Mina M. Raass-Dana (fourth from right) with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Amy Rule (spouse of Ambassador Emanuel, second from right), and Embassy Tokyo colleagues at the ambassador’s residence, 2022.
Embassy Tokyo / Kent Jagodzinksi

Nelson B. Delavan Award for a Foreign Service Office Management Specialist

Mina M. Raass-Dana: Bridging Missions, Building Alliances

Mina M. Raass-Dana

While serving as the political-military office management specialist (OMS) at U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Mina M. Raass-Dana made efforts that surpassed her official duties. She strengthened embassy operations and the U.S.-Japan alliance through her initiative, precision, and leadership. Balancing dual responsibilities as political-military and senior political OMS, Raass-Dana provided critical administrative and logistical support to senior leadership, coordinated seamlessly across agencies, and earned a reputation as one of Mission Japan’s most capable and trusted colleagues. For all this and more, she has received AFSA’s 2025 Nelson B. Delavan Award.

One of Raass-Dana’s most significant accomplishments was spearheading the first-ever “Embassy Day” for the U.S. Forces Japan Commanders’ Conference, a daylong program bringing together 35 generals, admirals, and senior enlisted advisers for strategic discussions, resulting in improved collaboration between the embassy and U.S. military leadership in Japan. She personally designed and managed the program, venues, and schedule, orchestrating a 10-agency roundtable at the ambassador’s residence and policy “deep-dives” that delivered what one colleague described as “a high-impact day that advanced the alliance.”

“There was a ‘before Mina’ and an ‘after Mina,’” her nominator for the award reflected. “Her departure left a definite gap in the mission.”

Recognized for her professionalism and composure under pressure, Raass-Dana was frequently called on to manage the embassy’s most complex, high-profile events—roles that were rarely entrusted to an OMS. She served as liaison to the U.S. Secret Service during a 2022 VIP visit and as deputy control officer for First Lady Jill Biden at the 2023 G7 Hiroshima Summit. She coordinated security and logistics, finalized programming, and ensured seamless cooperation among the First Lady’s team, Secret Service, and Japanese counterparts. Her efforts earned praise from senior leadership for “quick-witted resolution to professional situations.” She became the go-to choice for special projects requiring both tact and operational mastery.

In addition to her technical excellence, Raass-Dana distinguished herself as a mentor and advocate. She championed a junior locally employed (LE) staff member’s inclusion in VIP visit planning. This opportunity allowed that colleague to take on a lead role as deputy control officer for the Secretary at the G7 Hiroshima Summit. By identifying and promoting emerging talent, Raass-Dana helped strengthen the mission’s bench and fostered an environment where initiative was recognized and rewarded.

A dedicated volunteer, Raass-Dana served on the Employee Welfare Association Board, was a voting member of the Housing Board at one of the world’s largest embassies, and was one of the founding members of the Tokyo Women’s Diplomatic Network, a cross-mission initiative to build connection and mentorship among women in diplomacy.

Colleagues credit Raass-Dana’s success to her deep understanding of the mission’s interagency ecosystem and her ability to make complex coordination look effortless. She consistently balanced competing demands, managing schedules for both the ambassador and deputy chief of mission while arranging secure communications with the Pentagon and White House. The embassy’s limited country team meetings under her watch were described by her nominator as the “gold standard” for preparation and execution.

“Mina always made the mission stronger. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring that operations ran smoothly so that others could focus on policy. Her leadership and morale-building touched every corner of the embassy,” the nominator wrote.

Raass-Dana’s commitment to excellence is rooted in values instilled early in life. In her remarks at the awards ceremony, she recalled growing up in Nampa, Idaho, the daughter of two young immigrants from the island of Tonga who taught their five children to “always be the hardest-working people in the room.”

Asked what inspired her to join the Foreign Service, Raass-Dana said, “To continue public service that began as an enlisted U.S. Air Force airman. My parents are immigrants to this country and taught us that service to their adopted country [is the best way to show] gratitude for the opportunities it has given me and my family.”

