The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2011

46 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 1 1 A F S A N E W S 2011 AFSA OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNERS S o you want to be an AFSA post representative? Bear in mind that it’s a real job. It requires work. People will depend on you. It is high-profile. It is important. Oh, and you won’t get paid. We could tell you what the job entails, but then it might not be as extensive as the job Larry Fields — and this year’s AFSA Post Representative of the Year —did in Kathmandu. Here is a list of what Fields did (in his own words) during the past year: • I religiously passed on AFSAnet and AFSA News items by e- mail. • I created and posted bills reminding members to apply for AFSA scholarships and awards, and then shared the posters with AFSA for worldwide use. • I established a Foreign Service Professional Development Library, housed in the Information Resource Center, which the ambassador applauded in a dedication ceremony. • When the new AFSAWeb site went live, I announced the fact to our community and provided feedback to AFSA. • When some Eligible Family Member employees complained that they were singled our for separate and unequal treatment – they were assigned escorting duties in a way they felt demeaning – I accompanied them to meetings with the deputy chief of mission to raise the issue. Post management then promptly addressed it. • I teamed up with our human resources officer when she was giving presentations on various employee benefits. She would pre- sent the government-provided ones, and I would discuss the non- governmental ones. For example, when she discussed life and long- term insurance, I presented AFSA insurance options. When she discussed retirement plans, I talked about the different individual retirement plan accounts, real estate and other aspects of retirement planning. • I created an AFSA recruitment presentation, outlining what the association does and how it benefits members. I also shared it with AFSA for its use. • I suggested the Zipcar membership idea, which culminated in a sizable discount for AFSA members. • I wrote a biweekly “AFSA Corner” column for the post newsletter, ensuring regular com- munication with our members. • An EFM, the spouse of a USAID offi- cer, applied to the Professional Associate Program. She felt that her application would be disadvantaged because of USAID’s chaotic summer bidding cycle this year. I advocated on her behalf with the director general, whose response addressed the issue. Larry Fields is clearly a strong AFSA supporter. “AFSA is uniquely placed to benefit both employers and the employees. It serves as a good example for both private- and public-sector unions,” says Fields. This is a bad time for unions, which have gotten a lot of bad press lately. Fields sees unions as a partnership. “I do a job for my employer, and in return, I expect to be treated as a profes- sional. It is a partnership and relationship that benefits both,” said Fields. Judging by the work Fields put into his volunteer job as AFSA post representative, it is clear that AFSA, the post and Fields have all benefited. AFSA Post Representative of the Year Larry Fields Meghan Aberle, Larry Fields and Amb. Scott DeLisi attend the Dec. 16, 2010, dedication ceremony for the AFSA Foreign Affairs Professional Development Library in Kathmandu. The Fields family on a trek in Nepal. Larry Fields is clearly a strong AFSA supporter. “AFSA is uniquely placed to benefit both employers and the employees. It serves as a good example for both private- and public-sector unions,” says Fields.