skills and expertise or to restrict groups of senior sions will promote the flexibility necessary to the work of jobs, the Foreign Service as a whole will be the loser. In a the Service by removing bureaucratic obstacles. Especially promotion system, competition within cones may be easier to overseas, they will also prevent the fragmentation that hurts accommodate than competition within ranks without regard implementation of policy. to functional categories, but both are now used in the Service. In the final analysis, only if the Foreign Service’s purposes, Changing tradition is never easy; but if, as many believe, the functions and needs are viewed as a whole, and the necessary survival of the Service depends upon it, changes must be made. changes made imaginatively, will the Foreign Service Act of The culmination of successful career development is entry 1980 pave the way for fundamental changes in the Service and into the Senior Foreign Service. Though the act created the the foreign affairs agencies. For instance, the Foreign Service SFS and requires development of substantive and manage- Institute cannot develop training courses in the absence of a ment skills and expertise to help reach it, the criteria for entry joint management-labor vision of what career development into the senior ranks have not yet been developed. This adds patterns should be. Junior and mid-career development pat- to the uncertainty that a new system inherently produces. The terns cannot be drawn in the absence of a known model for the act seeks to encourage senior officers to achieve high levels of character and operation of the Senior Foreign Service. performance through increased opportunities to serve in posi- Finally, the most beautifully designed career pattern tions of high trust and responsibility, increased competition, is meaningless if the morale of the individual employee is rapid advancement to the senior ranks and the opportunity neglected because of an uncertain system of allowances and for extended service so long as standards of excellence are benefits and the lack of effective and consolidated administra- maintained. tion among the Service’s parent agencies. The Foreign Service The act conceived of the SFS as a means to ensure that only of the next century will only be a dynamic reality when the the most capable individuals are promoted into the higher myriad pieces of the jigsaw puzzle designed by the Foreign ranks through the creation of a new, rigorous senior threshold Service Act of 1980 are finally fitting together. performance review process. Entrance into and promotion and —Virginia M. Schlundt retention within the SFS is intended to be governed by selec- tion boards in the same manner as in the Foreign Service as a In 1982, Virginia M. Schlundt was staff director of the House Com- whole. Those not promoted would thus receive early warning, mittee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on International Opera- giving them time to make other plans. But until the new per- tions. She was the principal aide to committee chairman Rep. Dante formance review process is developed, members of the Service B. Fascell (D-Fla.), floor manager of the bill that became the Foreign have no way of judging whether the Senior Foreign Service will Service Act of 1980.

44 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Management’s View in 1982: Implementation Is Worth Doing Carefully and Well

he first year’s effort in implementing the Foreign of Examiners of the Foreign Service, for example, was expanded to Service Act of 1980 has produced a blizzard of draft include public members with knowledge, experience or train- regulations and personnel actions affecting, directly ing in the fields of testing or equal employment opportunity. or indirectly, every member of the Service. It has The reconstructed board has already held three meetings and proven to be a slow and sometimes painful process. submitted its first annual report to the Secretary of State on the TWe are convinced, however, that it is worth doing carefully and Foreign Service examination. Similarly, the Foreign Service Griev- well, since we are laying the foundations for a house in which we ance Board has been reconstituted under the revised statutory all have to live for some time to come. In fact, implementation has authority contained in Chapter 11 of the act. Its primary functions been one of the foreign affairs agencies’ principal management continue unchanged, but it has acquired new responsibilities such concerns during the past year. as hearing appeals in separation cases and in labor-management We have come a long way since the act took effect on February implementation disputes. 15, 1981, and this is nowhere more evident than in the first annual Also in the field of labor-management relations, both the progress report recently filed with the Congress in accordance Foreign Service Labor Relations Board and the Foreign Service with Section 2402. Although much remains to be done before we Impasse Disputes Panel have been constituted within the Federal can claim that implementation has been completed, the list of Labor Relations Authority. The FSLRB has already dealt with one what has been accomplished in the first year is a long one. issue referred to it, while two disputes have been submitted to the The first “Report to Congress on Implementation of the Foreign Impasse Disputes Panel for resolution. Service Act” summarizes the basic structural steps which have A great deal of time and energy has been devoted to carrying been taken, underlines the effort to ensure maximum compat- out the Foreign Service Act mandate for maximum compatibility ibility among the foreign affairs agencies, outlines the transitional among the foreign affairs agencies—State, AID, ICA [Interna- actions completed and under way, and projects our anticipated tional Communication Agency, the redesigned U.S. Information recruitment, attrition and promotion over the next five years. This Agency], Commerce and Agriculture. Preparation of the new article draws on that report to summarize the steps already taken. act necessitated major revisions in the personnel regulations of all five. Even prior to the effective date on the act, their person- Executive Orders and Working Groups nel directors had agreed that implementing regulations would The report notes in its opening section that required presi- be issued jointly whenever possible, and that an agency would dential actions under the new statute have been taken in four issue separate regulations only when its particular circumstances executive orders. Three orders issued in 1980 and 1981 establish dictated a different approach. Since that time, the agencies have the new Foreign Service pay schedule, ensure that existing execu- endeavored to follow this philosophy. tive orders conform to provisions of the new act, and imple- The primary vehicle for accomplishing this purpose has been a ment a number of miscellaneous provisions in the act including series of working groups established to develop common policies establishment of titles and salary levels for the Senior Foreign and draft regulations on particular topics, such as the Senior For- Service. The final executive order, recently issued, provides for eign Service or new allowance authorities. There have also been, establishment and operation of the Board of the Foreign Service, from time to time, further meetings of the personnel directors and which under the act transfers to other organizations its previous a large volume of informal consultation at all levels. When the responsibilities for separation appeals and the resolution of labor- process is completed, which will take at least one additional year, management impasse disputes. we anticipate that a substantially greater proportion of the Foreign In addition to the new Board of the Foreign Service, several Service personnel regulations will be joint among the several other bodies were created or modified by the 1980 Act. The Board agencies than was previously the case.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 45 Conversions Flow-Through Planning In addition to building the future structure in terms of organi- Finally, the Report to Congress includes five-year projections zations and regulations, implementation of the Foreign Service of attrition, recruitment and promotion. Such projections have Act has also required close attention to transitional problems been standard management tools in the State Department for immediately affecting a large number of State Department some time as an element of flow-through planning, but these have employees. The most urgent of these have involved conversion of now been made mandatory under the act and must henceforth be members of the Service from one personnel category to another. included in the department’s annual report on implementation. These have included conversion to the Senior Foreign Ser- The purpose of flow-through planning is to ensure that man- vice of senior officers available for worldwide service, if they agement policies provide for a predictable flow of talent into and so request; conversion to the new specialist category (and the through the Foreign Service personnel system. Through this effort, accompanying Foreign Service pay schedule) of worldwide avail- management seeks to balance projected needs and projected able Foreign Service Reserve officers below the senior level and employment. To develop the assessment on which this balance of members of the Foreign Service Staff Corps; conversion to the is based, both internal and external factors are defined which will new Foreign Service schedule of FSOs below the senior level; con- influence attrition, recruitment, promotions and other variables. version to the Civil Service personnel system of domestic FSRs, Based on these factors, management can then calculate the FSRUs, and FSSs [Foreign Service Reserve and Staff categories] number of employees required in each skill group and each class. not available or needed for worldwide service; and conversion These calculations result in a set of options used to create yearly to the appropriate worldwide Foreign Service category of certain management plans which, in turn, are then subject to regular individuals from the Civil Service. reassessment as conditions change. Under provisions of the act, this conversion process will in fact The calculations required this year have been made more require three years to complete, since affected individuals in some complex by the introduction of limited career extensions for categories have up to three years to accomplish conversion. Nev- certain categories of career members of the Foreign Service whose ertheless, the conversion process is well under way, and most of time-in-class is due to expire. The number of such extensions will those affected by it have in fact been processed into their new per- be determined annually by management to meet Foreign Service sonnel status. The Senior Foreign Service, for example, currently needs and to permit predictable promotion flows, and will be has a total of 1,100 members from the five agencies, of whom 703 granted on the basis of rank ordering by the Selection Boards. are on the rolls of the State Department. Only 42 eligible senior Extensions will be used to ensure an appropriate balance between FSOs in the department declined conversion and thus retained rates of attrition and retention of skilled members of the Service. their previous rank through the three-year transition period. Within this balance, we expect that a substantial number of All members of the Foreign Service, other than senior offi- limited career extensions can be granted in 1983—when the first cers, were switched to the new Foreign Service Schedule for pay group of members of the Service subject to the new shorter time- purposes in October 1980, and in February 1981 were, in turn, in-class will be considered for them—and in subsequent years. converted automatically (if worldwide available) to the new grade When significant annual variations in extension opportunities structure and categories. are anticipated, averages will be employed to ensure, insofar as Under Section 2104 of the act, 471 Foreign Service employees possible, a regular annual level of mandatory retirement. Detailed were notified that they were considered to be in domestic status regulations covering extensions are among those still remaining to and thus subject to conversion to the Civil Service. Approximately be developed. one-fourth of the individuals so notified appealed their designa- —Andrew L. Steigman tion, seeking to remain in the Foreign Service. About one-fourth of those who appealed, or roughly six percent of the total group, were In 1982, Andrew L. Steigman was deputy assistant secretary of State for successful in winning retention in the Foreign Service as a result of personnel. A career Foreign Service officer since 1958, he was ambassa- the deliberations of the department’s Appeals Committee. dor to Gabon from 1975 to 1977. In 1980 he was named director of the Of the balance of those identified for conversion to the Civil Office of Foreign Service Career Development and Assignments. Service, approximately 15 percent have already converted to GS or SES appointments, while the remainder are deferring conversion, as the law permits them to do.

46 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The View from AFSA in 1982: Negotiations Have Been Frustrating and Disappointing

fter three years of consultations, hearings and ■ maximum compatibility among the five foreign affairs research, Congress passed the new Foreign Ser- agencies. vice Act, beginning the long process of imple- mentation. Congress provided new benefits Implementation Roadblocks for the men and women of the foreign affairs While there had been—and still is—controversy over certain Aagencies, but they were provided so that the Foreign Service provisions of the act, no one had disagreed with the basic could be more responsive to the demands made upon it—not overall objectives. If the implementation were to go well, the simply to add more perquisites to the supposedly already Foreign Service community would be strengthened and the easy life of those who serve their country at missions abroad. American government and people well served. But the imple- Along with these benefits came a reorganization of the Service, mentation has so far not gone well at all. including a mechanism to regulate the trade-off between job From the first day of negotiations, there have been prob- tenure at the senior levels and promotion opportunities for lems. mid-career junior personnel, the provision of performance First, hardly any of the draft regulations implementing the pay to circumvent the pay cap for those in the potentially act were in a form ready to be presented to the unions for nego- riskier Senior Foreign Service and application of selection out tiations. This was at least in part because the new administra- to the Staff Corps. tion wanted to review recent legislation before proceeding. To those of us in AFSA and, we believe, the congressional Second, the foreign affairs agencies themselves seemed to committees who worked so hard and so long to produce the have trouble reaching a common position. All five were headed best possible law, the act was a package—with new benefits by new managers who had different ideas of changes they balancing new risks and responsibilities—designed to restruc- wanted to make in the organizations they were taking over and, ture the Foreign Service in light of modern conditions and therefore, different interpretations of the provisions of the act. needs. Third, for the new administration, this was the “year of the For the association, the last 12 months have been particu- budget.” Rather than looking at the bill as the package it was larly frustrating and disillusioning. A year ago we approached intended to be, management has tried to cut costs whenever the implementation of the provisions of the act imbued with possible and attempted to negotiate restrictive regulations a sense of accomplishment and a feeling that Congress had on the incentive side of the act, which would result in uneven recognized the special problems and needs of the Foreign implementation contrary, we believe, to the intent of Congress. Service and had gone a long way toward meeting them. We felt Last, perhaps the biggest problem has been the negotiating that the easier and more satisfying part of the job was ahead of process itself. To meet the objective of “maximum compatibil- us—negotiating the implementation of the legislation intended ity among foreign affairs agencies” a majority of the regulations by Congress to achieve: are joint, requiring five-agency, two-union negotiations (AID, ■ a career Foreign Service characterized by excellence and State, ICA, Commerce and Agriculture are the agencies; AFSA professionalism, representative of the American people and represents AID and State, and the American Federation of Gov- operated on the basis of merit principles; ernment Employees represents ICA). These negotiations are ■ a more efficient, economic and equitable personnel proving to be cumbersome, unbelievably slow and perilously administration and more effective and flexible management; close to unworkable. ■ mitigation of the special impact of hardships, disruptions While the unions have presented a united front and and other conditions of service abroad; and attempted to be cooperative, it appears that the real difficulty

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 47 has been in five agencies reaching an agreed position. Once a For example, a year after the act became effective, the position has finally been reached, the tendency is to attempt to agencies were still arguing about “incentive pay” and what ram it down the unions’ throats, since the alternative is clear- proposal should be submitted for negotiation. AFSA and AFGE ance of any counterproposal through each agency again. While submitted a joint proposal to try to force the subject to the bar- the chief negotiators for AFSA and AFGE have wide author- gaining table. So far, no luck. The unions could file an unfair ity, the lack of authority of the management team has greatly labor practice charge, but this would delay things another handicapped these negotiations. few months. We have only recently received management’s proposed Standardized Regulations on Special Incentive Dif- Agency Disarray ferential. These define the limits under which the implement- The unions, however, don’t have such a problem. The State ing regulations can be negotiated. The standardized regula- and AID negotiators are members of the AFSA Governing tions themselves are not negotiable, and on SID and “danger Board. AFGE’s negotiator is the president of AFGE Local 1812. pay” management has used this non-negotiability to restrict The union decision-makers are there. They get along, they severely the benefits that are negotiable. In other words, the have their instructions, they know what they want. They can intent of the act has been unilaterally interpreted by manage- usually formulate counterproposals swiftly—the record so far ment in a manner that gives us much less than we feel was is 10 minutes. In short, the unions’ representatives are ready to intended by Congress. negotiate and expect the same from the other side of the table. “Advance of pay” is another example. AFSA is not stupid! With a few exceptions, these expectations have not been met. We don’t like irate members; we want to get needed benefits Even to formulate a common initial position seems to take the as soon as possible. But at what price? We had submitted pro- five agencies an inordinate amount of time. posal after proposal on advance of pay. When agreement could not be reached, we tried mediation. We sat in one room trying to find a formula everyone could buy while management sat in another room saying no to each proposal. The issue had to go to the Federal Labor Relations Authority’s Foreign Service Impasse Disputes Panel. Why? Basically because the man- agement of one of the agencies was afraid employees would “misuse” this benefit Congress wanted the Foreign Service to have. Finally, the impasse panel recommended that AFSA’s recommendation be accepted. Management agreed, and the new regulations should be out by the time you read this. The association has been told that these five-agency, two- union negotiations are unique in federal labor-management history. We sincerely hope no one else is subjected to this process. Soon Congress will be holding hearings on the prog- ress of the implementation of the Foreign Service Act, and the association will testify. It will be interesting to hear how Con- gress feels about this unique negotiating procedure, which has frustrated the substantive goal of achieving improved regula- tions in a timely fashion. AFSA’s chief negotiator has described the last year as not only frustrating but disappointing. And we are beginning to fear that far from achieving the healthy and efficient compatibility among the agencies that is called for in the act, we are ending up in many cases with a sort of lowest- common-denominator blandness that offends no one, changes little and is principally cosmetic in nature. n —The 1982 AFSA Governing Board

48 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL FS KNOW-HOW

Going Back to Work: A Step-by-Step Guide for Foreign Service Spouses

One of the great challenges of f the myriad changes that moving Foreign Service life is how an FS with the Foreign Service causes, spouse can maintain or develop a career. FS spouses are most often startled Here are some practical tips. by having to give up their careers. Some spouses have the opportunity BY ANNA SPARKS to telework—if you do, don’t let it go! The rest of us are catapulted into a new country, culture and, sometimes, language, unaware of how the local job market works. We may feel that the skills and Ocertifications or licenses that we have will be worthless in our new home. Because of the incredible upheaval and transition that moving to a new country implies for us and our families, many make the decision to stay out of the workforce for a time—to raise children, to explore the new country we are living in and to give our time to other pursuits. Sometimes we don’t actu- ally have a choice. According to a 2008 study by the Permits

Anna Sparks is a career coach and Foreign Service family member who helps expats find the job of their dreams. She’s lived in six countries in the last 15 years and worked in all of them. Sparks currently lives in Quito, Ecuador.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 49 munity through fundraising for a local orphanage.” After you have determined 2. Take an inventory of your experience. What have you accomplished while you’ve been out of the workforce? why you moved overseas, Reflecting on this question is important for two reasons. First, figure out how you are going to you want to know what you have to offer potential employ- ers. Second, realizing where you have invested your time and tell employers about it. understanding what you have enjoyed could help you broaden your scope. Many spouses who work or volunteer in a new field overseas because they cannot work in their field end up finding something they like better. A big move is often a great opportu- nity to make a career change. Foundation, only 35 percent of expat spouses across sectors 3. Explore. What jobs are available? How well do these jobs (e.g., diplomatic service, private sector, nonprofit sector) are pay? What skills and experience are the employers seeking? working, and three-quarters of those not working want to be If you are not satisfied with the employment options you are working. finding, consider expanding your search by looking for overlap Regardless of the reason you’ve been out of the workforce, between your chosen field and the unique experiences you you probably wonder, “What do I do when I want to go back?” have had while overseas. For example, if you worked in corpo- Getting ready to go back to work can be tough on your self- rate accounting prior to living overseas, you could transition confidence and overwhelming. But if you follow the steps out- to accounting work for a nonprofit that provides grants to the lined here, you will be on your way to your next job in no time. country in which you have experience. Jobs can also be step- ping stones; don’t think of your first job back in the workforce Seven Steps to Your Next Job as the last job you’ll ever have, but rather as a step in the direc- 1. Own it. You moved overseas. Maybe you wanted your tion you’d like to go. children to learn a foreign language, were seeking adventure, 4. Beef up your skills. Based on your explorations (Step 3), decided to put your spouse’s career ahead of yours for a time it may be appropriate now to invest your time and money in or chose to spend time with your children. Figure out what improving skills that you already have or in learning something your reason was. A lot of us feel swept up into this life, and that new. This is especially important for people who have been far we have not necessarily been the one to make the decision. But removed from their field for an extended period of time. Try you did do it, so define for yourself the reasons. not to disconnect completely from your field or your network It’s easy—really, really easy—to say that the reason you while overseas. are overseas is because “someone made me do it” (like your Depending on your field and how long you’ve been out of spouse). But that is not a good reason to share with prospective it, you may need to learn new software programs, brush up employers. They will be offering the job to you, not your spouse your tech skills (social media or otherwise) or take an online or partner, so change your perspective and make a conscious class to get up-to-date on the latest methods and theories. The decision to focus on why it has been good for you. State Department’s Family Liaison Office offers Professional If you are having trouble with this, write down the list of Development Fellowships that provide financial assistance to reasons you like living overseas. One of these may resonate spouses and partners to maintain, enhance or develop their with you as the reason you moved overseas in the first place or professional skills. why you have stayed. After being out of work for a time, it’s completely normal After you have determined why you moved overseas, figure for your confidence in your abilities to wane. Try volunteering out how you are going to tell employers about it. Many employ- to remind yourself what you are really good at. For example, if ers do not appreciate, “I took time off to raise my kids.” Instead, you had worked in finance, you may consider donating time focus on the activities that you were engaged in that may be weekly to a nonprofit to reintegrate into the workforce and beneficial or interesting to your future employer. For example, practice your skills before it’s time to use them in a paid posi- “My husband’s job led us overseas. During this time, I have tion. Another option is to try to take an eligible family member learned a foreign language and sought to give back to the com- position at your post, if available, even if it is not in your field.