She used her acceptance speech at the October 1 awards ceremony to thank mentors, colleagues, and LE staff throughout Mission Japan, from political officers and LE staff translators to RSO and GSO colleagues, whose teamwork made every high-level visit and initiative possible. She dedicated her award to her late father, Amanaki Raass, “who thought this was the greatest country in the world and would’ve been over the moon knowing his daughter was recognized for doing her job for this country he so loved.”

“Recognizing me,” she said, “is recognizing the nearly 800 OMSs serving in more than 200 U.S. missions around the world whose portfolios and the support they provide mirror the same things, in varying degrees, that I’ve been recognized for. My name is on this wonderfully generous award, but it also recognizes all the colleagues whose collaboration and professional courtesies help me do my job.”

Through her leadership, mentorship, and commitment to the mission, Mina M. Raass-Dana has embodied the very best of the office management specialist corps: building bridges between agencies, empowering colleagues, and advancing the U.S.-Japan alliance with professionalism and heart.

U.S. Embassy Dhaka’s dedicated CLO team pauses for a festive moment with the jolliest visitor of the year in December 2024.

M. Juanita Guess Award for a Community Liaison Office Coordinator

Jiana Leonard: Steadfast Leadership in Times of Crisis

Jiana Leonard

When crisis struck Dhaka in mid-2024, Jiana Leonard became the anchor that held the U.S. embassy community together. As community liaison office coordinator (CLO), she guided employees and families through violent unrest, communication blackouts, and evacuations with resolve, empathy, and an unwavering focus on connection. Her leadership sustained morale and helped the mission emerge stronger and more united than before, earning her AFSA’s 2025 M. Juanita Guess Award for a Community Liaison Office Coordinator.

Leonard arrived at post in September 2023 and joined the CLO team in May 2024, just as Bangladesh was entering a period of political upheaval. Within her first month, violent protests erupted across the country, and the government abruptly shut down all internet and data connections, cutting off communication for millions, including embassy staff.

With the city under lockdown and many newcomers still finding their footing, Leonard immediately reactivated and redesigned the residential warden system to function without internet access. She organized wardens to conduct daily check-ins by phone and in person, making sure every member of the mission community was accounted for. When families needed supplies or medication, she worked side by side with the regional medical officer and the Regional Security Office to deliver them personally.

“Jiana understood the need for proactive, consistent, and frequent communication during a crisis,” wrote her nominator. “She didn’t wait for instructions. She identified the gaps, filled them, and kept everyone connected.”

As conditions deteriorated, the embassy entered authorized and later ordered departure. Despite being one of those evacuated, Leonard worked up to the very moment of departure to ensure every colleague and family had a safe plan to return home. Even after arriving back in the United States, she continued to support the community remotely, maintaining morale through virtual events, checking on students’ distance learning with the American International School, and keeping communication channels open with those who remained in Dhaka.

When ordered departure ended, Leonard played a pivotal role in rebuilding community cohesion. She organized welcome-back gatherings, family events, and cultural excursions, recognizing that many community members were anxious or disoriented after months away. The embassy community rediscovered a sense of stability and belonging through her careful planning.

Understanding the link between morale and mission effectiveness, Leonard organized sector-by-sector shopping excursions and cultural trips that became lifelines for those living under strict movement restrictions. She ensured essential trips aligned with community needs: a shopping outing before the Marine Ball, a movie theater visit timed to a long-awaited release, and heritage tours that gave colleagues a glimpse of Dhaka’s rich history. “Frequently after an evacuation, it can take months or years for a community to come back together,” her nominator noted. “Thanks to Jiana’s leadership and empathy, Dhaka’s community remained strong.”

The truth is, this award is not mine alone. My work as a CLO was only possible because of the unwavering support and collaboration of so many people … from emergency wardens to volunteers across every section.
–Jiana Leonard

 

Before her spouse joined the Foreign Service in 2023, Leonard spent nearly two decades serving others as a military spouse and community volunteer. She supported families through the Marine Corps’ LINKS program, the Navy–Marine Corps Relief Society, and as a family readiness adviser in Japan. She also contributed to NATO’s family support efforts and the International Women’s Club in Portugal. With a degree in exercise sports science and professional experience in physical therapy and rehabilitation, she brings to her work a deep understanding of care, resilience, and well-being.

“As a military spouse for almost 20 years, I’ve seen how vital a supportive network is,” she said. “Becoming a CLO allowed me to help others feel connected and informed and to be part of something bigger than myself.”

