The Foreign Service Journal, March 2010

MA R CH 2 0 1 0 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 53 AFSA Annual Report 2009 Y E A R I N R E V I E W A FSA’s 2009outreach initiatives pro- moted three important goals: broad- ening the Foreign Service con- stituency; enhancing public awareness of global affairs and of the key role of the Foreign Service and diplomacy; and acti- vating the AFSA retiree constituency by involving it in significant programs that drawon retirees’ backgrounds and skills in telling our story to audiences nationwide. Speakers Program One of AFSA’smost effective outreach elements is our Speakers Program, which deployednearly 500ForeignService retiree speakers during the year to explain the importanceofU.S. diplomacyforAmerican national interests tomore than30,000atten- dees in 44 states and Washington, D.C. Audiences ranged fromworldaffairs coun- cils and universities to civic organizations, “town meetings” and high schools. Of particular note: former Director General of the Foreign Service and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Ambassador Marc Grossman enthralled some400 facultyandstudents atAmerican University’s annualCarolineandAmbassa- dorCharlesAdairMemorial Lecture, spon- soredbyAFSA, on“TheChallenges Facing the Foreign Service” on Sept. 2. Speakers were provided with issue updates fromAFSA, andwere alsoencour- aged to exhort audiencemembers to con- tact their congressional representatives to request sustained funding for U.S. diplo- matic readiness. Media AFSA’smediaoutreachefforts remained intensive in2009. Eitherdirectlyor through AFSA retirees, we placed 62 interviews, let- ters to the editor, articles and press releases advocating increased public and congres- sional support for U.S. diplomacy in lead- ingmediaentities including the Washington Post , the New York Times , the Associated Press, NPR and CNN, among others. AFSA’s Memorial Plaque Ceremony drewtheheaviestmedia coverage in its his- tory. Held at the State Department on Foreign Affairs Day (May 1), and featur- ing Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, itwas coveredby fivenetworkTV cameras and some 10 journalists from majormedia. The resultwas in-depth treat- ment of this event via some 33media out- lets nationwide, including NBC, CNN, ABC, the Associated Press and NPR. Outreach AFSA expanded its outreach efforts in 2009 in an ever-evolving strategy to tell the storyof theForeignService to theAmerican public. TheFund forAmericanDiplomacy is our primary vehicle for public outreach, and continues to support such outstand- ing programs as the AFSA dissent awards andmemorial plaques; our book, Inside a U.S. Embassy ; andourminority internpro- gram. One of these initiatives, the AFSA/ Thursday Lunch Group internship pro- gram, inspired 2005 intern Stacy Sessions totake theForeignServiceexam. Shebegan her diplomatic career in June as one of 98 individuals in the 146th A-100 class. We also revived a corporate relations initiative that aims toengage theprivate sec- tor in supportingAFSAprograms around the country. This effort is already takingoff, andAFSAmembers will see an increase in programs in2010as a result of newly forged partnerships. Another highlight from among our expanded outreach programs is AFSA’s recently establishedpresence onFacebook (www.facebook.com/afsapage ), which to date has garnered more than 1,200 fans. We urge you tobecome a Facebook fanof AFSA if you have not done so already. Exploritas The year saw big changes in the Elderhostel program,mostnotably its adop- tion of a new name —Exploritas — and the opening of enrollment to anyone over the age of 21. The AFSA Exploritas pro- gram also came under new leadership, as retiredFSOBernieAlter tookover theport- folio fromJaniceBay. TheAFSAprograms remain highly popular, following the time-testedmodel of using retiredFSOs to explaincurrent issues in foreignpolicy from a Foreign Service perspective. More than 700peopleparticipated inAFSA’sprograms in 2009, which took place inWashington, D.C.,Chautauqua,N.Y., St. Petersburg, Fla. and Tucson, Ariz. —Tom Switzer, Communications Director, and Asgeir Sigfusson, Marketing/Outreach Manager JENNIFER DURINA Amb. Marc Grossman, left, delivers Adair lecture while AFSA Communications Director Tom Switzer and A.U. Washington Semester Program Dean David Brown (right) look on. Outreach and Media: Getting the Word Out