50 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL This will give you the opportunity to get back into the work force, put a position on your resume and accrue government Try not to disconnect service time—which could help you eventually get another job with the U.S. government somewhere else. completely from your field or 5. Get your resume in order. Now that you’ve signed up your network while overseas. for an online class or begun your own self-guided learning, you are ready to put Steps 2, 3 and 4 together to revamp your resume. You can add volunteer positions, part-time positions or any consulting work that you may have done under “Professional Experience.” Include any classes or training you took under 6. Begin actively networking. Now that you’ve got your “Education.” up-to-date resume in hand, it’s time to network. The ideal time Your resume should be tailored to the type of job you are to do this is about a year before you want to be back at work. trying to get. For example, if you are applying to positions in You won’t sound desperate (because you have some time marketing, do not include experience that has no connection before you have to get a job), and you can begin to put your with marketing—such as volunteering to cook at an orphan- feelers out. Start this process by talking to people you have not age—under “Professional Experience.” You can include it connected with in a while, and put some time into creating a under “Volunteer Experience” or “Additional Skills” if you have network on LinkedIn—especially if you are in a field where you a section like that. anticipate working with recruiters. Do not include a trumped-up name for mom or dad like According to Forbes, networking is the number one way “house manager” or for another major responsibility you had to get a job. Networking is even more important for an expat within your own home. If it looks bogus to you, it will look returning to work. People who know you will be able to vouch bogus to employers. I am a parent, too, and I know that that for you and your past performance. Ensure that those people job is important, incredibly difficult and challenges you in know you are returning to the job market and will be looking ways you never thought imaginable (e.g., keeping cool when a for work. Sending out hundreds of resumes, especially if you 2-year-old is throwing a fit in the middle of the park about not have a gap in your resume, is much less likely to yield an inter- being able to eat candy at 8 a.m., anyone?). But the fact of the view. Maintaining professional connections while overseas is matter is that parenting is not something employers want to a challenge but definitely more than worth it when it comes to see on a resume. reentering the workforce. You should add a “Key Skills” or “Key Qualifications” sec- 7. Think about your salary expectations. By this stage, tion at the very top of your resume where you list the important you probably know how much your potential positions pay. traits about yourself that you would like future employers to Some people have probably told you that you should be ready know. Keep this section limited to job qualifications, not your for a pay cut if you’ve been out of the workforce for a few years personality traits. or more. For some fields, this is definitely true, but it doesn’t The best place to mention the reason there is a hole in your always have to be the case. There are a few options you can resume is in your cover letter. This way the employer knows that consider if taking a pay cut from what you made prior to mov- there is a legitimate reason you were not working for a few years. ing overseas doesn’t sit well with you. If you are having trouble figuring out how to update your Option A: Look at smaller companies that may value your resume effectively, there’s help! Luckily for us Foreign Service experience of having lived overseas. Working for a big com- spouses, the State Department offers the Global Employment pany will probably (not always) mean a pay cut, but working Initiative. Global employment advisers (based regionally) for a smaller company that does not get as many applicants provide job coaching sessions, training workshops and career and focuses particularly on a market that you have experience development services at no cost to family members. They sup- with could be to your advantage. port family members who want to work for the U.S. govern- Option B: Consider working for yourself either in the field ment or on the local economy and also those who want to start you worked in before or in something completely different. their own businesses. Depending on your field, you may be able to work as a consul-

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 51 force, I have a few additional tips from people who have been The best place to mention the in your shoes. reason there is a hole in your If You Have Some Lead Time… resume is in your cover letter. Keep working, if you can. If there is any way for you to keep working, even if it is part-time, do it. If you can’t do that, consider working for yourself and starting your own business that you can operate while you are overseas. And, as I already mentioned, don’t pass up the opportunity to transform your current position into a telework opportunity, unless you really tant or start your own company. You have control of your situ- hate what you are doing. ation, and this can be an especially great option if you plan to Keep improving yourself. Study a language, take online move frequently. Work can be done over the phone and online, classes or continue using the skills related to your profession so you can manage clients in multiple countries regardless of in a volunteer capacity. (See, for example, U.S. News & World where you live. Report’s “Best Online Programs,” or check out EFM Laurie If you’ve walked through these seven steps, you should be Pickard’s website, No Pay MBA, for ideas on how to take classes in a better position to begin your job search in earnest. For for free.) Remember the fictional woman who donated her those of you who are reading this article prior to going overseas time as a cook at an orphanage? If she’s a chef by profession, or still have a few years until you will be reentering the work- that’s perfect. If she is in marketing, she should try to volunteer her time by designing a website or brochure for the orphan- age or perhaps helping with a fundraising event. The skills she employs or learns through this work are more applicable to her future in marketing. Stay connected to your profession. Don’t fall out of touch with your field by losing contact with your colleagues. Stay connected as well as you can. Also, consider joining a pro- fessional association in your field and read journals related to your field to keep up-to-date on new developments. For example, if you are a lawyer and you know you will not be prac- ticing law while overseas, join the American Bar Association and read their monthly journal. That way, when you are ready to go back to work you won’t feel as if you’ve missed out on the last couple of years. Don’t let licenses or certifications lapse. When you are overseas, it’s a challenge to figure out how to meet all the requirements to maintain licenses or certifications you may have. It’s worth it to figure this out. Maintaining a license while you are overseas puts you in a much better position to jump back into your field when you return. Being an expat spouse is hard, awesome, frustrating and incomparable to anything else—sometimes all at the same time. Most all of us emerge from this experience stronger and more understanding people. Don’t hide that when you are ready to go back to work. You’ve got something incredibly valuable to offer to any field.n

52 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION

New AFSA Governing Board Sworn In CALENDAR

September 2 12-2 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting

September 2 3-4:30 p.m. 9th Annual Adair Lecture at American University featuring Ambassador (ret.) Johnny Young

September 7 Labor Day: AFSA Offices Closed

September 27-October 2 AFSA Road Scholar Program Chautauqua, N.Y.

October 7 12-2 p.m. AFSA Governing AFSA/MARIA C. LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA Board Meeting AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson takes the oath of office in front of other members of the 2015- 2017 AFSA Governing Board. In back, from left: Retiree Vice President Tom Boyatt, Sam Thielman, Eric Geelan, October 8 Dean Haas, Patricia Butenis, John Dinkelman, State VP Angie Bryan, Lawrence Casselle, Philip Laidlaw and Peter Neisuler. 2-3:30 p.m. Benefits Speaker Series: On July 15, incoming officers board’s very first acts was to In her welcoming remarks, Retirement Planning (TBC) and representatives of the welcome the newest A-100 the new president signaled October 9-19 2015-2017 American Foreign class to AFSA headquarters, the intentions of the Govern- AAFSW’s Art & BookFair Service Association Govern- as it signaled the importance ing Board to leave the Foreign State Department Exhibit Hall ing Board gathered at AFSA of ensuring the Foreign Ser- Service stronger than they headquarters for a swearing- vice remains a strong, healthy found it. For Stephenson, October 12 Columbus Day: in ceremony and a luncheon organization for future gen- that means ensuring the AFSA Offices Closed with the 183rd A-100 class. erations of Foreign Service Foreign Service is fit for pur- The new board marked professionals. pose: that purpose, she made October 18-22 the occasion by taking an “I cannot think of a better clear, is to lead America’s AFSA Road Scholar Program oath of office before officially way to spend our first hours foreign policy. Washington, D.C. assuming its responsibilities in office than welcoming the “That’s what the Foreign November 11 (see sidebar on p. 74). For 183rd A-100 class,” Stephen- Service is all about. And we Veterans Day: AFSA President Barbara Ste- son wrote on AFSA’s Face- can do that only if we are AFSA Offices Closed phenson, the oath captures book wall after the event. able to attract and retain November 15-19 both AFSA’s maturing as an “Talking to these smart, America’s very best talent.” AFSA Road Scholar Program organization and the board’s sophisticated, spirited new Stephenson concluded Washington, D.C. commitment to govern trans- officers reminded me how by pledging to do her best, parently and accountably for important it is that we suc- as AFSA president, to help November 19 AFSA Second Annual the benefit of members and ceed at our central task of the incoming class grow into Book Market the Foreign Service. ensuring a healthy, attractive professionals who can lead Stephenson expressed career path for the decades America’s foreign policy her pleasure that one of the to come.” Continued on page 74

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 53 STATE VP VOICE | BY ANGIE BRYAN FCS VP VOICE | BY STEVE MORRISON

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA State VP. Contact: [email protected] | (202) 647-8160 AFSA FCS VP. Contact: [email protected] | (202) 482-9088

Wanted: Your Solutions to Zeroing Out U.S. Foreign Service Challenges Trade Promotion

We’re eager to hear what you have to say The Commercial Service and its parent and how you think the department might agencies contribute significantly to U.S. best mitigate a problem. exports.

As some of you may feedback is critical to our Our agency is once again on million American jobs. remember from the “Strong ability to raise issues with the chopping block; this time, Those exports are key Diplomacy” campaign during management and to try to its very survival is at stake. sources of income to more the AFSA Governing Board work out the kinks in a way Back in March, the Repub- than 300,000 U.S. compa- election, my most recent that protects our members’ lican House and Senate lead- nies, 98 percent of which assignment was as an asses- interests. ership struck a deal, as part are small or medium-sized sor (for both generalists and What’s really exciting, of the 2016 budget resolution, businesses. specialists) with the Board of though, is when members to cut $5.5 billion dollars from With nearly 95 percent of Examiners. write to us with actual pro- the federal budget over 10 the world’s consumers living I was so impressed by the posed solutions to specific years. All taxpayers should outside the United States caliber of the people join- challenges. We’re eager applaud this valiant effort to and only a small, but growing, ing the Service that I began to hear what you have to get federal spending under fraction of U.S. companies to feel a sense of personal say and how you think the control. involved in exporting, now is responsibility to leave them department might best miti- But lost in the zeal to not the time to cut back. with the best Foreign Service gate a problem. Chances are, balance the budget was a That is why talk of elimi- possible—one they would be if you’re dealing with a dif- proposal, under the head- nating trade promotion and proud to call home not just ficult situation, so are some ing “Eliminating Corporate the Commercial Service is so for the next 10 or so years, of your colleagues elsewhere Welfare,” to zero out the frustrating. We’ve only now— but for an entire career filled in the world. trade promotion activities with our third straight new with personally and profes- I’m also interested in of the International Trade FCS officer class in June—set sionally rewarding experi- hearing what topics you’d Administration—including the out to restore hiring to levels ences. like to read about in more Commercial Service—thereby before 2007, when our officer As AFSA State vice depth in future issues of this saving roughly $400 million corps dropped to an historic president, I have the oppor- column. This column is an per year. low of 228. tunity to delve into the full opportunity for me to go into It can be argued that If rumors of a government- range of issues affecting our detail about non-time-sensi- more work needs to be done wide shutdown or elimination membership, including allow- tive issues of interest to our to quantify the Commercial of trade promotion and the ances and benefits, work-life members, and I’d like to tailor Service’s contribution to the Commercial Service are true, balance, legal rights, career its content to be as relevant U.S. economy, but that is poor we might as well go back to development and assign- and useful as possible. reason to throw the baby out the days of merchant ships ments, and more. AFSA often describes with the bathwater. sailing on dark, uncharted Although I’ve been on itself as “the voice of the The Commercial Service seas as is so aptly depicted the job for only a few weeks, Foreign Service,” but we can’t and its parent agencies, on the emblem of the U.S. I’ve already learned that, speak for our members if Global Markets and the Inter- Department of Commerce. in many instances, it is our they don’t let us know what’s national Trade Administration, Extinguish the lighthouse members in the field who on their minds. I look forward contribute significantly to U.S. beacon our overseas offices bring new developments to hearing from you at exports, which hit a record and officers represent? to our attention and let us [email protected]. n high for the fifth straight year Rough seas and rocky shores know how department poli- last year, reaching $2.34 ahead! n cies are affecting them. This trillion and supporting 11.7

54 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL RETIREE VP VOICE | BY TOM BOYATT AFSA NEWS

Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA Retiree VP. Contact: [email protected] | (703) 759-6658

Getting Started

Let me begin by thanking all a certificate of incapacity I see my responsibilities as supporting you retired members who voted from the Office of Medical for the next two years in three dimensions: in the election, and espe- Services so that Catherine cially those who supported could remain under our gov- retail, wholesale and existential. me. I would also like to thank ernment health insurance my opponents for their policy for her lifetime, as the positive and issue-oriented law provides. campaigns. Larry Cohen and Initially, Catherine was Charlie Ray have contributed granted such a certificate, 2006, and that I needed to If, in spite of your and much to AFSA in the past the coverage of which obtain a permanent the system’s best efforts, and will continue to do so. was limited to two years. I certificate. post-retirement problems I see my responsibili- immediately appealed on the I had an instant vision emerge, AFSA has two staff ties as supporting you for basis that cerebral palsy is of my future widow being retirement counselors, four the next two years in three a permanent condition and presented with a huge bill retiree representatives and dimensions: retail, wholesale the certificate of incapacity for insurance improperly myself. We are all ready to and existential. By retail, I should, likewise, be perma- paid by the government and assist in any way we can. mean the individual bureau- nent. It was granted. Catherine being tossed out I am confident that we will cratic difficulties that inevi- This past summer, the of our Foreign Service Ben- be successful in most of the tably occur in retirement director of the Retirement efit Plan. I rushed to my files, matters with which we deal. administration. Let me give Office, John Naland, who has quickly found the hard copy However, not all problems you an instructive personal been extraordinarily helpful of the permanent certificate are soluble. If we hit a brick example. and supportive of all of us in of incapacity and forwarded wall, we will inform you of My wife and I have a child that position, called to say a copy to John, who ensured the efforts we have made disabled since birth by cere- that Catherine’s certificate that it was placed in my elec- and the reasons we cannot bral palsy. In 2004, I filed for of incapacity had expired in tronic retirement record. “win the case.” We may not The lessons of this win them all, but we will vignette are: certainly fight them all. • Keep hard paper In subsequent columns, Growing FCS Ranks copies of all important I will be discussing with documents—life insurance you the wholesale (defense designations, certificates of of statutory benefits) and incapacity and the like. existential (defense of the • The transition in the Foreign Service) dimensions last 10 years from paper to of our portfolio. Challenges electronic records has inevi- in these areas are the sever- tably led to some mistakes. est I have seen in 50 years of When you retire, make sure AFSA involvement. that the electronic record is There is much to do; let’s accurate. get started. We are in this • The retirement pro- together. n cess itself is a fragile time. Pay particular attention to all details—especially the AFSA/MARIA C. LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA financial and legacy matters Marixell Garcia (left) and Clint Brewer, members of the largest-ever incoming class of Foreign Commercial Service officers, sign up for that have an impact on you AFSA membership during a welcome luncheon at AFSA headquarters and your family in retirement on June 8. and beyond.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 55 AFSA NEWS

AFSA-State Agree on Capping Linked Assignments

On July 13, the American limits the number of links “While the linked onward assignment is a Foreign Service Associa- to 70 for FS-2 positions and compelling reason to do a PSP, it is not fair tion and the Department of above. State signed a memorandum In addition, the MOU to bidders living and working at 25-percent of understanding (MOU) states that the department hardship posts.” regarding linked assignments will support bureau decisions —Survey Respondent as an incentive for Priority to decline a link when the Staffing Posts in the 2016 bureau can demonstrate that bidding cycle. Countries on the requestor is not qualified number of linked assign- form comments supported the PSP list are Afghanistan, for the job; agrees to explore ments registered and the reforming the linked assign- Iraq, Libya, Pakistan and ways to increase the pool of number of those not granted. ments incentive, while 27 Yemen. bidders on PSP positions and Should the 140 linked percent supported its com- The MOU caps linked discuss the modalities of a assignments be filled by Dec. plete elimination. assignments at 140, a 12.5 gradual phaseout of the PSP- 15, 2015, the MOU raises the The majority of respon- percent decrease from the linked incentive; and requires threshold to no more than dents expressed concerns previous bidding cycle, and the department to track the 160. The agreement further about the linked assignments stipulates that, if the ratio of process in its pre-MOU form. total positions to staffing at As one respondent noted: any PSP expands by more “While the linked onward than 10 percent, negotiations assignment is a compelling can be reopened to consider reason to do a PSP post [sic], additional links for that spe- it is not fair to bidders living cific post. and working at 25-percent The MOU was based on hardship posts. There are the results of a joint survey far fewer assignments to bid conducted by AFSA and the on for the rest of the FSOs department in May 2015. competing for jobs.” More than 6,800 career For- Many respondents echoed eign Service employees com- this viewpoint, indicating that pleted the survey, a response linked assignments often rate of 53 percent. allowed for less-qualified More than 60 percent of officers to obtain the most respondents with no PSP desired posts. The primary experience indicated that recommendations repeated linked assignments were throughout the survey among the most influential responses were to reduce the incentives to bid on PSP number of linked assign- positions. And 25 percent of ments and to implement a all respondents believe that method to ensure that linked linked assignments remain assignments are granted necessary to staff the most only to qualified bidders. difficult-to-fill PSP positions. The July 2015 MOU aims In contrast, 18 percent to fulfill both of those recom- of respondents view linked mendations. n assignments as detrimental —Noor Shah,

CHARTS BY JEFF LAU JEFF BY CHARTS to the assignments process. Labor Management Intern Source: 2015 Priority Staffing Posts Incentive Survey And 52 percent of the free-

56 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

2015 AFSA Lifetime, Performance and Dissent Awards AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN The 2015 AFSA award recipients with Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Back row, from left: Alexei Trofim (Guess Award), Thomas Duffy (Herter Award), Samuel Kotis (Rivkin Award), Amb. William Harrop (Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award), Blinken, Amb. Andrew Winter (Contributions to AFSA Award), Andrew Young (Palmer Award) and Rodney Ford (accepted the Delavan Award on behalf of Julia Harrison). Front row, from left: Melissa Fraser (accepted the AFSA Post Representative of the Year Award on behalf of Charlee Doom), Megan Gallardo (accepted the Harris Award on behalf of Jeffrey Bing), Amelia Shaw (Harriman Award) and Mary Beth Bechtel (Bohlen Award).