For Leonard, the award reflects community, not individual achievement. In her remarks at the October 1 awards ceremony, she shared, “The truth is, this award is not mine alone. My work as a CLO was only possible because of the unwavering support and collaboration of so many people in Embassy Dhaka—from emergency wardens to volunteers across every section. None of this would have been possible without them.”

She also expressed gratitude to the Global Community Liaison Office for their guidance during the embassy’s departure and return, and to her husband, Major Ian Leonard, and daughter Mia, for their patience and encouragement throughout a year of constant challenge.

“This recognition is really a reflection of what we can achieve when we come together with one purpose—to support one another and create a community where everyone feels valued and included.”

Her favorite quote, by Steve Jobs, captures her philosophy: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Through that love, and through her dedication to service, teamwork, and compassion, Jiana Leonard has shown what it means to lead with both courage and heart.

Jane Thompson (right) chats with a participant from the Youth in Policy and Government Program in the Karnali region.

Avis Bohlen Award for a Foreign Service Family Member

Jane Krill Thompson: A Heart for Service in Kathmandu

Jane Krill Thompson

During three years at post in Nepal, Jane Krill Thompson, spouse of Senior Foreign Service Officer and U.S. Ambassador to Nepal Dean Thompson, has embodied the spirit of service that defines the Avis Bohlen Award: quiet, sustained, and deeply human engagement that strengthens the bond between the U.S. mission and its host nation.

Leveraging a lifetime of experience in special education and early childhood development, Thompson devoted herself to improving opportunities for children in some of Kathmandu’s most underserved neighborhoods. Twice each week, she volunteered with the Asha School, an elementary school run by the local NGO Asha Sansar that serves children from migrant and marginalized families.

Drawing on her decades of teaching and administrative experience, Thompson spent one day each week in the classroom and another training teachers to identify students needing additional support. She worked closely with staff to introduce inclusive education techniques, helping teachers adapt lessons for children with special needs. The colleague who nominated her noted that she “did not delegate; she rolled up her sleeves and did the work herself.”

Recognizing the need for sustained learning resources, Thompson successfully applied for a J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust grant, which enabled her to establish a school library. She personally oversaw the project from start to finish, designing the proposal, collecting and cataloging books, training a staff member to serve as librarian, and creating a quiet space where children could read and explore. Today, that library stands as a tangible legacy of her initiative and commitment.

“Jane has a very busy schedule as the ambassador’s spouse, but she goes out of her way to reach out to the underprivileged,” her nominator wrote. “She brings credit to the American post here in Nepal.”

At Christmastime, Thompson and her husband visited the school to distribute gifts to all 125 children. When they realized there would not be enough toys for everyone, they personally purchased more so that no child was left out. Her generosity, the nominator added, “made a lasting impression not only on the children but also on the school staff, who saw the sincerity of her care.”

Beyond Asha Sansar, Thompson has supported a range of local organizations and several NGOs serving Nepal’s special needs community. Her consistent engagement, from mentoring educators to advising NGOs on program design, has strengthened Embassy Kathmandu’s relationship with the Nepali public and demonstrated the goodwill of American diplomacy at its most personal level.

The Foreign Service and the programs they support are among the best investments per return that our country makes.
–Jane Krill Thompson

 

A special education professional by training, Thompson serves as the educational consultant for special needs, APAC, at Bennett International, continuing her lifelong work to support families and schools worldwide. In the United States, she previously directed early childhood and adult education programs in Montgomery County, Maryland, and led the Lourie Center Infant and Toddler Program. Overseas, she has worked with international schools, NGOs, and early-intervention programs across South and Southeast Asia and chaired multiple international school boards. In 2020 she received the Secretary of State Award for Volunteerism Overseas (SOSA) for her long-standing community service.

Her dedication is rooted in both professional calling and personal conviction. Asked what the award means to her, Thompson said, “I am honored and humbled. My name may be on the award, but nothing was achieved by myself. There are others who are as or more deserving as I.”

