PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION JULY-AUGUST 2016 CAREER DIPLOMACY TODAY TALKING ABOUT TRAUMA LIFE AFTER THE FOREIGN SERVICE PART II ADVERTISEMENT FOREIGN July-August 2016 SERVICE Volume 93, No. 6 AFSA NEWS FOCUS ON CAREER DIPLOMACY TODAY Celebrating 2016 Merit Award Taking on Family Member Employment. Really! / 21 Recipients and Donors / 77 2016 AFSA Award Winners Family member employment is a critical issue for members of the U.S. Foreign Announced / 77 Service. The State Department finally seems to be taking it seriously. State VP Voice–Professional BY DEBRA BLOME Liability Insurance / 78 USAID VP Voice–Consultants Tandem Couples: Serving Together, Apart / 28 and Annual Evaluations / 79 Two tandems discuss some of the unique challenges they face. FAS VP Voice–Thinking Outside BY FRED ODISHO AND WHITNEY DUBINSKY the Box / 80 A Roadmap for New Hires: Annual Adair Memorial Lecture / 80 Meet the 2016 AFSA Merit Award 30 Rules to Survive and Thrive / 35 Winners / 82 An experienced FSO ambassador identifies the unique attributes Foreign Service Merit Award Best Essay / 84 personnel should have and offers a guide to acquiring and perfecting them. Merit Award Art Winner / 84 BY STEPHEN G. MCFARLAND AFSA Governing Board Meeting / 85 Examining State’s Foreign Service Officer Governing Board Retreat / 85 Hiring Today / 41 Book Notes: The Wolf of Sarajevo / 86 Here is an inside look at the process of becoming a Foreign Service officer, considered the “gold standard” in professional recruitment. AFSA Hosts DS Mingle / 87 BY GLENN J. GUIMOND Retiree Corner– The Medicare Question / 88 State Department Opportunities for Students / 45 Women’s Political Caucus Honors Marguerite Cooper / 88 FEATURES COLUMNS President’s Views / 7 Long Past Time to Talk About Trauma Strengthening the Foreign Service Raising Awareness and Resilience / 48 BY BARBARA STEPHENSON Taking better care of employees—from pre-employment to post-employment— Letter from the Editor / 8 makes economic sense, creates better morale and is the right thing to do. Career Diplomacy Today BY SHAWN DORMAN BY ANGELA R. DICKEY Speaking Out / 17 Life After the Foreign Service— Reforming Entry-Level Assignments What We Are Doing Now, Part II / 52 BY ANDREW KELLY Reflections / 104 BY FORMER AND RETIRED MEMBERS OF THE U.S. FOREIGN SERVICE High Hopes and Mixed Feelings: Reflections of a Consulate Intern BY WILLIAM ROBERTSON DEPARTMENTS Letters / 9 Talking Points / 12 In Memory / 90 Books / 95 Local Lens / 106 MARKETPLACE Classifieds / 97 Real Estate / 100 On the Cover: Flags of all countries with which the United States maintains diplomatic Index to Advertisers / 103 relations are on display in the State Department’s main lobby. When new members of the U.S. Foreign Service receive their first assignments, each is given a small flag of the country to which he or she is headed. Photo: AFSA/Susan Maitra. THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2016 5 FOREIGN SERVICE Editor in Chief, Director of Publications Shawn Dorman: [email protected] Managing Editor www.afsa.org Susan Brady Maitra: [email protected] Associate Editor Gemma Dvorak: [email protected] CONTACTS Publications Specialist AFSA Headquarters: BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Ken Fanelli: [email protected] (202) 338-4045; Fax (202) 338-6820 Director of Finance State Department AFSA Office: Femi Oshobukola: [email protected] Editorial Assistant (202) 647-8160; Fax (202) 647-0265 Controller Shannon Mizzi: [email protected] USAID AFSA Office: Kalpna Srimal: [email protected] Ad & Circulation Manager (202) 712-1941; Fax (202) 216-3710 Assistant Controller Ed Miltenberger: [email protected] FCS AFSA Office: Cory Nishi: [email protected] (202) 482-9088; Fax (202) 482-9087 Art Director LABOR MANAGEMENT Caryn Suko Smith GOVERNING BOARD General Counsel Contributing Editor President Sharon Papp: [email protected] Steven Alan Honley Hon. Barbara Stephenson: Deputy General Counsel [email protected] Editorial Board Zlatana Badrich: [email protected] Secretary Beth Payne, Chair Labor Management Specialist William Haugh: [email protected] James Bever James Yorke: [email protected] Angela Bond Treasurer Hon. Charles A. Ford: [email protected] Senior Staff Attorney Hon. Gordon S. Brown State Vice President Neera Parikh: [email protected] Stephen W. Buck Angie Bryan: [email protected] Staff Attorney Eric Green USAID Vice President Raeka Safai: [email protected] Kara McDonald Sharon Wayne: [email protected] Staff Attorney John G. Rendeiro Jr. FCS Vice President Vacant Duncan Walker Steve Morrison: [email protected] Labor Management Counselor Tracy Whittington FAS Vice President Tricia Wingerter (Governing Board Liaison) Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan: Mark Petry: [email protected] [email protected] Retiree Vice President THE MAGAZINE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS Labor Management Advisor Hon. Tom Boyatt: [email protected] Jason Snyder: [email protected] PROFESSIONALS State Representatives The Foreign Service Journal (ISSN 0146-3543), 2101 E Executive Assistant Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037-2990 is pub- Lawrence Casselle Lindsey Botts: [email protected] lished monthly, with combined January-February and Susan Danewitz USAID Staff Assistant July-August issues, by the American Foreign Service John Dinkelman Erika Bethmann: [email protected] Association (AFSA), a private, nonprofit organization. Jason Donovan Material appearing herein represents the opinions of the writers and does not necessarily represent the views of Ramón Escobar MEMBER SERVICES the Journal, the Editorial Board or AFSA. Writer queries Josh Glazeroff Member Services Director and submissions are invited, preferably by email. The Kara McDonald Janet Hedrick: [email protected] Journal is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos or illustrations. Advertising inquiries are invited. Erin O’Connor Membership Representative All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Leah Pease Natalie Cheung: [email protected] AFSA reserves the right to reject advertising that is not Alison Storsve Retiree Counselor in keeping with its standards and objectives. The appear- Tricia Wingerter Todd Thurwachter: [email protected] ance of advertisements herein does not imply endorse- ment of goods or services offered. Opinions expressed in USAID Representatives Administrative Assistant and Office Manager advertisements are the views of the advertisers and do Jeffrey Cochrane Ana Lopez: [email protected] not necessarily represent AFSA views or policy. Journal Lorraine Sherman subscription: AFSA member–$20, included in annual FCS Representative COMMUNICATIONS dues; student–$30; institution–$40; others–$50; Single Director of Communications issue–$4.50. For foreign surface mail, add $18 per year; Suzanne Platt foreign airmail, $36 per year. Periodical postage paid FAS Representative Corey Pickelsimer Ásgeir Sigfússon: [email protected] at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. BBG Representative Vacant Online Communications Manager Indexed by the Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS). APHIS Representative Mark C. Prescott Jeff Lau: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Retiree Representatives Outreach and Communications Specialist Phone: (202) 338-4045 Hon. Patricia Butenis Allan Saunders: [email protected] Fax: (202) 338-8244 Dean J. Haas Awards Coordinator Web: www.afsa.org/fsj Hon. Al La Porta Perri Green: [email protected] Outreach Coordinator © American Foreign Service Association, 2016 Hon. John Limbert Catherine Kannenberg: [email protected] PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. STAFF PROFESSIONAL POLICY ISSUES Postmaster: Send address changes to Executive Director Director of Professional Policy Issues AFSA, Attn: Address Change Ian Houston: [email protected] Maria Livingston: [email protected] 2101 E Street NW Executive Assistant to the President Washington DC 20037-2990 Jennie Orloff: [email protected] Governance Specialist SCHOLARSHIPS Patrick Bradley: [email protected] Scholarship Director Lori Dec: [email protected] Scholarship Senior Associate Jonathan Crawford: [email protected] 6 JULY-AUGUST 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL PRESIDENT’S VIEWS Strengthening the Foreign Service BY BARBARA STEPHENSON elcome to the July-August AFSA must carve out resources to ensure that edition of the FSJ, devoted to the important topic of we play a forward-looking, strategic role as the Wthe Foreign Service career. authoritative voice of the Foreign Service. One of the achievements I am most proud of from my first year as AFSA president is not true, as the bills posit, that mid-career this approach is bearing fruit. While creating capacity for AFSA to fulfill its role professionals are somehow precluded from members of the 185th A-100 class as the principal advocate for the long-term joining the Foreign Service. AFSA’s infor- expressed concern that their career well-being of the Foreign Service. mal survey of the incoming classes we host development would be impeded by years As a union, AFSA advises and defends here at headquarters tells us that upwards of delay—multiple consecutive consular members who run into trouble and of a third of new entrants are in fact highly tours, regardless of cone—before their ensures systemwide fairness and due skilled mid-career professionals. first shot at in-cone service, members of process. As a member organization, AFSA With 17,000 applicants each year for the 186th class were upbeat about A-100 seeks to be responsive to member con- roughly 370 (or fewer) new entry-level briefings describing the DG’s goal of one cerns, particularly widely shared concerns.