On June 9, approximately Service community. Secretary said, is one of a strong advocate of the 300 people gathered in the Deputy Secretary of State “a few very good men and Foreign Service in retire- Benjamin Franklin Diplo- Antony Blinken presented this women who leave an indelible ment, serving on the boards matic Reception Room of year’s LCAD Award to Ambas- impression not just on what of the American Academy of the Department of State to sador William C. Harrop for we [as the Foreign Service] Diplomacy, the Senior Living celebrate the recipients of his 39-year Foreign Service do, but on who we are.” Foundation of the American the American Foreign Service career, his dedication as the Amb. Harrop has been Foreign Service, American Association’s 2015 awards chairman of AFSA from 1972 for constructive dissent, to 1974 and his commitment exemplary performance and in retirement to advancing lifetime contributions to diplomacy. diplomacy. In his remarks, Deputy Then-AFSA President Rob- Secretary Blinken praised ert J. Silverman opened the Amb. Harrop for his admi- ceremony to a distinguished rable record of service: “From audience, including eight helping to resettle refugees past winners of the Lifetime after World War II to seed- Contributions to Ameri- ing the roots of democracy can Diplomacy Award and in Kenya and navigating the numerous State Department complexities of the Middle principals. East, Amb. Harrop served

Eleven awards, one of with distinction at pivotal SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN them new in 2015, honored moments in history.” Lifetime Contribution to American Diplomacy Award recipient Amb. Harrop calls for improved training to prepare America’s diplomats to face today’s members of the Foreign Amb. Harrop, the Deputy challenges.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 57 AFSA NEWS

Exemplary management specialist for Performance Awards extraordinary contributions The first honor, the Avis to effectiveness and morale Bohlen Award, was presented at post. by Ambassador Avis T. Bohlen After the threat of a ter- (daughter of the award’s rorist takeover of the city namesake) to Mary Beth prompted the drawdown of Bechtel of Embassy Bamako. staff in Erbil, Harrison took on This performance award, the duties of community liai- made possible by the Una son officer (CLO), in addition Chapman Cox Foundation, to her own, to boost morale honors an FS family member among remaining personnel whose relations with both in this critical hardship post. American and foreign commu- Harrison’s profile is on page

AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN nities at post have advanced 66. Office Management Specialist Coordinator Teresa Holtzman presents the U.S. foreign policy goals. Jon Clements, CEO and Nelson B. Delavan Award to OMS Julia Harrison. Bechtel received the chair of Clements Worldwide, award for her commitment to presented the M. Juanita Diplomacy Publishers, Popu- tory of promoting America’s advancing special needs edu- Guess Award (named for his lation Services International values and objectives. “If we cation in the Eastern Province mother) to Alexei Trofim of and the Henry L. Stimson imagine the international of Saudi Arabia, a project she Embassy Dushanbe. This Center. relations of the United States initiated during her husband’s award, created and sponsored As president and chair of to be a great ship, the Foreign posting in Dhahran. Bechtel’s by Clements Worldwide, cel- the Diplomacy Center Foun- Service would be its keel. profile is on page 68. ebrates a CLO whose dedica- dation, he is leading efforts The elected Democratic or Rodney Ford accepted tion, creativity and energy has to construct an interactive Republican administration the Nelson B. Delavan Award, improved morale and quality museum that will highlight steers the rudder of foreign presented by Office Manage- of life at post. the unique and crucial role of policy while the keel contrib- ment Specialist Coordinator Trofim compensated for diplomacy in America’s past, utes stability and continu- Teresa Holtzman, on behalf limited recreational opportu- present and future. ity—as well as practical of Julia Harrison of Consul- nities in Dushanbe by organiz- In accepting the award, expertise.” Please see page ate General Erbil. This award ing a rich lineup of activities the five-time ambassador 22 for an interview with Amb. is made possible by the bringing American and local emphasized the Service’s Harrop. Nelson B. Delavan Founda- staff together to get out and unique role in and rich his- tion and recognizes an office explore Tajikistan’s natural AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN

AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN Dr. Sushma Palmer presents the first-ever Mark Palmer Award for the Members of AFSA’s 2013-2015 Governing Board are recognized at the ceremony. Advancement of Democracy to FSO Andrew Young.

58 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN AFSA Treasurer Amb. Charles Ford presents the Contributions to AFSA Award The Honorable Robert S. Rivkin presents the William R. Rivkin Award to FSO to Amb. Winter, who served as AFSA’s treasurer for eight years. Samuel Kotis. beauty. Trofim’s profile is on page 67. Dr. Sushma Palmer pre- sented the new Mark Palmer Award to Andrew Young of Embassy Bamako. She cre- ated this accolade in honor of her late husband, Amb. Mark Palmer, who devoted his career to placing democracy promotion at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. The award recognizes a Foreign Service member who advances the ideals of democracy and free- SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN Eight former recipients of the Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award were present at the 2015 ceremony. dom abroad through commit- Back row, from left: Stu Kennedy (2014), Amb. Tom Boyatt (2008), Amb. Tom Pickering (2002), Amb. Bill Harrop (2015) ment and ingenuity. and Amb. George Landau (2013). Front row, from left: Frank Carlucci (1996), Amb. Joan Clark (2007), Senator Richard While serving in Burma, Lugar (2005) and Amb. Rozanne Ridgway (2011). Young supported democracy activists and documented received the Achievements ment Committee from 2005 This award honors an AFSA human rights violations and Contributions to the to 2013, during which time post representative who has committed by the ruling Association Award, presented he facilitated the moderniza- sustained successful engage- military junta. As acting by current treasurer of AFSA, tion of association services ment with AFSA membership chargé d’affaires in Mali, he Ambassador Charles Ford. and products to better serve and management at post. has championed respect for This award honors an AFSA its members. Amb. Winter’s The first-tour USAID FSO freedom and the rule of law member who has made profile is on page 70. was chosen for her exemplary in his work to broker and significant (non-monetary) Melissa Fraser accepted effectiveness as a liaison help implement a peace deal contributions to the associa- the Post Representative of on particularly challeng- between rebel leaders and tion. the Year Award from AFSA ing issues between AFSA government officials. Young’s Amb. Winter earned the Governing Board member members (at post and profile is on page 65. award for his extraordinary Neeru Lal on behalf of the beyond) and management in Former AFSA treasurer service as the chair of AFSA’s accolade’s winner, Charlee Nairobi and Washington, D.C. Ambassador Andrew Winter Finance, Audit and Manage- Doom of Embassy Nairobi. Doom’s profile is on page 69.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 59 AFSA NEWS AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN

Constructive Dissent During her FS career, born children than it does by Deputy Secretary of Awards Bing has been a leader in on men or married women. State for Management and AFSA’s constructive dissent the quest to garner greater Shaw’s profile is on page 63 Resources Heather Higgin- awards honor Foreign Service recognition and respect for and her article on dissent is bottom, recognized Thomas personnel who have demon- the crucial role of office man- on page 33. Duffy, director of the Office strated courage to critique an agement specialists in the Samuel Kotis of Embassy of United Nations Political unjust or inefficient policy or Foreign Service. Bing’s profile New Delhi received the Wil- Affairs in the Department of practice and the creativity to is on page 64. liam R. Rivkin Award from the State’s Bureau of Interna- offer constructive solutions. Ambassador-at-Large for Honorable Robert S. Rivkin, tional Organizations. These awards are unique Global Women’s Issues Cath- son of the late ambassa- Duffy received the Herter within the federal govern- erine Russell presented the dor for whom the award is Award, presented to a ment and foster a culture of W. Averell Harriman Award, named. This accolade, made senior-level FSO, for improv- acceptance within the Foreign made possible by the Una possible by the Rivkin family, ing the fraying relationship Service of respectful, well- Chapman Cox Foundation, rewards constructive dissent between IO and the U.S. Mis- timed and tough messaging to Amelia Shaw of Consul- by a mid-level FSO. sion to the United Nations in for the betterment of policy. ate General Tijuana. The While in New Delhi, Kotis New York. Duffy’s profile is Megan Gallardo accepted Harriman Award recognizes successfully argued that on page 61. the F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award constructive dissent by an Mission India should publish Following the ceremony, on behalf of this year’s recipi- entry-level FSO. the air quality data they were the award winners and pre- ent, Jeffrey Bing of Embassy Shaw, a vice consul in the collecting, which ultimately senters gathered with friends Sarajevo. Mark Delavan consulate’s American citizen revitalized U.S.-Indian rela- and family to celebrate the Harrop presented the award, services unit, has petitioned tions on the environmental Foreign Service, enjoy the which is made possible by the to amend a law that places front. Kotis’ profile is on page beautiful Benjamin Franklin Nelson B. Delavan Foundation more stringent requirements 62 and his article on dissent Room and share drinks, hors and celebrates constructive on unmarried women for is on page 37. d’oeuvres and stories. n dissent by a Foreign Service transmitting their American Finally, the Christian A. —Casey Knerr, specialist. citizenship to their foreign- Herter Award, presented Awards Intern AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN

AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN Amb. Harrop (far right), the 2015 LCAD recipient, celebrates with his extended Harriman Award recipient Amelia Shaw (far left) with friends. family after the ceremony.

60 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARDS AFSA NEWS

Profiles of award recipients compiled by Maria C. Livingston.

THE CHRISTIAN A. HERTER AWARD FOR A SENIOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER THOMAS DUFFY Constructive Dissent in Uncertain Times

“I believe the world is at a As director Management strategic inflection point. The of IO’s Office and Resources essentially unipolar world of of U.N. Political Heather Higgin- my generation is transition- Affairs, Duffy bottom credited ing to a multipolar norm. And recognized that Duffy’s actions I think many of the advances this rift had been with setting a we have made in the interna- detrimental to standard for tional space over those last efforts to advance transparent and 25 years are at risk. U.S. multilateral inclusive informa- “Paradoxically, the way policy. Believ- tion sharing: “The to preserve the gains of the ing the United application of his last 25 years is to realize we States is at its ideas makes us a can no longer do business best when IO and better advocate the same way we’ve done it USUN are pulling for the American since the end of the Cold War. in the same direc- people, and that

Constructive dissent, or as tion, he wrote SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN is something to Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather the U.S. military would like to a memo to IO’s Higginbottom (left) presents FSO Thomas Duffy with this year’s which we should put it ‘disruptive thinking,’ will then-new assis- Herter Award. all aspire.” be essential as we navigate tant secretary, Duffy joined the way forward.” Sheba Crocker, detailing the ensure advancement of U.S. the Foreign Service in 1991, Those were the words challenges caused by the goals in places such as Libya and has served in Bogota, spoken by this year’s recipi- competitive atmosphere. and Yemen. Riyadh, Baghdad, Jerusalem, ent of the Christian A. Herter Motivated by Duffy’s Speaking at the June 9 Manama and Jeddah. He Award, Thomas Duffy, as he memo, Assistant Secretary awards ceremony, Deputy and his wife, Anne, have two accepted his award in front Crocker invited Permanent Secretary of State for children. n of an audience comprised Representative Samantha of distinguished diplomats, Power to Washington, D.C., to GOVERNING BOARD APPROVES members of Congress, address IO leadership. It was SECOND TRANCHE SUPPORT friends and family. during that meeting that the FOR U.S. DIPLOMACY CENTER Duffy received this year’s intrepid director pitched his senior-level AFSA award diagnosis of and proposed At its final meeting on July 1, the 2013-2015 Ameri- for his actions to revive the solutions to the problem. can Foreign Service Association Governing Board relationship between the U.S. Duffy’s constructive but approved a second contribution to the Diplomacy Mission to the United Nations tough and well-timed mes- Center Foundation in the amount of $100,000. in New York and the State sage paved the way for an NEWS BRIEF This follows AFSA’s first disbursement of $50,000 Department’s Bureau of Inter- honest discussion between to the foundation in July 2014 (see the March 2015 national Organization Affairs. top USUN and IO principals. AFSA News). The money is being used to sup- Collaboration between the Spurred by his actions, the port construction of the U.S. Diplomacy Center, two offices had suffered since U.S. permanent representa- a museum that, when completed, will highlight the 2009 decision to accord tive and the IO assistant the critical role of diplomacy and development in Cabinet-level rank to the U.S. secretary now have regular promoting U.S. national security and economic permanent representative to conversations, and USUN prosperity. n the United Nations. and IO coordinate early to

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 61 AFSA NEWS AFSA CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARDS

THE WILLIAM R. RIVKIN AWARD FOR A MID-LEVEL FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER SAMUEL KOTIS Tackling Air Pollution Through Open Data

Speaking at the Feb. 18 using AQM data to launch of the joint Depart- catalyze change. In ment of State–Environmental 2008, Embassy Beijing Protection Agency effort to began monitoring expand EPA’s AirNow system levels of fine airborne to diplomatic posts abroad, particles and tweeted EPA Administrator Gina the results hourly. McCarthy praised Embassy Despite initial push- New Delhi for understand- back from Chinese ing that engagement on air officials, the govern- pollution strengthens, rather ment was eventually than weakens, our diplomatic forced to acknowledge relationships. the scale of the prob- A Web-based platform, lem and start taking EPA’s AirNow program pro- action to address it. vides real-time information Undeterred, Kotis on air quality in U.S. cities. diligently gathered Thanks to the efforts of For- data and built alliances eign Service Officer Samuel to support his mis- Kotis, the program is now sion. His breakthrough operational in India and soon came in the spring of will be in countries such as 2014 when the World Mongolia and Vietnam. Health Organization However, nobody would announced that New

have guessed in August 2013, Delhi was the most SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN when Kotis arrived at post, polluted city on the FSO Samuel Kotis (right) poses with the Honorable Robert S. Rivkin at the June 9 that Mission India would lead planet, with nearly ceremony. The Rivkin family sponsors the constructive dissent award bestowed upon Kotis. the charge on air pollution. double the amount of Despite having installed airborne particulate matter constructively critical and, his assignment as deputy premium air quality monitors as Beijing. most of all, effective” and minister counselor in the (AQMs) at the embassy and This occurred around the credits Kotis with creating economic, environment, sci- the four U.S. consulates in time that Kotis arranged for a precedent of collaborat- ence and technology affairs India, the mission feared that an authoritative U.S. expert ing closely with an emerging section in New Delhi, Kotis is releasing the data would cre- to brief the ambassador on power whose cooperation is headed to the U.S. Mission to ate an unnecessary irritant in the urgency of India’s air critical for keeping the world the International Civil Avia- the bilateral relationship. pollution challenges. The pre- on a steady path toward tion Organization in Montreal Kotis knew the difference sentation prompted a change cleaner air and improved next. Since joining the between action and inaction in policy; and in June 2014, health. Service in 1991, he has also could amount to life or death Mission India began publish- Kotis has written on his served in Jakarta, Singapore, for tens of thousands, and ing the AQM data. experience using constructive Tunis, Amman, Budapest, urged embassy leadership to His nominator calls Kotis’ dissent to push this initiative Baghdad and London. He make the info public. approach “principled, col- through (see page 37). and his wife, Beth, have two There was precedent for legial, patient yet insistent, Having just concluded children. n

62 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARDS AFSA NEWS

THE W. AVERELL HARRIMAN AWARD FOR AN ENTRY-LEVEL FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER AMELIA SHAW Creating Momentum for Change from the Consular Front Lines

Newly minted Foreign evident dur- Having authored an article Service Officer Amelia Shaw ing the awards on the law in The Foreign enthusiastically accepted the ceremony. With a Service Journal in April (See miniature flag of Mexico at trembling voice, “Citizenship and Unwed Bor- her February 2014 Flag Day she described der Moms: The Misfortune ceremony. She was headed the overwhelm- of Geography”) and another to Tijuana to do consular ing emotion she for this issue reflecting on work, and, as it turns out, stir felt when she her own constructive dissent things up—in a good way. understood that (see page 33), Shaw contin- Within four short months, her actions—and ues to push for justice: “Now Shaw would be the driving those of her that AFSA has thrown its force behind an action memo colleagues—had spotlight on this issue, per- sent from the Bureau of Con- SHAW AMELIA OF COURTESY created momen- haps we are one step closer sular Affairs to the Bureau of Shaw (right) with Under Secretary of State for tum on this to seeing change in that law.” Management Patrick Kennedy moments after Legislative Affairs request- learning her first FS post would be Consulate General issue beyond Prior to joining the Foreign ing help to amend a law Tijuana. Mission Mexico: Service, Shaw was a Fulbright that places more stringent “Our American fellow in Haiti and a foreign requirements on unmarried tive dissent at the entry level citizen services section in the correspondent for NPR and women for transmitting their for having done just that. consulate in Tijuana stood the BBC. Shaw speaks seven American citizenship to their Her quest to amend up, and we were cheering, we languages and has two chil- foreign-born children than the discriminatory law is a were clapping, we were fist- dren. n it does on men or married testament to her work ethic. pumping. It was amazing!” women. Colleagues describe Shaw With that sort of effi- as compassionate, a work- ciency, Shaw makes con- horse—capable of doing the structive dissent look easy. work of three FSOs—innova- However, that perception dis- tive, full of new ideas, with a counts the countless hours drive to see projects through. of information gathering and As Ambassador-at-Large coalition building she poured for Global Women’s Issues into prompting a discussion Catherine Russell, presenting on the 1980s-era law. Shaw with the AFSA award Anyone familiar with the for dissent, said: “It takes real department’s clearance courage to speak up and go system knows that it takes against the crowd. But to do tremendous oomph to push this as a brand new officer in one’s idea—particularly the Foreign Service, to stand so that it remains intact— up and say, ‘I’m new here, but through multiple layers of this doesn’t seem quite right,’ management. Shaw is this that’s particularly commend- year’s W. Averell Harriman able.” SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN FSO Amelia Shaw with Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Award recipient for construc- Shaw’s passion was Catherine Russell in the State Department’s C Street Lobby.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 63 AFSA NEWS AFSA CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARDS

THE F. ALLEN “TEX” HARRIS AWARD FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE SPECIALIST JEFFREY BING Persistence and Strategic Advocacy Pay Off

Jeffrey Bing, the recipient of that the plan is that each group deserved its this year’s F. Allen “Tex” Harris still outstand- own award, she convinced Award for a Foreign Service ing, Bing found the department to name the specialist, says she feels other ways to Foreign Service award after “blessed every day” for her advance OMS Rayda Nadal, an admired FS job and what it brings to her interests. OMS who died from injuries both personally and profes- When she sustained from a tragic gas sionally. felt that having explosion in her Moscow Bing was no stranger to the OMS coor- apartment in 2014. the Foreign Service when she dinator posi- In her acceptance remarks, first joined as an office man- tion located Bing emphasized how issues agement specialist (OMS) in the bureau of seemingly small import in 2003. Her father was a that reports to can make a huge difference in

Foreign Service officer, and BING JEFFERY OF COURTESY the Director morale: “I want to thank AFSA she had two aunts who served Harris Award recipient Jeffrey Bing in her element at General consti- for its support and advocacy Embassy Sarajevo. as FS secretaries during tuted a conflict as we fought for this tiny little World War II. Bing describes of interest, correction, this tiny little thing herself as “opinionated, vocal In 2011, after two years of Bing argued that the coordi- that was pretty huge to a lot and stubborn”—traits she futile inquiries sent through nator could not impartially of us.” attributes to her father. established channels on the represent OMS concerns to Bing joined the Foreign Talk to her colleagues, status of the OMS Career the DG. Service in 2003. She has however, and it is apparent Development Plan—which Finally, Bing successfully received two Superior Honor that she is widely respected would update the prerequi- fought a proposal to consoli- Awards, two Meritorious precisely because she’s used sites for promotion—Bing date the heretofore-separate Honor Awards, and many that persistence and passion sent her request directly to Foreign and Civil Service other accolades. Her tours to champion the cause of the the Director General. Despite OMS of the Year Awards thus far have included Seoul, State Department’s capable not receiving a satisfactory into one named after a Civil Athens, Kabul, Nicosia, Rome and indispensable OMS cadre. response, and despite the fact Service OMS. Contending and Sarajevo. n

2013 AND 2014 MSI IMPLEMENTATION DISPUTES: AN UPDATE

The American Foreign Service Association is still awaiting decisions from the Foreign Service Grievance Board on non-payment of the 2013 and 2014 Meritorious Service Increases (see the July/August 2014 AFSA News). AFSA’s appeal on behalf of the 554 individuals who were recommended by the 2013 Selection Boards for an MSI, but who did not receive the monetary component, is currently before the FSGB. On April 20, the department filed its response to AFSA’s Dec. 22, 2014, supplemental submission. AFSA is in the process of preparing its final rebuttal, after which the record of proceeding will be closed and rest

NEWS BRIEF with the board for final deliberation and decision. AFSA hopes to have a decision within the next couple of months. Also before the FSGB is AFSA’s appeal on behalf of the 270 members who did not receive their recommended MSIs in 2014. At press time, the department had not yet responded to AFSA’s requests for discovery. A decision in the 2014 case is further off, but we hope to have it later this year. n

64 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS AFSA NEWS

THE MARK PALMER AWARD FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF DEMOCRACY ANDREW YOUNG Democracy Promotion: The Greatest Job in the World AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN FSO Andrew Young recalls the many champions of freedom he’s met Young poses with friends at the June 9 ceremony. throughout his career.

In 1998, Foreign Service nearly six decades of military called the passage of the Arguably, the fight for Officer Andrew Young penned rule to a quasi-civilian gov- ADVANCE Democracy Act of democracy in Burma, Mali an article titled “A Prayer for ernment. 2007—legislation institution- and so many places around Burma” for inclusion in the Young is the recipient of alizing democracy promo- the world continues on. The second edition of the Ameri- the first-ever Mark Palmer tion at State, which Young flip side of the marker of can Foreign Service Asso- Award for the Advancement helped draft—an immoral success measured by the ciation’s guide to life in the of Democracy, established interference in North Korea’s number of one’s autocratic Foreign Service, Inside a U.S. in honor of the late Ambas- domestic affairs. foes, is the number of one’s Embassy (Foreign Service sador Palmer, a lifelong And in his current assign- friends who are democracy Books, 2003). champion of democracy and ment as deputy chief of heavyweights. He was Embassy Ran- human rights. mission in war-torn Mali, a When Suu Kyi was pre- goon’s political officer at One might argue that an once democratic stronghold, sented with the Congressio- the time, and offered the FSO’s success in advancing Young’s work to foster peace nal Medal of Honor in 2012 following reflection: “I’ve met democracy can be measured negotiations between gov- for her peaceful struggle the bravest people in my life by the number of autocratic ernment officials and rebel against military rule, she per- here. The Burmese struggle feathers he or she manages leaders is presenting serious sonally invited Young to sit in on for democracy despite the to ruffle. By that standard, roadblocks to al-Qaida-linked the first row along with other repression, despite setbacks. Young takes the prize. extremists in the region. notable allies, including for- Here the State Department In Burma, Young irritated For Young, democracy mer Secretaries of State and wages a righteous fight a slew of ruling generals in and human rights promotion Defense Madeleine Albright for justice. Some day the the State Law and Order is a moral calling: “Being a and William Cohen. Burmese people will win their Restoration Council by aiding Foreign Service officer is the Young joined Embassy freedom. I pray that change those advocating a peace- greatest job in the world! Bamako as DCM in July 2013, comes soon, comes peace- ful transition to democracy, Where else do we have but has served as chargé fully and comes before more such as Nobel Laureate Aung the privilege of being able d’affaires since 2014. His lives are destroyed.” San Suu Kyi and others in the to serve our country and other tours include Wash- It would be another 12 National League for Democ- promote our core values and ington, D.C., South Korea, years before the country racy. to make the world a little bit France, New Zealand, Burma, would see transition from its The former Kim Jong Il better?” India and Hong Kong. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 65 AFSA NEWS AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS

THE NELSON B. DELAVAN AWARD FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST JULIA HARRISON Building Lifelines for Consulate General Erbil

Only days after reporting enthused to give visiting for duty in Erbil, Iraq, Julia outside vendors their busi- Harrison found herself in the ness. She even secured the midst of an ordered depar- agreement of 42 restaurants ture due to the near capture to deliver sustenance—ahem, of the city by the Islamic Cinnabon—directly to the State group. As nonessential consulate gates. personnel cleared out, Har- When Thanksgiving rolled rison’s already substantial around, Harrison arranged workload as the office man- for a delivery of a differ- agement specialist (OMS) to ent sort: an air shipment of Consul General Joseph Pen- frozen turkeys from Embassy

nington grew even heavier. HARRISON JULIA OF COURTESY Baghdad. Those who remained Julia Harrison with consulate colleagues during a CLO Committee Having worked as an found they could no longer barbecue. From left: Deputy Principal Officer William Silkworth, Harrison executive assistant with and Management Officer Richard Boohaker. leave the consulate com- the military in a former life, pound except to conduct offi- Harrison made a special cial business. The restriction effort to include members of meant that nearly two-thirds the several Marine Security of the staff would never set Augmentation Units rotating foot outside the consulate through on 45-day tours and walls—not to visit tourist the Marine Security Guard sites, not to attend social Detachment. It was also a events, not to dine at local great excuse to hold consul- restaurants. atewide barbecues. And while U.S. airstrikes For all these actions—or successfully halted the IS as the State Department’s attack, the fear of future OMS Coordinator Teresa assaults consumed both Holtzman explains it, “for

American and locally HARRISON JULIA OF COURTESY bringing superb solutions… employed (LE) staff. Consulate personnel line up for some grilled grub at a community event. under harsh conditions”— What Harrison did next In line, from left: Sgt. Rumeal Roman, Sgt. Roman Penn, Sgt. Jose Nunez, Harrison can rightly be Sgt. Shane Leksell and Sgt. Evan Kolodey. In back: Regional Security Officer earned her this year’s Nelson Cody Perron. described as the embodi- B. Delavan Award, a recogni- ment of Foreign Service tion reserved for an OMS, who worked with the manage- Together with LE staff, excellence. has made a significant con- ment office to establish an she invested significant time Prior to joining the Ser- tribution to post and morale all-volunteer CLO Commit- and energy in broadening the vice, Harrison served in the beyond the framework of his tee. Under her leadership, the culinary options available to Civil Service and spent more or her job responsibilities. committee developed a rich consulate personnel. With than 15 years as an execu- Stepping in to fill the vac- program of after-hours social only one fast-food restaurant tive assistant in the military. uum left by the community activities, such as yoga, and three snack shops on She also worked as a public liaison officer (CLO) who was cooking classes and trivia the compound, Harrison’s affairs assistant to the 101st forced to relocate, Harrison contests. colleagues were more than Airborne Division. n

66 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS AFSA NEWS

THE M. JUANITA GUESS AWARD FOR A COMMUNITY LIAISON OFFICE COORDINATOR ALEXEI TROFIM Trofim Takes Dushanbe

On arriving in Tajikistan, a enjoy the natu- 30-percent hardship differen- ral beauty of tial post with few opportuni- the country. ties for travel or recreation, He is Alexei Trofim immediately perhaps best recognized the importance known for such of fostering “a strong spirit of jaunts, includ- community to power through ing camping the hurdles of day-to-day trips to the life.” During the two years he glacier lake of served as post’s co-commu- Iskanderkul nity liaison officer (CLO)— and the Nurek eight months of which he Reservoir, a did solo—Trofim excelled at trek through fueling that spirit. Varzob gorge On average, the bound- and a visit to COURTESY ALEXEI TROFIM OF COURTESY lessly energetic Trofim coordi- the historical Embassy Dushanbe community members explore Lake Iskanderkul and its surroundings on nated 10 to 12 monthly events Hissar fortress. a Trofim-organized trip. for the embassy community. Most popular of Ranging from quiz nights and all, however, was the five- humble as they happy hours to visits to local day road trip to neighboring come. “I always restaurants and museums, Uzbekistan—a logistical feat believed in the the gatherings were popular to be sure—involving multiple resourcefulness, among American and local embassy vehicles and result- creativity and staff alike. ing in many happy travelers. enthusiasm of my His wildly successful Some regarded the trip as a fellow community Halloween party earned him highlight of their entire tour in members,” he said. the accolades of a visiting Tajikistan. “I saw my role as delegation from the Office of Finally, Trofim frequently merely combining the Inspector General, with encouraged embassy staff to those resources one inspector calling the participate in philanthropic and empowering event one of the best he had efforts to benefit surrounding people to make AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN ever seen. communities (e.g., a holi- Alexei Trofim (right) poses with Guess Award their own lives in Given security consider- day donation drive for local sponsor and CEO of Clements Worldwide, Jon Dushanbe better.” ations, poor infrastructure orphans). Clements. Trofim worked and language barriers, For his efforts, Trofim described him as dedicated, as a local staff member for families in Dushanbe rarely received the highest rating enthusiastic and hardwork- the Peace Corps in Moldova ventured outside the city on for a CLO among all South ing, emphatically stating: “He from 1998 to 2011. He and their own. However, Tro- and Central Asian posts in the is exceptionally deserving of his wife, Jenna, a USAID fim’s unique programming 2014 International Coopera- this award.” Foreign Service officer, have afforded the embassy com- tive Administrative Support When asked what moti- also served in Manila and are munity multiple opportunities Service customer satisfaction vated him to work as hard thrilled to be heading to Accra to escape the capital and survey. His award nominator as he did, Trofim was as for their next assignment. n

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THE AVIS BOHLEN AWARD FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE FAMILY MEMBER MARY BETH BECHTEL Eradicating Stigma in Special Needs Education

cation to work with consulate patriotic, and we love the officials—organized a robust United States as much as our schedule of meetings. spouses do.” The public diplomacy office Bechtel encourages all estimated that the speaker EFMs to use their personal would draw an audience of and professional know-how 40-50 people: The final head to make a difference at their count was close to 1,000. posts, which, as she has Thanks to Bechtel’s initia- shown, can include advancing tive, Saudi parents and busi- U.S. foreign policy. Working ness leaders are beginning remotely from her new home to organize around the issue in Bamako, she continues to of disability. They are now promote special needs educa- connected to experts affiliated tion in Saudi Arabia.

COURTESY OF MARY BETH BECHTEL MARY OF COURTESY with U.S. institutions such as She is also turning her Mary Beth Bechtel in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. the Kennedy Krieger Institute attention to a new goal—to and Autism Speaks. And, create a Doctors Without Bor- A special needs education ences as having inspired notably, the consulate general ders-like program that deploys expert, Mary Beth Bechtel her to improve conditions also benefitted by establishing specially trained teams to has spent the last 16 years for adults and children with ties to new segments of the work with teachers, parents living in five countries on three disabilities: “As a mom and a community. and children overseas. different continents with her human being, I have to pay it Before receiving the Bechtel and her Foreign Foreign Service husband and forward.” Bohlen Award, Bechtel was Service husband have also their children. Shortly after arriving at not aware of its existence. lived and worked in Munich, The couple just completed post, Bechtel found Dhahran In her acceptance remarks, Athens and Vienna. Originally a tour in Dhahran, where had few quality places where she called the honor gratify- from Edgewater, Maryland, Bechtel’s success building parents could take their ing, saying, “EFMs: We are she holds a master’s degree in relationships to promote children for diagnosis and not direct hires; but we are special education. n special education in Saudi treatment. Educators lacked Arabia’s Eastern Province expertise and training. The earned her this year’s Avis social stigma of disability was Bohlen Award. The award exacerbated by the absence is conferred on an eligible of support services. family member (EFM) whose Compelled to action, relations with the American Bechtel recruited support and foreign communities at from Consulate General a U.S. mission have done the Dhahran to bring a U.S. spe- most to advance American cial education expert to the interests. Eastern Province. Together, Bechtel is a teacher and they secured grant funding, the mother of a grown son cut through logistical red tape, and—despite the extreme reti- SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN with Asperger’s syndrome. Bechtel (center) with her family and friends following the AFSA awards She points to both experi- cence of the Ministry of Edu- ceremony.

68 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS AFSA NEWS

POST REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD CHARLEE DOOM Breathing Life into the AFSA Post Rep Program

In her time as AFSA post representative at Embassy Nairobi, Charlee Doom has established an impressive track record of successfully advocating on behalf of her Foreign Service colleagues. So much so, it’s hard to imagine how the first-tour USAID offi- cer has time to do her day job, which entails managing the Integrated Partnership Assis- tance Agreement with the CHARLEE DOOM OF COURTESY Doom (right) with former USAID Common Market for Eastern Deputy Administrator Donald CHARLEE DOOM OF COURTESY and Southern Africa and the Steinberg at her October 2012 USAID FSO Charlee Doom (far left) conducts a site visit to the U.S.-funded swearing-in ceremony. Regional Laboratory for Mycotoxin Research and Capacity Development in agricultural component of the Machakos County, Kenya. East Africa Trade and Invest- ment Hub. Wayne in Washington, D.C. FSOs at all levels to secure FSOs who had not been mem- Nevertheless, Doom has Doom’s initiative resulted in the uniform application of bers of AFSA to join or rejoin excelled at both roles, and it the agency agreeing to put per diem rates across all FS the association. is for her countless actions to the policy change on hold member agencies at post and According to Doom, serv- promote and defend the inter- until further research could to redirect new contractor ing as a post representative ests of AFSA members that be done to better understand jobs—ones that USAID FSOs has been both educational she was chosen as this year’s potential negative outcomes were qualified to perform—to and rewarding: “It was a AFSA Post Representative of (e.g., increased incidence of the FS bid list. humbling experience to listen the Year. post-traumatic stress disor- “I went to Charlee and it to each of the individual situ- When former USAID der). was like a breath of fresh air. ations and their respective Administrator Raj Shah unex- She was also a critical She cared!” said a retired FSO challenges and to work with pectedly proposed a policy interlocutor as post went who benefitted from Doom’s AFSA leadership and post that would have required through a rightsizing exer- assistance when payment of management to mitigate and USAID Foreign Service officers cise, representing members his retirement benefits was resolve issues for members. to serve two years instead on issues such as transition severely delayed. “Ms. Doom Our collaboration was directly of one in a critical priority benefits, career development did what I expected a union responsible for improving country to receive priority and advancement prospects, to do—defend my rights as the transition and benefits consideration for their next onward placements, financial a faithful employee and help afforded to FSOs.” assignments, Doom sprang losses and family consider- me navigate a complex and Prior to joining USAID in into action. ations. daunting system. I cannot 2012, Doom worked at Bunge Within 24 hours, she col- Among her many other thank her enough!” Global Agribusiness; BASF, lected feedback from more accomplishments, Doom part- As these remarks demon- the chemical company; and than 100 individuals serv- nered with AFSA to ensure strate, Doom’s advocacy for Monsanto Company. She ing at 50 different missions, that a significant USAID the rights of her colleagues holds a master’s degree in which she forwarded to AFSA performance management has not gone unnoticed: Her business from the University USAID Vice President Sharon study included input from efforts have inspired many of Western Australia. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 69 AFSA NEWS AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS

CONTRIBUTIONS TO AFSA AWARD ANDREW WINTER A True Visionary

“Andrew was a treasurer, an auditor and a finance person, but more than that, he was a visionary.” Thus the current treasurer of AFSA, Ambassador Chuck Ford, began his praise for the 2015 Contributions to AFSA Award recipi- ent, Ambassador