Asked what led her to Foreign Service life, she said, “I guess I could say ‘love,’ as I agreed to come along for this amazing ride.” Since 1994, that “ride” has taken her and her family through Dhaka, Asunción, Colombo, Kolkata, Bucharest, Kuala Lumpur, and Kathmandu, as well as Washington, D.C. Along the way, she has raised three children, welcomed a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, and shared the newest post with their energetic labradoodle, Bogey.

In her reflections, Thompson emphasized her admiration for the Foreign Service community. “The value the American people receive from those serving overseas is enormous. The economic, political, security, and goodwill benefit to our country cannot be overstated. The Foreign Service and the programs they support are among the best investments per return that our country makes,” she said.

She shared her guiding principle: “Be patient, be flexible, and always assume good intentions.”

From classrooms in Kathmandu’s most vulnerable neighborhoods to embassy partnerships that model compassion and inclusion, Jane Krill Thompson has shown how one person’s steady commitment can ripple outward and change lives, build bridges, and advance the spirit of American diplomacy far beyond official channels.

Leaders of Ukrainian civil society organizations discuss their efforts to strengthen Ukrainian anti-corruption and criminal justice institutions with (from left) U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Nora Brito.

Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy

Nora S. Brito: Safeguarding Democracy in Ukraine

Nora S. Brito

While serving in Kyiv between September 2023 and October 2024, Nora S. Brito advanced U.S. strategic goals by ensuring that American security assistance in Ukraine delivered measurable, accountable results. As a program officer in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL), Brito helped build institutions, protect war crime victims, and reinforce the integrity of U.S. assistance. She was recognized with AFSA’s 2025 Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy for her creative and dedicated work.

In the midst of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Brito helped keep Ukraine’s criminal justice system functional under extraordinary pressure. She led the creation of Ukraine’s first-ever Victim Witness Coordination Center, which allowed survivors of war crimes to access professional, trauma-informed support. The center’s creation addressed a critical gap in Ukraine’s prosecutorial process: Previously, victims of torture or sexual violence often endured repeated, retraumatizing interviews. Brito and her team’s initiative provided training for prosecutors and investigators to adopt a victim-centered approach, strengthening evidence collection while preserving victims’ dignity.

Her efforts also revitalized Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) by ensuring that training, equipment, and oversight programs were tied to performance benchmarks. These measures produced an 80 percent increase in prosecutions from 2022 to 2023, including high-level corruption cases. Recognizing that success required more than capacity-building, Brito led the campaign to legally secure SAPO’s independence. Drafting a letter on behalf of Group of 7 and European Union (EU) ambassadors, she urged the Ukrainian parliament to strengthen pending legislation. When President Volodymyr Zelensky received her letter, he intervened personally to make the stronger bill’s passage certain. This change kept Ukraine aligned with IMF benchmarks and safeguarded billions in international budget support.

She coordinated with Washington and interagency partners to condition $1.1 billion in U.S. assistance on verifiable governance reforms, reinforcing that American aid serves both partner and U.S. taxpayer interests. Her work directly supported U.S. efforts to ensure accountability, transparency, and measurable returns on investment in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

These reforms, her supervisor noted in Brito’s nomination, “played a pivotal role in the EU’s decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine,” marking a milestone for both U.S. policy and Ukraine’s aspirations for integration with democratic Europe.

To protect U.S. resources and public trust, Brito introduced internal audits, external reviews, and FBI mentorship for Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies. Overseeing INL’s $60 million criminal justice budget, she implemented rigorous safeguards to ensure that every dollar advanced strategic goals. Her stewardship earned recognition for integrity and efficiency among missions of similar size.

Beyond Ukraine’s immediate war environment, Brito and her team also looked to the nation’s future reconstruction. She developed a training and mentorship program for a new generation of civil society leaders and investigative journalists, focused on local oversight of public procurement and infrastructure projects. In the future, when Ukraine’s massive postwar rebuilding begins, these community watchdogs will be essential to preventing corruption and maintaining public confidence.

“Achieving results in Ukraine required more than training. It required revamping the systems that made independent investigations nearly impossible,” her nominator said. “Nora understood the stakes and built the coalitions to make lasting reform possible.”

Brito also led the embassy’s effort to secure Ukraine’s participation in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery, the first step toward full OECD membership. This milestone strengthened Ukraine’s long-term democratic and economic stability, while signaling international confidence in its reform trajectory.

