The Foreign Service Journal, October 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2019 57 Planning for the Foreign Service and AFSA Centennials Although the anniversary is still five years away, AFSA has already started planning to celebrate the 100th anniver- sary of the founding in 1924 of the U.S. Foreign Service and its professional associa- tion, AFSA. Commemorating these centennials in 2024 will provide a unique opportunity to increase understand- ing among the American people, Congress and the media about the vital role the Foreign Service plays in sustaining American global leadership. To begin planning, the AFSA Governing Board in July established the Centen- nial Celebration Committee. I was appointed as its chair (having served on the Gov- erning Board during the 75th anniversary celebration in 1999). The other committee members are AFSA Secretary Ken Kero-Mentz and Retiree Representative Mary Daly. The committee will seek to identify the best ideas for marking the centennial and the steps required to imple- ment them, including looking for external sources of fund- ing. We are starting already because some potential elements of the celebration have long lead times. For example, we plan to ask the U.S. Postal Service to issue a U.S. Foreign Service Centennial stamp. I played a role in getting stamps issued honoring six U.S. career dip- lomats in 2006. That process began in 2002. So, our stamp proposal needs to be submit- ted by next year. We also plan to try to place displays telling the history and impact of the For- eign Service in heavily visited areas such as the lobby of a U.S. Senate office building, presidential libraries, and perhaps even the National Museum of American History. Because those organizations set their visiting exhibits schedules several years in advance, now is the time to begin investigating those possibilities. There are many ways that AFSA could mark the 100th anniversary of the Foreign Service. Other ideas include a TV documentary, podcasts, a 50-state lecture tour, a book, a gala dinner and a congres- sional resolution. Our Centennial Celebra- tion Committee will seek to identify the best ideas. We welcome your suggestions. Send them to me at naland@ afsa.org. n RETIREE VP VOICE | BY JOHN K. NALAND AFSA NEWS Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA Retiree VP. Contact: naland@afsa.org ANNOUNC I NG THE 20 19 AFSA AWARD WI NNERS Exemplary Performance F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award for Achievement and Contributions to the Association Katherine Elizabeth Koehler Nelson B. Delavan Award for an Office Management Specialist Laurent Charbonnet Avis Bohlen Award for an Eligible Family Member Michelle Ross M. Juanita Guess Award for a Community Liaison Officer Christopher Gooch and Nora Brito Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy Lawrence Fields AFSA Post Representative of the Year Award Constructive Dissent Anna Boulos WilliamR. Rivkin Award for a Mid-Level Officer Timmy Davis WilliamR. Rivkin Award for a Mid-Level Officer Moises Mendoza W. Averell Harriman Award for an Entry-Level Officer Runners-Up Robert Works (Palmer Award) Jonette Cahoon-Vaughan (Guess Award) Jennifer Allen (Guess Award) Full coverage of the AFSA awards ceremony and profiles of the award recipients will appear in the December issue of The Foreign Service Journal . Please join us for the awards ceremony at 4 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the Department of State. n