Andrew Winter. ARCHIVES AFSA Amb. Winter speaks with members of the 165th A-100 class at a February Speaking at this 2012 luncheon in his capacity as AFSA treasurer. year’s awards cer- emony, Ford trans- SOSA AFSA/JOAQUIN ported the audience to a criti- to its fast-growing improved space Amb. Andrew Winter at the AFSA awards ceremony. cal time of change for both membership. for meetings and the Foreign Service and AFSA As chair of the AFSA events. as he described his predeces- Finance, Audit and Manage- The now 45-year mem- ity of the work that [Winter] sor’s exemplary performance ment Committee, Amb. ber of AFSA also provided brought, not only on the as AFSA treasurer—an elected Winter contributed directly the budgetary support that books, but to the staff and to position Amb. Winter held for to the extensive growth of propelled AFSA into the infor- the professionalism, and how four consecutive terms from the association’s invest- mation age with a revamped the organization changed how 2005 to 2013. ment portfolio and provided website, improved IT service it thought about itself and As the State Department counsel when AFSA sought support, a new membership how it visualized its future… wrestled with how to respond outside experts to analyze its database and a redesigned, as the voice of the modern to emerging global challenges organizational structure. As a online-accessible Foreign Foreign Service.” (e.g., rising violent extremism, direct result, AFSA’s operat- Service Journal. Amb. Winter spent 30 increasing operational risk, ing budget increased by 25 In addition to his nor- years with the Department of staffing for civilian recon- percent and its professional mal fiduciary duties, Amb. State, serving as ambassador struction efforts, declining staff by 33 percent. Winter contributed to the to The Gambia, deputy assis- budgets), AFSA was simul- After placing AFSA on firm AFSA Scholarship Fund and tant secretary for informa- taneously evaluating how to financial ground, Amb. Winter regularly offered advice on tion management, executive best navigate the ensuing participated in the 2009 policy, labor management and director of the Bureaus of institutional headwinds. renovation of the AFSA head- congressional matters. the Western Hemisphere and Thanks to Amb. Winter’s quarters building—arguably Ford pointed to Amb. African Affairs, and in posi- leadership, AFSA took a num- the most substantial (and Winter’s success in shepherd- tions overseas in Ecuador, ber of steps to modernize so necessary) investment in the ing such transformation as a Finland, Brazil, Taiwan and that it could more effectively association’s history—to allow testament to his leadership South Africa. He now lives in advocate on behalf of and growth of its services and and dedication to AFSA: “It’s Ecuador. n offer more and better services staff and to offer members just so impressive…the qual-

70 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS AFSA NEWS

Runners-Up

THE NELSON B. DELAVAN AWARD Sarah Locke and Jamie Bellamy, post’s co-CLO duo, are at RUNNER-UP once event organizers, counselors and management liaisons. The two spend their days steeped in planning and coordi- VERONICA PETERS, nation with the Regional Security Office just to be able to EMBASSY RIGA offer grocery runs and outings to religious services, safety Life in Latvia changed rapidly in 2014 permitting, outside compound walls. Together, they manage as upheaval in Ukraine jolted awake to regularly offer a rich and varied repertoire of social activi- the world’s geopolitical senses. ties on- and off-campus. Cabin fever and work-life imbalance Within a few short months, Embassy often lead colleagues to seek temporary reprieve in the CLO Riga found itself supporting a con- office. And it was a CLO-sponsored survey that prompted the stant presence of 140 U.S. soldiers ambassador to implement morale-boosting changes. for NATO military exercises and wel- According to their nominator, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon coming a steady stream of high-level David Hale, “[Embassy] Beirut literally would not function

COURTESY OF PETERS OF COURTESY visitors—a challenge compounded without the stellar work of Jamie Bellamy and Sarah Locke.” Veronica Peters visits by the sudden curtailment of the a school for Global Entrepreneurship Week. U.S. ambassador. MARK PALMER AWARD RUNNER-UP Thanks to the extraordinary vision of Office Management Specialist Veronica “Roni” JOSHUA BAKER, Peters, the mission did not miss a beat. Peters not only kept CONSULATE GENERAL DUBAI the chargé d’affaires on point and on schedule, she strength- Joshua Baker’s day job is to promote ened embassy cohesion and resolve for meeting the new democratic values, extol human rights and challenges. Whether expertly negotiating competing section denounce terrorism. This description sounds interests in a high-visibility extradition case or organizing lis- like something out of a Marvel character’s tening sessions between the Front Office and staff in prepara- BAKER OF COURTESY work requirement statement, but as the Joshua tion for a visit from the Office of the Inspector General, Peters’ Baker being director of State’s Dubai Regional Media Hub, significant contributions empowered the mission to advance interviewed. Baker must have a bit of superhuman coding U.S. interests in this critical East European partner country. somewhere in his DNA. With oversight of a team charged with building relations M. JUANITA GUESS AWARD RUNNERS-UP with Arab media outlets, Baker is literally the U.S. govern- ment’s Arabic language spokesperson to one of the adminis- SARAH LOCKE AND JAMIE BELLAMY, tration’s most, if not the most, critical foreign audiences. And EMBASSY BEIRUT despite direct threats from the Islamic State group for his Community liaison officers (CLOs) are the work, Baker has been steadfast in his pro-democracy glue that binds embassy communities messaging. and even more so at Embassy Beirut, In just two years, he’s given more than 150 Arabic-language COURTESY OF BELLAMY OF COURTESY Sarah Locke (bottom where the country’s volatile security interviews (often with hostile hosts) and quadrupled the left) and Jamie situation is a constant threat to the well- department’s Arabic-language Twitter feed @USAbilAraby to Bellamy (bottom being of staff. In Lebanon, Foreign Service nearly 300,000 followers. Under Baker’s leadership, the hub right) with an embassy group in personnel serve partially unaccompanied has come to be viewed as a credible source and serves as a Beirut’s Mar Mikhael two-year tours and teeter between limited beacon of democracy to millions in this tumultuous region. n district. and complete lockdowns.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 71 AFSA NEWS

Behind the Scenes with AFSA’s Committee on Elections

On the morning of June 4, Candidates were allowed the American Foreign Service to observe the tallying, and a Association’s Committee on number of governing board Elections gathered, as they hopefuls streamed in and out do every two years, to count throughout the day. the votes cast in the 2015- With only a brief break for 2017 AFSA Governing Board lunch, the committee worked election. meticulously to ensure a Following prompt closure smooth process. At 1:30 p.m., of the online voting plat- the tallies from the paper and form at 8 a.m., a committee online ballots were merged. member collected the paper Preliminary results were ballots from a nearby post printed and announced at office, where the ballots had 2:20 p.m. AFSA/SHANNON MIZZI AFSA/SHANNON been safeguarded as they A total of 4,034 votes were AFSA Committee on Elections Chair Bill Farrand (left) and AFSA Member arrived via military, diplomatic cast this year: 1,023 written Services Representative Natalie Cheung (right) consult on a ballot. and regular post from AFSA and 3,011 online. This figure is members the world over. significantly higher than that access to voting information, sentative Natalie Cheung and Donuts and coffee in hand, of the 2013-2015 election, in facilitating town hall meet- Elections Intern Brianna Pope. the committee set to work which 3,502 voters partici- ings, distributing campaign A full breakdown of the sorting and scanning all paper pated. platforms and more. 2015-2017 election results ballot envelopes at approxi- For committee members, AFSA thanks committee can be found at www.bit.ly/ mately 9:40 a.m. ballot-counting day may be members for their hard work, GB_Results_15-17. n They checked to make the most gratifying of their including Chair Robert “Bill” —Shannon Mizzi, sure votes fulfilled the two-year term. The commit- Farrand, Jenna Bucha Jones, Editorial Intern requirements for eligibility. tee is tasked with running a Mort Dworken, Russell Knight, Outer envelopes were opened fair and transparent elec- Andrea Strano and AFSA and secret ballot envelopes tion—no small feat consid- staff—Executive Director Ian collected. A second and third ering the logistical details Houston, General Counsel check of the outer envelopes involved, including publishing Sharon Papp, Director of was conducted to ensure no a call for nominations, ensur- Member Services Janet Hed- ballots were overlooked. ing all AFSA members have rick, Member Services Repre-

STAY CURRENT ON THE OPM DATA BREACH

The American Foreign Service Association is closely monitoring developments on the recent data breach at the Office of Personnel Management and updating our website with the latest information at www.afsa.org/opm-breach. On June 22, AFSA sent a letter to the director of OPM regarding the reported breach in the SF-86 security clear- ance system (see www.bit.ly/1DhoLco). In the letter, AFSA stressed the unique vulnerability of the Foreign Service, given its overseas presence and diplomatic assignments, and specifically petitioned for lifetime credit monitoring services and liability insurance, among other demands. NEWS BRIEF AFSA also joined our partners in the Federal Postal Coalition in submitting a letter to President Barack Obama on behalf of our combined five million members reiterating our concerns. The letter included explicit reference to diplo- macy and development professionals (see www.bit.ly/1CHt2e4). We encourage our members to keep checking AFSA’s Web page, as well the OPM page, for additional information. n

72 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL An Insider’s Look at How U.S. Ambassadors Are Selected AFSA/BRITTANY DELONG AFSA/BRITTANY Ambassador Dennis Jett suggests language testing for chief-of-mission candidates and publishing their scores for consideration during the confirmation process.

On June 11, AFSA welcomed sinated President James Ambassador (ret.) Dennis Garfield when he was denied Jett to discuss his new book, a diplomatic post in Vienna. American Ambassadors: The This event gave birth to a Past, Present, and Future reform movement that led to of America’s Diplomats passage of the Pendleton and (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014). Rogers Acts. According to The book offers an insider’s Jett, these acts changed the look at the evolution of the system to ensure that people ambassadorial selection are hired and promoted on process and the debate over the basis of merit. political appointees’ qualifi- Jett then turned to today’s cations for the job. process, describing the dif- Jett provided historical ferent paths to ambassador- background on the earliest ship taken by career diplo- U.S. ambassadors, explaining mats and political appointees that in the late 19th century, and how their appointment the general attitude toward ratios have fluctuated by diplomats was that “anyone administration. could do it, with a little on- Responding to a review in the-job training.” However, The Foreign Service Journal’s that didn’t stop many from April issue, which faulted coveting the role, such as American Ambassadors for Charles Guiteau, who assas- Continued on page 74

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 73 AFSA NEWS

Governing Board • Continued from page 53 throughout the course of their careers. “AFSA will protect you as your union. It’ll stand by you when you run into difficulty… this is an important part of what AFSA does. But I wanted to open by talking to you about what AFSA will do, as your profes- sional association, to keep this proud profession that you have just joined strong today and throughout your careers. “I want you to always swell AFSA/MARIA C. LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA with pride when you’re asked, Amb. Stephenson offers career advice to Foreign Service officers of the 183rd A-100 class. ‘What do you do?’ I know that 30 years into this, every full-steam ahead toward the time I’m asked this, I still am goal of making the Foreign proud to say ‘I am an Ameri- Service better and stronger can Foreign Service officer.’” than ever before. n With those inaugural —Maria C. Livingston, words, the entire AFSA team Associate Editor is geared up and working

Oath of Office Officers and Representatives of the Governing Board of the American Foreign Service Association

“As a member of the Governing Board of the American LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA New board members sign their oaths of office. Foreign Service Association, I hereby pledge to do my best to carry out the association’s mission to represent the members of the Foreign Service of the United States History of Ambassadors • Continued from page 73 in accordance with the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and to strengthen the ability of the foreign affairs community to not coming to any concrete Jett is also the author of contribute to effective foreign policies. conclusions about how Why American Foreign Policy “As I perform my duties to the best of my ability, I will to remedy the situation, Fails (Palgrave Macmillan, abide by applicable federal and District of Columbia laws Jett suggested that ensur- 2008) and has written for the and regulations; follow the association’s bylaws, policies and ing greater transparency New York Times, Washington standard operating procedures; maintain the fiscal integrity regarding political donations Post and International Herald of the association; safeguard the association’s property; and employing an annual Tribune. respect the confidentiality of board discussions and delib- electronic survey for every To view Jett’s talk, please erations; and conduct myself in a manner that does credit post and bureau to more go to www.afsa.org/video. n to the association and to the American Foreign Service.” effectively measure morale —Brittany DeLong, could help. Assistant Editor

74 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

Meet the 2015-2017 Governing Board

The American Foreign Service Association is proud to intro- AMBASSADOR duce the elected officers and representatives of the 2015-2017 CHARLES A. FORD Governing Board who will be hard at work on behalf of AFSA TREASURER members over the next two years. Ambassador (ret.) Charles Ford joined the AFSA Governing Board meetings take place on the first Foreign Commercial Service in 1982 and Wednesday of every month from noon to 2 p.m. at AFSA head- retired in 2009. His assignments included quarters (2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C.). Regular members serving as assistant secretary for the Com- may attend any board meeting and/or request copies of board merce Department; acting director general meeting minutes from Patrick Bradley at [email protected]. and acting assistant secretary for the United States and Foreign Commercial Service; and director of Latin American AMBASSADOR trade policy in the International Trade Administration. His BARBARA STEPHENSON overseas postings were concentrated in Europe and Latin PRESIDENT America. From 2005 to 2008 he served as U.S. ambassador to Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is a Honduras. Ford earned a bachelor’s degree from the College 30-year veteran of the Foreign Service, of William and Mary and a master’s degree from The George most recently serving as dean of the Washington University. Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute. She received ANGIE BRYAN the Department of State’s Distinguished Honor Award for her STATE VICE PRESIDENT service as deputy senior adviser to the Secretary of State and Angie Bryan joined the Foreign Service in deputy coordinator for Iraq and has also served as ambas- 1992, shortly after graduating from Trinity sador to Panama, as consul general and chief of mission in University in San Antonio with bachelor’s Curaçao, as consul general in Belfast, as director for plan- degrees in international studies and politi- ning in the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and cal science. She served overseas as deputy Stabilization and as the first woman deputy chief of mission principal officer in Lahore; acting principal and chargé d’affaires at Embassy London. She holds a Ph.D. in officer in Peshawar, Strasbourg and Marseille; refugee coor- English literature and has two children. dinator in Islamabad; political-economic counselor in Stock- holm; principal officer at the American Presence Post in Lyon; WILLIAM HAUGH and deputy chief of mission in Yemen. In Washington, she has SECRETARY served as staff assistant to the assistant secretary for South William Haugh retired from the Senior For- Asian affairs and as an assessor with the Board of Examiners. eign Service in April 2015. During a 35-year She was awarded the Sinclaire Language Award for Urdu in career, his assignments included service 2000. as dean of the School of Language Studies at the Foreign Service Institute; director of SHARON WAYNE the Office of Management Policy, Rightsiz- USAID VICE PRESIDENT ing and Innovation; foreign policy adviser to the chief of staff Sharon Wayne is an active-duty USAID For- of the Army; and executive director of the Bureaus of Near eign Service officer. She has served as an Eastern Affairs and South and Central Asian Affairs. He gradu- assignments and performance counselor, ated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, received a office director for American Schools and master’s degree from Harvard and lives with his wife and two Hospitals Abroad, and as a regional super- daughters in Fairfax, Virginia. visory contracting officer in Santo Domingo. Prior to entering the Foreign Service, she was a contracting officer with the Peace Corps. Wayne has two teenage children and resides in Annapolis, Maryland.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 75 AFSA NEWS

STEVE MORRISON AMBASSADOR FCS VICE PRESIDENT PATRICIA BUTENIS Steve Morrison is an active-duty Foreign RETIREE REPRESENTATIVE Commercial Service officer who has Ambassador (ret.) Patricia Butenis most served abroad in Mexico, Spain, France recently served as dean of the School and Senegal. Domestically, he ran the of Professional and Area Studies in the Commercial Service’s Southern California Foreign Service Institute before retiring office and has worked on Capitol Hill, in the in 2014 with the rank of career minister. Pentagon and in the Office of the Secretary of Commerce. He She has previously served as ambassador to Sri Lanka, the holds a bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College, a master’s Maldives and Bangladesh; deputy chief of mission in Baghdad degree from the University of Michigan and has completed and Islamabad; and consul general in Warsaw and Bogotá. Her Ph.D. coursework at the Institute for Diplomatic and Strategic service in Iraq earned her the Baker-Wilkins Award. Raised in Studies in Paris. He is married with one child. New Jersey, Butenis received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and master’s degrees from Colum- MARK PETRY bia University and the National War College. FAS VICE PRESIDENT Mark Petry, a member of USDA’s Foreign LAWRENCE CASSELLE Agricultural Service since 1998, is cur- STATE REPRESENTATIVE rently deputy director of the New Technol- Lawrence W. K. Casselle is a supervisory ogies and Production Methods Division. He special agent with the State Department’s has served as director of the USDA Intel- Bureau of Diplomatic Security and branch lectual Property Rights Office at Embassy chief for Overseas Protective Operations, Beijing and as an agricultural attaché in Moscow. He grew Western Hemisphere Affairs. He joined DS up in Fountain City, Indiana, and earned a bachelor’s degree as a special agent in 2003 and served with in environmental science from Purdue University and mas- the New York Field Office, the department’s Operations Center ter’s degrees in agricultural economics and food safety from and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s protective detail. Purdue University and Michigan State University, respectively. He has also served overseas as assistant regional security Petry and his wife have two children. officer at Embassy Abu Dhabi and Embassy Kabul, and as regional security officer at Embassy Belmopan. A native of Las AMBASSADOR Vegas, Nevada, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampton THOMAS BOYATT University. RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT Ambassador (ret.) Tom Boyatt entered the JEFFREY COCHRANE Foreign Service in 1959 and retired in 1984 USAID REPRESENTATIVE as a career minister. During his career, he Jeffrey Cochrane has been with USAID for served in every cone and at posts in four of more than 20 years. Currently a desk offi- the five geographic bureaus. He earned the cer for Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, he has Department of State’s Heroism Award and AFSA’s Lifetime directed economic growth offices in West Contributions to American Diplomacy Award for his service. Africa and Iraq, and served as division Within AFSA, Boyatt has served as president, vice president chief for information and communications and treasurer. He was born in Wyoming, Ohio, and received a technology in the Office of Infrastructure. Cochrane earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Ph.D. from the degree from the Fletcher School of International Law and University of Wisconsin. He lives with his husband, Robert, in Diplomacy. Washington, D.C.