For Brito, democracy promotion is both a professional mission and a personal calling. In her remarks at the October 1 AFSA awards ceremony, she reflected: “Our mission was clear: to ensure U.S. assistance delivered results that served both the American people and the Ukrainian people.”

She dedicated the award to her Ukrainian INL local staff, whose courage and professionalism, she said, “made real progress possible.” She also thanked her family, especially her parents, José Brito and María Rosa Puente, who immigrated to the United States in pursuit of opportunity. “I joined the Foreign Service as my way of giving back to the country that gave them that chance,” she said. “Every step of this journey honors both where I come from and the country that made it possible.”

Remarkably, this is Brito’s second Mark Palmer Award: She also received the accolade in 2019 for creating a space for the new generation of Venezuelan leaders to fight for democracy and freedom for all Venezuelans. Her career reflects the courage, imagination, and strategic acumen that the award celebrates: the ability to advance American values not only through policy advocacy but through institution-building that endures.

By combining disciplined management with vision and empathy with resolve, Brito has strengthened Ukraine’s democratic foundations and reinforced the global credibility of U.S. diplomacy. Her work reminds us that even in wartime, democracy’s advancement depends on those who ensure that justice, accountability, and hope take root.

Nora S. Brito joined the Foreign Service in 2014 and has served in Mexico, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Spain. She is currently serving as political chief at U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo.

AFSA President John Dinkelman presents Vivian Walker with the AFSA Achievement and Contributions to the Association Award.
AFSA / Joaquin Sosa

AFSA Achievement and Contributions to the Association Award

Vivian S. Walker: Championing the Voice of the Foreign Service Through the FSJ

Vivian S. Walker

For six years, Vivian Walker was a steady and visionary force on the Editorial Board for The Foreign Service Journal, AFSA’s flagship publication. First as a board member and then chair of the FSJ Editorial Board from 2023 to 2025, Walker helped shape the Journal’s editorial direction during a pivotal era. For this inspired service, she has received the 2025 AFSA Achievement and Contributions to the Association Award.

During her tenure as chair, the FSJ celebrated the 100th anniversary of AFSA and the U.S. Foreign Service with yearlong centennial coverage that captured the history, diversity, and evolving mission of diplomacy. The special May 2024 centennial edition, which featured reflections from leaders such as Hillary Clinton, James Baker, and Samantha Power, earned a silver Trendy Award in 2025—one of several national honors for excellence in professional journalism the Journal received during Walker’s term, including a silver Trendy Award (2024) and a gold Tabbie Award (2023) for in-depth coverage of the Afghanistan evacuation.

Her colleagues describe her as principled yet pragmatic, a leader who listens as carefully as she speaks: “Vivian’s leadership has helped ensure that Foreign Service voices remain strong and heard, even through disruption and uncertainty.”

As board chair, Walker worked closely with Editor in Chief Shawn Dorman and the entire FSJ staff through a period of rapid change for both AFSA and the Journal. She provided continuity and perspective, helping to align the Journal’s editorial vision with AFSA’s advocacy, legal defense, and membership work. Each issue under her guidance reinforced the Journal’s unique mission: to chronicle, reflect, critique, and celebrate the profession of diplomacy.

At the October 1 AFSA Awards Ceremony, Walker remarked, “While I am deeply grateful to be recognized for my service through my work on the Journal, I want to honor the vision, courage, and tenacity of AFSA’s dedicated leaders and members. At a profoundly existential moment for the future of the American Foreign Service, AFSA has risen to the challenge—advocating fiercely for the profession and for those who serve.”

She added, “AFSA’s role as the advocate for the Foreign Service has never been more important, and I am deeply honored to have been able to support the Journal in amplifying the voices of those who serve.” Walker also paid tribute to the Journal’s editorial team, saying that they are responsible for “the Journal’s status as the preeminent voice—and conscience—of the Foreign Service.”