76 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

JOHN DINKELMAN DEAN HAAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE RETIREE REPRESENTATIVE John Dinkelman assumed his duties as Dean J. Haas is a part-time training consul- director of the State Department’s Office tant and leadership coach at the Foreign of Caribbean Affairs in August 2014. He Service Institute. He also maintains a previously served in Yugoslavia, the United private coaching practice, DJH Coaching. A Kingdom, the Marshall Islands, the Nether- member of the Foreign Service from 1987 lands, Turkey, Mexico and the Bahamas (as to 2011, Haas was consul general in Ciudad chargé d’affaires). Domestically, he has worked with the Ori- Juarez and deputy chief of mission at Embassy Ljubljana. entation Division at the Foreign Service Institute. His service Domestically, he served as executive director of the Bureau in training incoming Foreign Service officers earned him the of Consular Affairs, director of the Entry Level Division of the State Department’s 2006 Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award. A Bureau of Human Resources and deputy executive secretary graduate of Brigham Young University, Dinkelman has degrees on the National Security Council staff. Haas holds a bachelor’s in business and Spanish and lives with his wife and their three degree from the University of California-San Diego and is cer- children. tified as both a professional co-active coach and an associate coach. ERIC GEELAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE MARGARET D. Eric Geelan joined the Foreign Service in HAWTHORNE 2002. Following his initial tour, a consular/ STATE REPRESENTATIVE political rotation in Caracas, he spent a Margaret “Nini” Hawthorne is director of year learning Arabic at the Foreign Service the Crisis Management Training Division at Institute. He has subsequently served as the Foreign Service Institute. She previ- an assistant cultural affairs officer in Jeru- ously served as the deputy chief of mission salem, as a deputy in the political section in Panama and as at Embassy Belmopan, head of the political the leader of the political-military team in London. He is cur- external unit at Embassy Moscow, senior France desk officer rently deputy director of the International Security Operations and director of regional affairs in the Office of the Coordinator Office in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. Originally from for Counterterrorism. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Hawthorne New York City, Geelan received a master’s degree in contem- holds a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University, porary European history and a bachelor’s degree in politics. master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and the International College of the Armed Forces, and a bachelor’s JOSH GLAZEROFF degree from Denison University. STATE REPRESENTATIVE Josh Glazeroff has 18 years of experience AMBASSADOR AL LA PORTA in the Foreign Service. He has served over- RETIREE REPRESENTATIVE seas in Santo Domingo, Durban and New During 38 years in the Foreign Service, Delhi. Domestically, he was Burma desk Ambassador (ret.) Al La Porta served as officer, a career development officer in the ambassador to Mongolia, political adviser Bureau of Human Resources and a senior to the commander of NATO forces in watch officer in the Operations Center. He currently manages Southern Europe, executive director to the the Office of Fraud Prevention Programs for the Bureau of special envoy for the Multilateral Assistance Consular Affairs. Glazeroff was born in Detroit, Michigan; grew Initiative and director of the Office of Cambodian Genocide up in Newburgh, New York; and earned a bachelor’s degree in Investigations. Within AFSA, he was vice president for State and biology from Harvard College and a master’s degree in teach- president. La Porta currently serves part-time as a senior shift ing biology from Brown University. director in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs and advises the U.S. Pacific Command, the U.S. Africa Command and the Joint Staff/J7. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and master’s degrees from New York University and the National War College.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 77 AFSA NEWS

PHILIP G. LAIDLAW ERIN O’CONNOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE STATE REPRESENTATIVE Philip Laidlaw became a Foreign Service Erin O’Connor is a Texas native with more officer in 1992 and currently serves as than six years in the Foreign Service. A director of the Office of Policy Planning consular-coned officer, O’Connor is the and Coordination in the Bureau of Western desk officer for Eritrea and Djibouti in the Hemisphere Affairs. He has also served as State Department’s Bureau of African chargé d’affaires at Embassy Caracas and Affairs. deputy director of the Office of Andean Affairs. Other overseas assignments include Tirana, Sarajevo, Madrid, La Paz and San LEAH PEASE Salvador. Originally from Florida, Laidlaw earned bachelor’s STATE REPRESENTATIVE degrees in mathematics and economics from Wake Forest Uni- Leah Pease joined the Foreign Service versity and a master’s degree from the National War College. in 2001. She most recently served as a Lawrence S. Eagleburger Fellow with Exx- AMBASSADOR onMobil’s public and global affairs division. JOHN W. LIMBERT Previously, she served as deputy public RETIREE REPRESENTATIVE affairs adviser at the U.S. Mission to the Ambassador (ret.) John Limbert is a profes- North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, desk officer for sor of Middle Eastern studies at the U.S. the United Kingdom and Ireland, management officer at Con- Naval Academy. During a 34-year career sulate General Belfast and consular officer in Caracas. Pease in the Foreign Service, he served primar- has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in ily in the Middle East and Islamic Africa, public policy. including an assignment as ambassador to Mauritania. After serving as dean of the language school of the Foreign Service COREY PICKELSIMER Institute, he retired in 2006 with the rank of minister counselor. FAS REPRESENTATIVE In 2009, he was called back to the State Department, to be the Corey Pickelsimer is director of the Foreign Agricultural first deputy assistant secretary for Iran in the Bureau of Near Service Trade and Scientific Exchange Division. He entered East Affairs, a post he held until November 2010. Limbert holds the Foreign Service in 2006 and has since served as senior the department’s highest award—the Distinguished Service agricultural attaché at Embassy Pretoria and as agricultural Award—and the Award for Valor. He served as AFSA president attaché at Embassy Bangkok. Pickelsimer has a bachelor’s from 2003 to 2005. A native of the D.C. area, he earned his degree in agribusiness and a master’s degree in agricultural Ph.D. in history and Middle Eastern studies from Harvard Uni- economics from Washington State University. He and his wife versity. He is married with two children and four grandchildren. have two children.

PETER NEISULER MARK PRESCOTT STATE REPRESENTATIVE APHIS REPRESENTATIVE Peter Neisuler recently concluded a tour Mark Prescott joined the U.S. Depart- as the human resources adviser for the ment of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant 2015 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Develop- Health Inspection Service in 2002 and has ment Review. He has previously served served as the APHIS attaché to Tokyo and as senior desk officer for the Benelux Brasilia. In 2013, he was named assistant countries in the Bureau of European and director of APHIS’ International Trade Eurasian Affairs, human rights and frozen conflicts officer in and Regulatory Capacity Building staff in Washington, D.C. Moscow, vice consul in Skopje and branch public affairs officer Prior to becoming a member of the Foreign Service, Prescott in Dubai. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he served as a worked with the U.S. Forest Service, served as a Peace Corps Presidential Management Intern (now known as a Presidential Volunteer in Lesotho and had his own private practice for two Management Fellow) in the Bureau of Democracy, Human years. He has a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tufts Rights and Labor. Neisuler lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his University. wife and their two sons.

78 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

LORRAINE SHERMAN USAID REPRESENTATIVE Lorraine Sherman is a career Foreign Service officer with USAID. She currently serves as senior adviser to the Office of Transition Initiatives within the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance. She was previously a congres- sional liaison officer with the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs and an executive officer in Nairobi, Kabul and Pristina. She is a decorated U.S. Army veteran with bachelor’s degrees from Rutgers University, a Juris Doctor from Boston Univer- sity School of Law and a master’s degree from the School of Advanced Military Studies at the Command and General Staff College. Sherman resides in Orlando, Florida, and Rosslyn, Virginia.

SAMUEL THIELMAN STATE REPRESENTATIVE Samuel Thielman has worked as a psy- chiatrist for the Department of State since 1999. Currently senior adviser for resil- ience at the Foreign Service Institute, he has previously served as director of Mental Health Services and regional psychiatrist for East and Central Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Central and Western Europe. He also helped develop the department’s High Stress Assignment Outbriefing program. A resident of Montreat, North Carolina, Dr. Thielman received his training at Duke University. He is the author of more than 40 professional publications and currently holds adjunct academic positions at the Duke University School of Medicine and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

PATRICIA WINGERTER STATE PREPRESENTATIVE Patricia “Tricia” Wingerter is an office management specialist who has served at more than nine posts in three regional bureaus. Wingerter recently transferred from Embassy London to take up the position of logistical coordinator for the ambassadorial seminar at the Foreign Service Institute’s Leadership and Management School. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 79 AFSA NEWS

AFSA’s New Book Captures Foreign Service History

The American Foreign Ser- Foreign Service. vice Association held a book Outgoing AFSA President launch on July 13 for its latest Robert J. Silverman and publication, The Voice of the Ambassador (ret.) William Foreign Service: A History of C. Harrop, a major figure in the American Foreign Service AFSA’s history who helped Association, written by get the project going, offered author and former diplomat remarks to an audience of Harry W. Kopp. current and former diplo- From the early history of mats, AFSA staff and Foreign diplomacy and the begin- Service associates. nings of the professional Kopp followed by explain- Foreign Service and AFSA in ing his motivation for writing 1924, the book takes readers the historical account: “I hope from Benjamin Franklin to that this book will help AFSA

the Rogers Act of 1924, and and the Service understand LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA the Foreign Service Acts of the past. When you know how Attendees had a chance to purchase copies of the book during the reception. 1946 and 1980, and on into you got to where you are, you the 21st century. have a better chance of figur- The author also traces ing out how to move on to of the primary sources for the country.” AFSA’s transformation from where you want to be.” the book. Kopp is the author of a benevolent society to an He also made a spe- The Journal has produced two previous books, Career independent professional cial plea to the new AFSA news and commentary on Diplomacy and Commercial organization and exclusive Governing Board to create diplomacy and foreign affairs Diplomacy and the National employee representative a digitized collection of The by the country’s leading Interest. During his Foreign of all members of the U.S. Foreign Service Journal, one practitioners since 1924, but Service career he served as can be found in its entirety deputy assistant secretary only in the Library of Con- of state for international gress, the department’s trade policy in the Carter and Ralph J. Bunche Library and Reagan administrations and AFSA headquarters. Kopp as deputy chief of mission at implored that it be preserved Embassy Brasilia. in digital format so that more AFSA thanks the Nelson historians could access its B. Delavan Foundation for its content worldwide. financial support of the book The former diplomat project. Published by Foreign admitted his initial expecta- Service Books, AFSA’s book tion, that documenting the publishing division, The Voice concurrent histories of AFSA of the Foreign Service is now and the Foreign Service available through AFSA and would be simple, turned out all major book retailers. to be a gross miscalculation. For more information “The Foreign Service is small. and to order, please go to But it is the most carefully AFSA’s website: www.afsa. examined, picked over, org/voice. n AFSA/MARIA C. LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA x-rayed and MRI’d institution —Amy Jones, Author Harry Kopp addresses the gathering at the July 13 launch of The Voice of the Foreign Service. in the government, maybe in Communications Intern

80 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

A Visit with USAID Acting Administrator Lenhardt

American Foreign Service Silverman raised the Association representa- increasingly problematic tives met with USAID practice of hiring Foreign Acting Administrator Service Limited employees— Alfonso Lenhardt on June a program initially intended 5 to address disparities in to staff critical priority benefits between USAID and countries—to fill domestic State Department Foreign supervisory jobs. Service officers and to raise The acting administrator concerns regarding problem- maintained that FSLs are atic assignments and hiring only used to meet critical practices. agency needs, which includes Then-AFSA President Rob- compensating for the dearth ert J. Silverman and USAID of USAID FSOs returning for

Vice President Sharon Wayne HOHMANN ROBB OF COURTESY assignments in Washington, led the AFSA delegation. Act- AFSA met with USAID leadership on June 5. From left: AFSA Senior D.C. ing Administrator Lenhardt Legislative Assistant David Murimi, AFSA Labor Management Counselor The meeting resulted Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan, former AFSA President Robert J. Silverman, USAID was accompanied by other Acting Administrator Alfonso Lenhardt, AFSA USAID Vice President Sharon in a firm commitment by high-level USAID partici- Wayne and AFSA Governing Board Representative Jeff Cochrane. both parties to continue pants, including Deputy Chief collaboration on achieving of Staff Michelle Sumilas, benefits parity and improving Counselor Susan Reichle and work with AFSA on securing temporary-duty housing pro- transparency in hiring and Senior Advisor John Spears. certain benefits for USAID gram in the United States. In assignments. n USAID management FSOs, such as automatic addition, Lenhardt welcomed —Maria C. Livingston, shared AFSA’s concern about enrollment in TSA Pre-Check, AFSA’s advocacy efforts to Associate Editor continuing gaps in benefits eligibility for USAA member- realize full implementation of packages and agreed to ship and establishment of a Overseas Comparability Pay. AFSA/MARIA C. LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA

The history book project commenced in 2012 under the leadership of then- LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA AFSA President Susan Johnson, and was made possible by the generous Harry Kopp with members of AFSA’s publications division. support of the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation. From left: Johnson, Ann From left: Managing Editor Susan Maitra, Kopp, Editor Shawn Dorman Delavan Harrop and Ambassador William C. Harrop. and Editorial and Publications Specialist Brittany DeLong.

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 81 AFSA NEWS

Diplomatic Security Wins Gold in 2015 World Police and Fire Games

Ten AFSA mem- bers from the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security were among more than 12,000 athletes compet- ing in this year’s World Police and Fire Games. The biennial event—which boasts the world’s largest CHRIS DEEDY OF COURTESY

COURTESY OF CHRIS DEEDY OF COURTESY SA Bart Brown took 20th in the pool of competi- From left: SAs Chip McElhattan (ret.), Leslie triathlon competition. tors, beating out Jones, Kendal Beels and Bart Brown. Beels even the Olym- took first in the 200-meter and fourth in the 400-meter freestyle swim events. pics—was held in Fairfax, Virginia, CHRIS DEEDY OF COURTESY SA Chris Deedy grabs 15th place in from June 26 to July 5. lished in 1985, the games are the CrossFit competition. Active and retired law held to honor the men and enforcement and fire service women who put their lives on personnel from roughly 70 the line every day to serve and SA Maria Amaya was a top countries competed. Estab- protect. Events ranged from competitor in her class, taking traditional favorites first place in the women’s such as bodybuilding 10,000-meter cross-country and soccer to the less race and second in the conventional tug of women’s half-marathon. SA war and orienteering. Kendall Beels placed first in

DS special CHRIS DEEDY OF COURTESY her class in the women’s 200- agent (SA) athletes SA Nick Dornsife bikes to 11th place meter freestyle swim. in the triathlon. participated in the SAs James Billington and half-marathon, cross- Allison Meconi took home the country, softball, biathlon, triathlon, street bronze in their class in the CrossFit, freestyle cycling, mountain biking and biathlon team competition, swim, open-water world’s toughest competitor and SA Patrick Leonard won swim, breaststroke, events. third in his class in the men’s triathlon. Several other DS ath- letes performed well in their respective competitions. AFSA congratulates all DS athletes and looks forward to cheering them on at the 2017 World Police and Fire Games in COURTESY OF CHRIS DEEDY OF COURTESY Montreal. n Special Agents Jan Hiemstra (left) and Denise Timmermans in the running portion of the —Maria C. Livingston, triathlon. AFSA/MARIA C. LIVINGSTON C. AFSA/MARIA Associate Editor

82 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS

AFSA ON THE HILL State Authorization Update

On June 9, the Senate AFSA has visited more than levels are achieving the pur- to amend section 503(a)(2) Foreign Relations Commit- three dozen offices on the Hill, poses of recruiting, retaining of the Foreign Service Act of tee voted the Department of hosted a congressional recep- and maintaining a premier 1980 to ensure that mem- State Operations Authoriza- tion and submitted testimony. diplomatic corps. However, bers are not assigned to or tion and Embassy Security While neither the Senate AFSA is concerned about the restricted from a position on Act, Fiscal Year 2016, out nor the House bill is perfect, potential misuse of this provi- the basis of their race, ethnic- of committee. The move is each includes positive ele- sion and its possible negative ity or religion. significant, as it brings the ments. AFSA continues to impact on the compensation Sections 317, 318 and 319 Congress one step closer to engage House and Senate packages of prospective FS promote equal opportunity passing an authorization bill staff on the problematic members. for all races, ethnicities, ages, for State, something which issues. The Senate bill con- Section 313 will bring genders and service-disabled has not happened since tains the following notable more transparency into the veterans; expansion of inter- 2002. provisions: chief of mission nomination national affairs and develop- The House Foreign Affairs Section 304 calls for a process by requiring certifi- ment fellowships available Committee’s markup of its report on special envoys, cates of demonstrated com- to minority students; and 2015-2016 authorization is representatives, advisers and petence to be posted online. increased retention of mid- postponed at this time. coordinators at State in an Section 314 instructs the and senior-level profession- AFSA has been working effort to identify and prevent Secretary to establish the als from underrepresented hard to advocate enactment duplicate responsibilities. right for employees to appeal groups. n of the authorization. Dur- Section 310 seeks to any assignment restriction or —Javier Cuebas, ing the past several months, ensure that FS compensation preclusion. It also proposes Director of Advocacy

EDITORIAL BOARD’S SEPTEMBER SONG

September saw the usual turnover in the Foreign Service Journal’s Editorial Board, as old members departed for new adventures and new blood arrived. The board has a new chair, State Foreign Service Officer Beth Payne, a continuing board member who took over the chair in June upon the departure of State FSO Jim DeHart, who was moving on to a position as deputy chief of mission in Oslo. Our other new members are USAID FSO James Bever, State Foreign Service Specialist Angela Bond and State NEWS BRIEF FSOs Eric Green and Kara McDonald. In addition to Jim DeHart, departing members are Ruth Hall, Richard McKee and Maria Livingston. They will be missed. Happily, Maria has taken the position of associate editor of the Journal and editor of AFSA News. The all-volunteer board is comprised of active-duty and retired Foreign Service members, and is open to select representatives from all the foreign affairs agencies who are also members of AFSA. Editorial Board members are appointed by the AFSA Governing Board and meet each month to evaluate manuscripts, decide on future issue topics and help ensure that the Journal speaks effectively to the issues of importance to the Foreign Service. Those interested in serving on the board should keep an eye out for notices about upcoming vacancies, which are generally publicized every spring. Or, send a note of interest at any time to Editor Shawn Dorman at dorman@ afsa.org. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 83 AFSA NEWS

Taking Notes from the Navy LWOP Experience

On June 26, U.S. Navy Com- will continue as a pilot until mander Christine Caston, 2019. Members of the Navy Lieutenant Commander may apply for the program Jeffrey Morin and Lieuten- to, for example, start a family, ant Ashley Morris briefed volunteer, pursue higher edu- American Foreign Service cation or take care of parents. Association representatives Participants receive and State Department human a monthly stipend (one- resource officials on the fifteenth of regular pay, the Navy’s pilot “career intermis- going rate for drilling reserv- sion” program. ists), active-duty medical ben- Then-AFSA State Vice efits for themselves and their AFSA/SHANNON MIZZI AFSA/SHANNON President Matthew Asada dependents, and coverage of U.S. Navy Commander Christine Caston (left) and Lieutenant Commander organized the discussion relocation costs to anywhere Jeffrey Morin visit AFSA headquarters on June 26. as part of the association’s in the United States. Time ongoing efforts to help the away is not counted toward met prior to taking the CIPP excited about their careers. Quadrennial Diplomacy and retirement, but returning option to ensure that par- The Navy has the most Development Review team employees receive assign- ticipants will be competitive advanced LWOP program of implement the 2015 QDDR’s ments as if they had never when they return. the military service branches; recommendations, including left. The Navy is gathering data others have only begun trialing the proposed career sabbati- Approximately 91 people to gauge the CIPP’s impact programs within the last sev- cal. have participated in the on participants’ careers, eral years. According to AFSA’s The Navy’s Career Inter- program so far. Applicants though it is still too early to guests, the CIPP is already mission Program (CIPP) was are assessed on merit, fit- draw sweeping conclusions. positively influencing views launched in 2009, spurred by ness, sustained performance, However, nearly 100 percent of the Navy as a more flexible a changing workforce and a leadership, resourcefulness of participants have self- and viable career option. n younger generation’s expec- and future potential. Certain reported that they returned to —Shannon Mizzi, tations of career flexibility; it career milestones must be work reinvigorated and more Editorial Intern

Summer Fellows Reception

Thomas R. Pickering, Charles ate fellows soon joining the B. Rangel and Donald M. Payne Foreign Service. The fellowships Fellows interning at the State are State and USAID’s premiere Department and USAID this vehicles for boosting diversity summer attended a welcome within the ranks of the FS. reception at AFSA headquar- The evening featured an ters on June 9. all-star lineup of speakers, This is the second year that including Ambassador Edward the Thursday Luncheon Group Perkins, Amb. Tom Pickering,

and the Association of Black Representative Charles Rangel ANDERSON KEM CARTER OF COURTESY American Ambassadors have (D-N.Y.) and Deputy Secretary 2015 Pickering Fellows. Back row, from left: Sarah Lombardo, Joshua sponsored the event intended of State for Management and Gregory, Leyth Swidan, Raymond Nelson, Ritchell Madikaegbu, Aquilla Hines, Danielle Veal, Ramata Sow, Bintu Musa and Juan Clar. Front row, from to build a sense of community Resources Heather Higginbot- left: Mariya Ilyas, Alejandra Baez, Jason Fauss, Victoria Durgana and Whitney for graduate and undergradu- tom. n Dixon.

84 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL IN MEMORY

n David Lee Bleyle, 66, a retired For- and Madeline; dogs Murphy, Daisy and ence in the lives of those he touched. eign Service officer, died on July 2 in Port- Ripley; and cats Ginger and MeiMei, who Mr. Burns is survived by his mother, land, Ore., of complications from Crohn’s all live together in Beaverton. Katheryn Burns; his sister, Sue Burns; disease and acute myeloid leukemia. Memorial contributions may be made his children, Erin and Shaun Burns; his Mr. Bleyle was born and raised in in Mr. Bleyle’s name to Mercy Corps grandchildren, Cass Ardell, Madeleine Tonawanda, N.Y., a suburb of Buffalo, by International (www.mercycorps.org) or Burns and Cassidy Burns; and his former his grandparents Willard and Eva Bleyle. the food bank in your area. wife and friend, Jeanne Michael Burns. He graduated from the State University Memorial donations may be made of New York College of Environmental n James Davis Burns Jr., 72, a retired in Mr. Burns’ name to the Diabetes and Science and Forestry with a bachelor’s FSO, died in May at his home in San Anto- Wellness Foundation. degree in polymer chemistry and an nio, Texas, of complications from diabetes. ROTC commitment to the U.S. Army Mr. Burns was born on Aug. 15, 1942, n Oliver Sexsmith Crosby, 94, a starting in 1970. to Katheryn Amanda (Flynt) Burns and retired FSO and former ambassador to While in the Army, he completed an James Davis Burns Sr. He graduated from the People’s Revolutionary Republic of MPA through Brigham Young Univer- Gardiner High School in Laurel, Miss., Guinea, died of heart failure on Oct. 25, sity and finished his career in 1976 as a and went to Jones County Junior College, 2014, surrounded by his family. captain. Mississippi State and then the University Mr. Crosby was born on April 27, 1920, Mr. Bleyle’s career continued in the of Missouri, where he graduated with in Philadelphia, Pa., to Henry Lamar Foreign Service, where he served in Len- degrees in history and journalism. Crosby and Olive Williams Crosby. After ingrad (1977-1979), Sydney (1979-1981), He married Jeanne Ellen Michael on attending Penn Charter School, he gradu- Beijing (1982-1984 and 1988-1991), Sept. 3, 1966, and they had two children, ated from the University of Pennsylvania Stockholm (1984-1987) and Taipei (1987- Erin Renee and Shaun Michael. and received a master’s degree from the 1988 and 1996-1997). In Washington, Mr. Burns joined the Foreign Service Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Inter- D.C., he had assignments at the Foreign in 1967 and served for 27 years at posts in national Studies. Service Institute (1981-1982 and 1991- Thailand (two tours), Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Mr. Crosby served as an officer in the 1994) and the Office of Oceans, Environ- Guyana and Pakistan. He felt at home in U.S. Navy during World War II, with 19 ment and Science (1994-1996). all cultures and loved learning everything months of duty on a destroyer escort in From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Bleyle served about them, including their languages. the North Atlantic before being trans- as science counselor in Beijing. That was While he enjoyed all his posts, Mr. ferred to a cruiser in the Pacific in 1945. followed by a stint in Portland, Ore., at Burns’ favorite assignment was Bangkok, He ended his tour as a lieutenant. the U.S. Center for Sustainable Develop- where he was director of the American In 1947 Mr. Crosby joined the Foreign ment and service as consul general in University Alumni Language Center Service. His first overseas post was Chengdu from 2001 to 2003. during the 1980s. He retired in 1995 and Athens, where he married his first wife, Mr. Bleyle retired to Beaverton, Ore., settled in San Antonio, Texas. Eleanor S. Crosby. Subsequent postings in 2003. He served on the boards of trust- Mr. Burns loved baseball, reading, included Tel Aviv and the American con- ees for three nonprofits: the Oregon Col- fishing, music, all animals, politics, an sulate in Tabriz, Iran, where he climbed lege of Oriental Medicine, the Northwest energetic debate and a good cigar. His Mt. Ararat. China Council and Kham Aid. friends and family remember him for his After a four-year assignment in Berlin, His love of travel and new experiences great stories, his love of the written word, he became a U.S. government observer continued in retirement with motorcy- his sense of humor, his strong convictions with the Belgian Antarctic Expedition cling. He rode his neon-yellow Can-Am about right and wrong and his special from 1958 to 1959. Following an assign- Spider throughout the Northwest and spaghetti sauce. ment in Washington, D.C., he served in Western states and Canada. They recall his practical jokes and Nicosia, Bamako and Lagos. Mr. Bleyle is survived by his wife, Kathy teasing, and the laughter these episodes In 1977 President Jimmy Carter Hobson Bleyle; two daughters, Dawn elicited from him. He was a friend to appointed Mr. Crosby U.S. ambassador and Lisa; two grandchildren, Holden strangers, and made a significant differ- to the People’s Revolutionary Republic of

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 85 Guinea, where he served until 1980. the couple married on July 4, 1960. Act Office in Washington, D.C., and from On retiring from the Foreign Service Also in 1960, Mr. Freres joined the U.S. 2002 to 2007 he had a contract at U.S. in 1980, Ambassador and Mrs. Crosby Foreign Service. His first overseas assign- Central Command in Tampa, Fla., as a settled in Hancock Point, Maine, in the ment, to Afghanistan as general services liaison for the State Department. He was home where Amb. Crosby had been a officer and consular officer (1960-1962), also very active in his parish, Saint Cath- summer resident since the age of 2. was followed by postings as an eco- erine of Sienna. He was a co-founder of the French- nomic-commercial officer to Guatemala On June 19, as he did almost every man Bay Conservancy and served on (1963-1965) and Germany (1967). day, Mr. Freres donned his floppy cap and its board for many years. He worked He served in Israel as a political sturdy sneakers for a walk in his neigh- energetically for the purchase of Tidal officer (1967-1971), in Egypt as polit- borhood, stopping to chat with neighbors. Falls, now a public park in Hancock. He ical-economic officer (1971-1972), in Family and friends remember his outgo- founded a summer school scholarship Bangladesh as an economic-commercial ing nature and warm personality. program for local children to encourage officer (1972-1974) and in Nicaragua Mr. Freres is survived by his wife, Maria; them to consider a college education, (1976-1978). Mr. Freres then returned to four children, Phillip of Yorktown, Va., and helped set up a club for teenagers. Afghanistan as chief of the economic- Chris of Madrid, Spain, Monica of Wash- Amb. Crosby was predeceased by his commercial section (1978-1980). ington, D.C., and Anita of Vienna, Va.; their first wife of 52 years, Eleanor, and his Following a temporary duty assign- spouses; and seven grandchildren. younger son, Hunter. He is survived by ment as consul general in India (1980), Memorial donations in Mr. Freres’ his second wife of 10 years, Beryl; a son, Mr. Freres was posted to Turkey as chief name may be made to Americans United Michael Crosby (and his wife, Carol); a of the political section (1989-1991), then for Life or Catholic Relief Services. daughter, Jane Giles (and her husband, to Saudi Arabia as consul general (1986- David); a daughter-in-law, Linda Crosby 1989) and, finally, to Bahrain as deputy n Charles Jones Jr., 75, a retired FSO, McDowell; grandchildren Julie, Sarah, chief of mission (1989-1991). died in his sleep on May 8. Gareth, Nicki and Mackenzie; and a Assignments in Washington, D.C., Mr. Jones was born in Memphis, great-grandson, Noah. included Arabic-language training at the Tenn., and raised in Detroit, Mich., where Foreign Service Institute (1965-1967), he attended Mumford High School and n Jay Phillip Freres, 81, a retired service as an analyst with the Bureau of participated in the school orchestra and FSO, died on June 19, outside his home Intelligence and Research (1974-1976) All-City Band as a trumpet player. After in Clearwater, Fla., when he was struck by and a year at the National War College graduating from high school, he served lightning. (1980-1981). a five-year enlistment in the Air Force Mr. Freres was born in Peoria, Ill., in Mr. Freres’ many hardship assign- before joining the State Department. 1933 to Glenn and Olive Freres. After ments included an evacuation of his fam- Mr. Jones, whose 30-year Foreign graduating from the local high school, ily from Beirut during the Six Day War, Service career began in communications, Spaulding Institute (1951), he received a participation in negotiations after the served as a consular officer and general B.A. (1954) and M.A. (1956) from Bradley kidnapping of U.S. Ambassador Adolph services officer in many of the world’s University and a BSFS from the George- Dubs in Afghanistan and service in the hot spots: Egypt during the Six Day War, town University School of Foreign Service Arabian Gulf during the first Gulf War. Germany during the Soviet invasion (1955). He was fluent in Arabic, Persian/ Everywhere he served, Mr. Freres of Czechoslovakia, Saigon as it fell in Dari, Hebrew, German and Spanish, immersed himself in the local customs, April 1975, Antigua during the Grenada proficient in Turkish and knowledgeable history and culture. He received several invasion and Dakar during the Senegal- in Bengali. Meritorious Service Awards, as well as a Mauritania border conflict. He was also In 1956, Mr. Freres enlisted in the U.S. Superior Honor Award. posted to Zaire, Papua New Guinea, Army and was stationed in Germany with On retiring in 1991, Mr. Freres and France, Canada and Ireland. the U.S. counterintelligence corps. There his wife settled in Clearwater. He worked In 1979, Mr. Jones, then a communi- he met the love of his life, Maria Kauer, a on an intermittent basis for the State cations specialist at Embassy Tehran, was native of the former Czechoslovakia, and Department’s Freedom of Information taken hostage along with 51 colleagues.

86 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Although treated harshly by his captors extensively with his family in South and He trained on 105 and 155 Howitzer during 444 days of confinement, Mr. Central America and Europe during the artilleries. Jones often said that he would not change 1930s and 1940s. He experienced the hor- After World War II, Mr. Locke attended any of his Foreign Service experiences. ror of war while living in Antwerp in May night classes at the Georgetown School After retirement, Mr. Jones and his 1940 when the German Army invaded. of Foreign Service. He began his career in Canadian wife, Maria, settled in Vancou- He and his family left Europe, moving the U.S. Department of State as a clerk in ver, British Columbia. He embarked on through France, Spain and Portugal, the U.S. Passport Office, where he met his a new career as an actor, appearing in reaching New York and then living for a first wife, Marguerite Thielke. many television programs, movies and time in Rio de Janeiro before returning to During the 1950s and 1960s, he was a commercials, either as a background per- Lisbon. He often spoke of the turmoil of general services officer for USAID mis- former or in a principal role. He served those times. sions in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Vietnam on the executive board of the Union of In 1943, Mr. Locke returned to the and Korea. In Afghanistan, he traveled British Columbia Performers. United States, where he lived with his extensively by jeep and was responsible Following the events of 9/11, Mr. Jones relatives in New Jersey while working for all supplies entering the country for decided to return to the United States, at Owens Illinois, Inc. He served in the the U.S. mission. In the 1970s, he was dep- and he and Mrs. Jones settled in Sequim, 394th Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. uty chief for USAID’s Overseas Property Wash. Army, which, as part of 23 Corps, was Management Office in Washington, D.C. Mr. Jones delighted in travel and assigned to guard the borders of Luxem- After retirement in 1976, Mr. Locke adventure, meeting people and making burg and Belgium in May and June 1945. was a procurement consultant with the friends all over the world. He enjoyed his neighbors, and loved a good, well- grounded political or philosophical dis- putation. Friends and family will miss his infectious laugh and the many profound and involved conversations he would have with anyone daring to take on the subject of the day. Mr. Jones was predeceased by his parents, Charles and Nannie Lou, and his daughter, Katherine. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Maria; daughters Carla, Candice and Kari; and grandsons Paul, Ivan, Isaiah and Malick. Donations in Mr. Jones’ memory may be made to the Sequim Food Bank (144 W. Alder Street, Sequim WA 98382) or to a charity of your choice.

n Robert H. Locke, 89, a retired USAID FSO, died on May 2 in Albuquer- que, N.M., of complications from heart disease. Mr. Locke was born on Jan. 3, 1926, in Philadelphia, Pa., where his father Robert H. Locke was an attorney and Latin scholar. As a child, he traveled

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 87 USAID office in Washington for missions husband, Frank, had also been evacuated band to a meeting with Pope John Paul in Africa and a logistics and procurement after the Blitz and was a regular visitor to II in Vatican City. She was a delightful officer for Experience, Inc. His first wife the Kearns family home in Helensburgh conversationalist and excellent cook and died in 1974, and he married Lois (Dody) and Clydebank. organizer. Gambino in 1976. Mrs. Meehan went on to join the army “They say that moving house is one Mr. Locke was an avid gardener and and worked in communications. She of the most stressful things a person can landscaper at the home he and Dody had and Mr. Meehan were courting when he do in their lifetime, but Margaret took it in Lancaster, Pa. He spoke four languages received his call-up papers for the U.S. all in stride as we moved from house to and loved classical music. Army and was sent to Fontainebleau to house a remarkable 23 times,” said Mr. Despite the devastation of the wars he complete his infantry training. The pair Meehan of his wife. observed as a child, a soldier and an FSO, married in 1949 in Manhattan, where Friends and family recall Mrs. Mee- he remained an optimist throughout his Mrs. Meehan had emigrated to work as a han’s sense of humor. She loved ballet, life with a deep interest in world events nanny and reunite with Mr. Meehan. music, reading, flowers and sewing and and concern for the people of the world. Mr. Meehan joined the U.S. Foreign became actively engaged with the inte- Family and friends remember him Service in 1951 and rose through the rior design of some of the embassies in as friendly, talkative and dignified in ranks, specializing in Eastern European which her family lived. She never forgot manner. In his later years, he overcame and communist affairs. The family’s her roots in Clydebank, which she visited many illnesses with fortitude and deter- postings included Frankfurt (1951-1952), often to be with family and friends. mination, never complaining about his Hamburg (1952-1953), Paris (1953-1956), Mr. and Mrs. Meehan settled in their problems. Moscow (1959-1961), Berlin (1961-1966), home in Helensburgh, overlooking the Mr. Locke is survived by three children Budapest (1968-1972), Bonn (1972-1975) Firth of Clyde, following Mr. Meehan’s from his first marriage: Shereen Shantz of and Vienna (1975-1977). retirement in 1989. In her later years, Albuquerque, N.M., Bruce Locke of Tal- Mrs. Meehan supported her husband Mrs. Meehan suffered a stroke followed lahassee, Fla., and Kathryn Babendreier throughout his career; brought up and by a long period of illness and incapacity of Albany, N.Y.; seven grandchildren; and arranged the education of their four with Alzheimer’s disease. She was cared five great-grandchildren. children; and entertained and cooked for for by her devoted husband and children. diplomats and other important guests Mrs. Meehan is survived by her hus- n Margaret K. Meehan, 92, wife of during the 66 years of their long and band, Frank; their four children: Anne, retired Ambassador Francis J. Meehan, happy marriage. Catherine, Frances and Jim; seven grand- died on March 15 at her home in Helens- In 1979, when he was appointed children and three great-grandchildren. burgh, Scotland. ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Mrs. Mee- Mrs. Meehan was born on March 4, han assumed the social and diplomatic n Eleanor N. Peters, 87, wife of 1923, in Yoker, Scotland, the third of eight responsibilities of the spouse of a chief of the late commercial attaché T. Howard children to Patrick and Annie Kearns. She mission. When Mr. Meehan was appointed Peters, died on April 20. attended Our Holy Redeemer primary U.S. ambassador to Poland in 1980 and to Mrs. Peters was born on Feb. 13, 1928, and secondary school in Clydebank, but the German Democratic Republic in 1985, an only child to Elmer and Opal Rollin. her education was interrupted by the she continued these duties. She married T. Howard Peters, a com- Clydebank Blitz in March 1941, and the Some of the family’s postings were mercial attaché and executive director Kearns family was evacuated to Helens- also historic: Moscow in the aftermath of of the Far East division of the Atlantic burgh. the U2 spy plane incident in 1960; East Richfield Company. The family spent most of the rest of Germany when spies were being swapped The couple, along with their five sons, the World War II in Glasgow, billeted prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall; had postings abroad in Egypt, Iraq, Japan under the roof of the Charles Rennie and Warsaw when the Solidarity trade and China, and stateside in Washington, Mackintosh-designed Hill House, home union emerged under Lech Walesa and D.C., California, Washington State, Mary- of Blackie Book Publishing, before mov- General Jaruzelski declared martial law. land and Virginia. ing back to Clydebank. Her soon-to-be Mrs. Meehan accompanied her hus- In her later years, Mrs. Peters relo-