At a profoundly existential moment for the future of the American Foreign Service, AFSA has risen to the challenge—advocating fiercely for the profession and for those who serve.
–Vivian S. Walker

 

A retired Senior Foreign Service officer and PhD, and the spouse of an active-duty FSO, Walker brought her extensive background in public diplomacy and international education to the Journal. Drawing on a 26-year Foreign Service career that spanned seven overseas posts, including Croatia, Armenia, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan, and such senior positions as deputy chief of mission in Croatia and Armenia and an office director in the Bureau of European Affairs, Walker had deep professional and academic networks that enriched the Journal’s pages, helping to expand its book review section and spotlighting emerging scholarship on global communication and diplomacy.

Walker says she approached her role at the FSJ in the spirit of T.S. Eliot’s words from “Little Gidding”—“We shall not cease from exploration … and know the place for the first time.” She is dedicated to reexamining how diplomacy is practiced and narrated, and ensuring that each generation of readers rediscovers its meaning for their own time.

“The responsibility to speak truth to power, to be heard but also to listen, to be passionate but not self-righteous—these are the Journal’s foundational principles,” she said at the AFSA ceremony. “It has been my honor to uphold them.”

Through her leadership on The Foreign Service Journal, Walker has strengthened AFSA’s capacity to document and defend the profession of diplomacy. In celebrating her contributions, AFSA also celebrates the enduring vitality of the Journal she helped guide.

Vivian S. Walker served as executive director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy from 2019 to 2024. She now bridges the worlds of practice and scholarship as co-president of the Public Diplomacy Council of America, practitioner in residence at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, and faculty fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. She also co-edits the Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy, contributes to academic journals and conferences worldwide, and mentors the next generation of public diplomacy professionals.

Recipients of the 2025 AFSA Exemplary Performance Award. From left: Jahari Fraser, Kim Sullivan, Erin Oliver, Nadja Ruzica, Raeka Safai, Nikki Gamer, Sharon Papp, Christine Miele, and AFSA President John Dinkelman.
AFSA / Joaquin Sosa

Group AFSA Exemplary Performance Award

AFSA’s Crisis Response Team: Protecting the Foreign Service in a Tumultuous Time

In the early days of 2025, as sweeping executive actions and policy reversals from an administration hostile to both unions and the work of the Foreign Service threatened the structure and stability of the U.S. Foreign Service, a small group at the American Foreign Service Association stepped forward to meet the moment. Working late nights, weekends, and holidays, they formed AFSA’s Crisis Response Team: an internal task force dedicated to defending the Foreign Service and keeping members informed amid unprecedented political and institutional turmoil.

From January through May, the team coordinated AFSA’s communications, media engagement, legal response, and member outreach at a relentless pace. They responded to events in real time, anticipated challenges, and ensured AFSA remained a stabilizing voice for the community it represents. Other members of the AFSA staff were crucial to the success of these efforts, but these individuals formed the core group.

When AFSA created the task force on January 21, 2025, the association faced an onslaught of developments: executive orders curtailing elements of the Foreign Service, threats to USAID’s structure and staffing, and uncertainty about pay and benefits. The Crisis Response Team crafted daily updates, managed media inquiries, and coordinated with Hill offices, all in support of the thousands of members seeking guidance and reassurance.

The Crisis Response Team worked seven days a week from morning until night. They planned, drafted, and strategized as events unfolded, making sure members, the media, and Congress all understood what was happening and what AFSA was doing to defend the Foreign Service.

They were the first to arrive, the last to leave, and the ones holding the center when everything else felt uncertain.

The team worked across departments to sustain a unified response. AFSA’s leadership credits their collaboration with keeping members connected, preserving the association’s credibility, and shaping the public narrative around diplomacy. Their work enabled AFSA to issue timely statements, mobilize member advocacy, and preserve public trust in the Foreign Service when it mattered most.

The 2025 Group AFSA Exemplary Performance Award honors the members of this Crisis Response Team: Jahari Fraser, executive assistant to AFSA’s president; Nikki Gamer, director of communications and outreach; Nadja Ruzica, deputy director of communications and outreach; Christine Miele, director of membership and programs; Erin Oliver, communications manager; Sharon Papp, general counsel; Raeka Safai, deputy general counsel; and Kim Sullivan, director of congressional advocacy.

They were the first to arrive, the last to leave, and the ones holding the center when everything else felt uncertain. The Group AFSA Exemplary Performance Award recognizes their extraordinary effort to represent, protect, and empower America’s diplomats.