88 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL cated to Washington State, settling in Port adventure. Always together, they trav- and the Museum of the American West Ludlow. She continued to travel around eled the world, visiting many countries in are a few of the organizations Mr. Rayn- the world to visit friends and family. She Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. olds joined. was an avid artist and a fine painter in Their five children were born during over- He served as president of the National acrylic, oil and watercolors, and skilled in seas postings and in Washington, D.C. Buffalo Association and Lander Rotary, torn paper art. After U.S. Army service in occupied and was a life member of the Explorer’s She also made and sold jewelry, and Japan, where his first two children were Club. He was proud to be listed in the was a clothing designer. In her free time, born, Mr. Raynolds completed his M.A. Marquis Who’s Who list and will also be she knitted clothing for her children and at Wesleyan University, did pre-doctoral remembered for his letters to the editor grandchildren, was a level 2 Reiki master, work at the Johns Hopkins School of in the Casper Star Tribune and other part-time astrologer and genealogist with Advanced International Studies and, periodicals. deep roots in the Olympic Peninsula. later, graduated from the National War Friends and family recall that Mr. Mrs. Peters was a member of the Jef- College in 1973. Raynolds had a wonderful ability to soak ferson County Daughters of the Ameri- He joined the Foreign Service in up knowledge and share perspectives can Revolution, the Port Ludlow Artists’ 1956 and served overseas in El Salvador, on a range of subjects. His generous and League, the Ludlow Little Theatre Group France, Haiti and Pakistan, as well as in gregarious nature made him a valued and other genealogical and historical Washington, D.C. In 1966, he received member of the community and of the societies. She supported the Chimacum the Meritorious Service Award from the organizations he joined. School District’s music and scholarships Department of State. A love of adventure took Mr. Raynolds program, her local Humane Society, Following the trail of his great uncle and his family from the Serengeti to the Habitat for Humanity and the PL Fire William Franklin Raynolds, who explored Sweetwater. His last trip, in early June Department. the Yellowstone region, Mr. and Mrs. 2015, was to the south of France within Mrs. Peters is survived by her five Raynolds “discovered” Lander, Wyo., the walled city of Carcassonne, where the sons, seven granddaughters, two grand- and became familiar with the charac- couple introduced their granddaughters sons and two great-grandchildren. ter and sinews of the west. In 1964, the to the subtleties of croissants and the Memorial donations may be made to family spent a year in Lander while Mr. siege strategies of European armies. the Daughters of the American Revolu- Raynolds wrote a book on El Salvador’s Mr. Raynolds was predeceased by his tion at www.dar.org. economy. parents and sister, Barbara. He is sur- The couple settled permanently in vived by his wife, May; his children, Bob n David R. W. Raynolds, 87, a retired the Lander area in 1975, and developed (and his wife, Mary) of Longmont, Colo., FSO, of Lander, Wyo., died on June 19 of a bison herd at Table Mountain Ranch, Linda (and her husband, Elijah Cobb) of heart failure. perched above the Popo Agie River west Cody, Wyo., Martha (and her husband, Mr. Raynolds was born on Feb. 15, of town. The Raynolds shared their buf- Sam Dashevsky) of Fairbanks, Alaska, 1928, in New York City to author Robert falo meat with the community through Laura (and her husband, Alex Blackmer) F. Raynolds and Marguerite E. Gerdau farmers markets and at the annual Fourth of Fort Collins, Colo., and David (and his Raynolds. He enjoyed a rural childhood of July Buffalo Barbecue. wife, Sharon Bolles) of Talent, Ore.; eight with his younger sisters, Ann and Bar- Mr. Raynolds spent almost 40 years grandchildren, Will and Bobby Raynolds, bara, in Newtown, Conn. He graduated in becoming deeply involved in the com- Margi and Danny Dashevsky, Courtney 1945 from the Putney School in Vermont munity. He was especially proud of his and Lisa Blackmer-Raynolds, and Jasper and from Dartmouth College in 1949. 26-year membership on the steering Raynolds and Kyrianna Bolles; and a sis- Mr. Raynolds met Mary Alice Kean of committee of the Wyoming Business ter, Ann Listokin (and her husband, Bob) Elizabeth, N.J., while she was attending Alliance, with its Leadership Wyoming of Winston-Salem, N.C. Smith College and he was at Dartmouth. Program. The Wyoming Farm Bureau, Memorial donations in Mr. Raynolds’ He courted her with his winnings from Lander Leader, Wyoming Heritage honor may be made to the Lander, Wyo., poker games. The couple married in 1951 Foundation, American Legion, Wyoming Rotary International Club, or to the Put- and embarked on 64 years of shared Historical and Archeological Societies ney School in Vermont. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 89 BOOKS

Corruption As a Chayes sprinkles the narrative with other ment to implode—an extremely risky Foreign Policy Issue examples from the archives of advice strategy in the middle of a war? literature, “Mirrors for Princes.” From Perhaps he recognized that it’s very Thieves of State: Why Corruption antiquity through early European history, hard to fix a plane while flying it, let alone Threatens Global Security it turns out, even the most autocratic rul- rebuild the entire thing in mid-air. This is Sarah Chayes, W.W. Norton & Company, ers have recognized that corruption must the biggest weakness in her thesis. While 2015, $26.95, hardcover, 262 pages. be kept in check to preserve stability. persuasive in identifying the problem, her Reviewed By Susan B. Maitra She also devotes several chapters to solutions for Afghanistan are less com- the problem of corruption in other coun- pelling. Would they have helped or hurt? In this absorbing book, author Sarah tries—Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Uzbeki- We will never know. Chayes makes the case that corruption— stan. These essays are more cursory, the Many military and civilian personnel a phenomenon largely neglected by spoils of short visits plus some research, who knew the author in Afghanistan may today’s policymakers—is a basic driver of and they lack the in-depth understanding not remember her fondly, and so her can- instability that must be addressed. she acquired in Afghanistan. It is to that dor in acknowledging some of her own Thieves of State is anchored in Afghan- story that the reader is eager to return. mistakes is to her credit. While she ran istan, which Chayes called home for more As an adviser the NGO in Kandahar, she was viewed than a decade after landing in Kandahar to McChrystal as being in league with a faction of the in December 2001 to cover the fall of the and Petraeus, Karzai clan. In the book, she admits this Taliban for National Public Radio. Chayes worked mistake and the extent to which she had Dropping journalism, she worked first hard to make been blinded to the corruption perpe- to launch an NGO in Kandahar for the anti-corruption a trated by her former friends. Baltimore-based brother of President central element of She acknowledges her infatuation Hamid Karzai, and then founded a local the counterinsur- with Gen. McChrystal’s passionate, high- agricultural cooperative and soap-mak- gency campaign. energy team, as well as her underestima- ing factory there. By winter 2009, tion of “the accompanying arrogance.” Beginning in 2009, she served as an the International And she owns up to her own arrogance adviser to Generals Stanley McChrystal Security Assistance after Petraeus empowers her and her and David Petraeus in Kabul, and then Force’s Anti-Corruption Task Force was associates to infuse the troops with a new transited between Afghanistan and “on the runway,” engines revving—but anti-corruption focus on governance. Washington, D.C., as special assistant to it was not off the ground, and within Describing a round of briefings to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, months Gen. McChrystal was gone. the subordinate commands that were Admiral Mike Mullen. Gen. Petraeus was far more serious greeted with “suspicious perplexity,” Chayes takes the reader along as about going after corruption, but then she writes: “Who were we anyway? On gradually, through her experiences, she failed to follow through. It is Chayes’ whose authority were we telling division comes to see Afghanistan’s governmen- explanation as to why—no spoilers commanders they’d have to upend their tal structure as a vertically integrated here—that is the most important piece of campaigns—reassign intelligence offi- criminal syndicate. In this scheme, modern history in the book, and makes it cers, overhaul procedures for partnering however, first sketched out for her by required reading for all those interested with Afghan military and police officers, Chris Kolenda, one of Gen. McChrystal’s in Afghanistan policy. expose their men to the risk of retalia- “phalanx of colonels,” patronage is not But was this really the whole story? tion, wade into politics? Fortified by that dispensed downward, but rather the Would Petreaus really have pursued her flourish Petraeus had applied to his check proceeds of corruption are channeled up recommendations with the zeal that she marks [on our PowerPoint presentation], to those sitting atop the pyramid. recommended? Or would he have recog- we stuck our chins in the air, imperious.” Starting with Machiavelli’s admonition nized that if corruption was as extensive In two chapters following the denoue- to the prince that theft of his subjects’ as she said, then taking down so many ment of Petraeus’ governance efforts, possessions would threaten his rule, officials would have caused the govern- Chayes mines 16th- through 18th-century

90 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL history to present examples demon- he died in 2003, Martinet left me a rough survivors. The other two, including that of strating that denying citizens any form outline, researched from the Spanish Narvaez, foundered in a storm. of redress of grievances drives them archives in Madrid, of the life of 16th-cen- In Texas, the party dwindled to 15 and, to extremes. Noting that those early tury Moroccan explorer Azemmouri. finally, to only four survivors, including protestors were mostly Protestant, she Early this year, I thought of finally Azemmouri. For the next five years, they traces links between reformed religion’s doing something with the story. So you were held captive by Indian tribes, fleeing rebellion against the church kleptocracy can imagine my surprise when I stumbled occasionally only to be recaptured by and the quest for representative govern- upon The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami, others. ment, and proceeds to tie this historical published in late 2014. Better she than me! Over time, the tiny band gained thread of “violent religious extremism” to Authentically written through the grudging acceptance by practicing crude al-Qaida’s origins and motivation. Moroccan and Muslim eyes of Azem- medicine and were known as “Sons of The book concludes with an exten- mouri, this historical novel is a magnifi- the Sun” by local tribes. In May 1535, they sive set of recommendations on how the cent and creative work with deep histori- journeyed westward, healing Indians U.S. government and others can better cal research. along the way. address the problem of corruption. The Azemmouri, who grew up at the start The party eventually reached Cibola, recommendations will be familiar to of the 16th century in Azemmour, was territory that now straddles the Arizona- those who follow this discussion in the captured on Sept. 1, 1513, by the Duke of New Mexico border, where they were think-tank world, where anti-corruption Braganza of Portugal during a battle in killed by Zuni Indians in 1539. Father and governance is a topic of rising inter- which Ferdinand Magellan was wounded. Marcos, an early Jesuit missionary, heard est. The extent to which Chayes is driving The Portuguese sold captured young of their death and notified Spanish this discussion, or merely channeling the men as slaves, and Azem- authorities in Mexico, embroidering work of others, is unclear. mouri ended up in the account with tales of gold and Prioritizing anti-corruption may Cadiz, sold to Span- precious jewels in Cibola. strike many practitioners as a luxury ish Captain Andrés When Coronado led his expedi- today, when it is all we can do to man- Dorantes. Described tion there a year later, he found no age the effects of a rapidly disintegrating as a “Berber slave” and El Dorado but only a “small rocky Middle East. But she has done a service renamed Estebanico, village” of some 150-300 reddish clay in highlighting the problem, putting it Estevanico or simply dwellings. An alternative version in a historical perspective and making a Estevan, he sailed with from the archives has Azemmouri comprehensive case for elevating it as an his owner for the New alone reaching Mexico and leading imperative in U.S. foreign policy. World in June 1527 as part an exploratory mission back to of the six-ship fleet under Cibola where, in both versions, he Susan Brady Maitra is The Journal’s manag- Spanish Governor Panfilo de Narvaez that was killed in 1539. ing editor. included 400 men and 80 horses. Following the sketchy accounts of the Narvaez had previously participated in ill-fated Narvaez expedition and fictional- Morocco and the Discovery Spanish voyages to Jamaica in 1509, Cuba izing the day-to-day doings and thoughts of the American Southwest in 1511 and Veracruz in 1520. The new of Azemmouri, Dr. Lalami brilliantly expedition reached the area of today’s brings to life an historical account that, The Moor’s Account: A Novel Tampa Bay in April 1528. From there, they until now, has mouldered in the archives Laila Lalami, Pantheon Books, 2014, marched north with 300 men, including relatively unknown and neglected on both $15.95, paperback, 336 pages. Azemmouri, in search of gold and silver. sides of the Atlantic. Reviewed By Richard Jackson Finding none and suffering heavy She is particularly perceptive in filling losses from Indian attacks and fevers, the in what must have occurred in the inter- When I was consul general in Casablanca survivors set out from the area of Talla- actions between Narvaez’s dwindling from 1983 to 1986, I became friends with hassee in four crudely built rafts, two of band of would-be conquistadors and the French historian Guy Martinet. When which reached Galveston Island with 24 the Indian tribes along the east coast of

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 91 Florida and the Gulf Coast. in violent death at Cibola, 6,215 miles turies to the narrative. Yet few, even in the These experiences involved the group’s from home in Morocco, has been lost to Southwest where he was killed, are aware absolute vulnerability and dependence history. that vast regions of the United States were on Indian hospitality as well as cruelty Azemmouri is admittedly an unlikely first explored on foot and by boat from and enslavement. Lalami captures this hero. The huge class difference between 1528 to 1539 by this Moroccan adventurer. through the perceptions of Azemmouri, him, a Berber slave, and Coronado, the Laila Lalami’s fascinating account is himself slave to the Spaniards but increas- great conquistador, explains much of his well worth reading and should draw new ingly their leader and only guarantor of obscurity. From the Moroccan side, his scrutiny to this early chapter of our his- survival. She does, however, fictionalize forced conversion to Christianity makes tory. n an ending of escape and marital bliss in him an unpopular hero for Muslims. place of death by Indian arrows. Yet while serving in Morocco for eight Richard Jackson served as a Foreign Service Francisco de Coronado and his 1540 years, I was often struck by the repeti- officer from 1965 to 1999, with postings in expedition has, of course, received all the tive and threadbare rhetoric about the Mogadishu, Tripoli, Thessaloniki, Athens, glory for first exploring the present-day 200-year-old U.S.-Moroccan relationship Rabat and Casablanca, as well as subsequent states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and amused to read each year in the local service as president of Anatolia College in Oklahoma and Kansas, including dis- press the text of George Washington’s Thessaloniki from 1999 to 2009. He is a regu- covery of the Grand Canyon. And, until December 1, 1789, letter to the Sultan of lar consultant on higher education abroad now, Azemmouri’s earlier, epic 4,350-mile Morocco. and in the United States for the Council on journey across North America, ending Azemmouri’s exploits add several cen- American Universities Abroad.

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100 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL REFLECTIONS

Dogs in Africa

BY ROBERT GRIBBIN

e acquired Mogi in Bangui, big trash can for my inspection. I assumed Central African Republic. That was not he had killed a snake, but inside was a A feisty little puppy, part Mogi’s only brush scrawny, filthy little puppy. A mother dog Wshepherd, he grew into with officialdom. with two pups snuck through the fence to a 50-pound dog. Admiring his size, our drink out of the pool, he explained. One Yakoma neighbors advised that he was fell in, and when he went to investigate the safe on our eastern side of the city; had we others ran off. lived south, “those M’baka” would put him Before long I had a more presentable, We had a new dog. She was terrified in the pot. if obviously mangled document. In the of the world, so we held her constantly; Late on a Friday, the chargé got a morning I put a visa in it and took it to the when put down, she would disappear in call from Foreign Minister Joseph Poto- airport, thinking the minister could either a flash. So that became her name. She lot advising that he was being sent (by laugh or explode. grew into a wonderful pet—happy, loving irascible and unpredictable President Jean The latter possibility had me worried, and friendly—who rarely barked. She had Bedel Bokassa) on an urgent mission to but he took it in stride. He did not want eight puppies, and we kept Nike, the one Washington, leaving the next morning. The to have to explain to his boss why he was who most closely resembled his mom. minister’s visa had expired so I went along not traveling as ordered. Two weeks later On leaving Kampala in 1991, and to the meeting, collected his passport and Potolot sent over a brand new passport for uncertain of our next posting, we found a promised to deliver it, visa included, at the a visa. home for Flash and Nike with the family airport the following morning. That was not Mogi’s only brush with of a Peace Corps staff member. When I I went home, grabbed a quick bite, officialdom. Some time later he got returned to neighboring Rwanda five years tossed the passport on the coffee table and through the fence into a neighboring later, I contacted the family and offered headed to the airport to meet a visitor on compound and killed at least one rabbit to take the dogs back. We subsequently the evening flight. When I returned, my that was being raised by the woman who did a dog exchange at Mbale in southern wife, Connie, met me: “Mogi ate Mr. Poto- lived there. Uganda. lot’s passport,” she said, holding up a well- The lady in question was one of I know that Flash recognized me. So chewed, soggy mess with teeth punctures Bokassa’s mistresses, and her security was Flash, Nike and Mash, another part-ridge- through several pages. provided by the army. Two armed soldiers back, joined us in Kigali. I quickly learned I envisaged my imminent departure appeared at our door holding a dead to tell folks that these were Ugandan dogs, from the country, if not from life itself. rabbit and demanding restitution and i.e., they had not been in Rwanda during Bokassa’s government was not to be retribution. the genocide when local dogs went feral messed with. I called the chargé: “We have Thankfully an adequate payment and ate corpses. a problem.” He heard me out, paused and resolved the matter, and we got Mogi out of Still, we penned the dogs up during replied: “Bob, you have a problem.” country without further mishap. events at the residence. During one July 4 I hunkered down with a hair dryer, Years later, in Kampala, when I came reception, when the crowd quieted down some cardboard shims, glue and an iron. home for lunch, the gardener carted over a for my remarks, Nike, hearing his master’s voice over the loud speaker, joined in, Ambassador (ret.) Robert Gribbin spent many years in East and Central Africa, first as a Peace howling until the end. Corps Volunteer and then as a Foreign Service officer. When the events in this article occurred, Dogs were part of our lives and, despite Amb. Gribbin was a junior officer in Bangui (1974-1976), DCM in Kampala (1988-1991) and the hiccups, usually a bonus in interac- ambassador in Kigali (1996-1999). He is the author of In the Aftermath of Genocide: The U.S. tions with the communities around us. Role in Rwanda (2005). We were blessed for having them. n

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2015 101 LOCAL LENS

BY CHRISTOPHER E. TREMANN n MADAGASCAR

ade famous in the animated movies Mnamed after their primary habitat, Madagascar, lemurs are easy to spot in the island nation. Yet, at the same time, illegal logging and hunting are endangering these unusual creatures and have, in fact, earned them the undesirable distinction of being one of the most-endangered vertebrates, threatened with extinction. This par- ticular one, a ring-tailed lemur (lemur catta), rests on a branch in Andasibe- Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar after snacking on bananas. n

Deputy RSO for Investi- gations Chris Tremann is posted in Beijing. His previous tour was as RSO in Antananarivo, Madagascar, where he had an opportu- nity to explore the country and experience the island nation’s famed flora and fauna firsthand. This photo was taken in 2009 with a Panasonic DMC-ZS7.

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102 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL