Sharon Papp.
After nearly 34 years of service to the American Foreign Service Association, Sharon L. Papp retired on May 1, 2026. As AFSA’s General Counsel, Sharon played a pivotal role in defending the rights and interests of Foreign Service employees, shaping labor-management policy, strengthening AFSA’s legal advocacy, and mentoring generations of attorneys and staff.
To mark Sharon’s retirement, The Foreign Service Journal gathered reflections from colleagues, AFSA leaders, and Foreign Service members who have worked with her over the years. Their remembrances offer a glimpse of the professionalism, generosity, and dedication that defined Sharon’s remarkable career and enduring legacy.
Compassion, expertise, grace, strength, consummate professionalism, empathy. These are all words that describe Sharon, yet they do not do her justice. Her strength of purpose and dedication to AFSA’s mission, our membership, and the Foreign Service brought difficult conversations with our counterparts to fruitful agreements, resulted in countless individuals retaining their positions or reestablishing their career trajectories, and established numerous long-standing professional relationships that continue to support the Foreign Service today. As a mentor, supervisor, colleague, and friend, Sharon is, without a doubt, the best there is, and it has been a privilege and honor to be by her side.
—Zlatana Badrich, AFSA Senior Attorney Adviser
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During her nearly 34 years as AFSA general counsel, Sharon Papp personally assisted more than 1,000 members with legal concerns—taking on some of the most difficult and time-consuming cases, especially in the areas of discipline and security clearance investigations. When her clients were in the right, Sharon’s representation saved their careers. When clients were in the wrong, she pressed for punishments to be consistent with those previously imposed on other employees, in many cases getting the penalty reduced from what an agency had initially proposed to a fairer penalty based on regulation, rather than on management’s whim. I first worked with Sharon in 1999 when I was AFSA State vice president and later worked with her during my four years as AFSA president and nine years in other Governing Board positions. Over those 27 years, I saw firsthand the positive impact that Sharon had on individual members and on protecting the Foreign Service as an institution.
—John K. Naland, AFSA President (2001–2003, 2007–2009), AFSA State VP (1999–2001), AFSA Treasurer (2025–2027)
§Sharon Papp leaves a legacy of excellence for AFSA. During my time there, it was inspiring to see Sharon in action-getting results for her clients and for the workforce in general. Sharon was so good that she was sometimes sought out for advice from those across the table from us! No one knew the FS Act, the FAM, and other key regulations better than Sharon—and her deep knowledge of previous cases buttressed it all. I am convinced that one day we will again have an administration that sees the benefit of collective bargaining. Throughout her career, Sharon demonstrated that it made the Foreign Service a better place for all.
—Tom Yazdgerdi, AFSA President (2023–2025), AFSA State VP (2019–2023)
§I first met Sharon early in my career, when she helped me with a thorny EER issue. I then really got to know her when I was part of a cohort of new senior officers who were denied back pay for our delayed promotions. Sharon won that case for us, and I remain enormously grateful. As AFSA president for four years, I came to appreciate the impressive mix of experience, commitment, passion, and caring that Sharon brought to her work. Her legacy is enormous. She has earned the chance to move on, but she will be sorely missed. Thank you, Sharon!
—Eric Rubin, AFSA President (2019–2023)
§One of the best experiences of my State Department career was a four-year daily collaboration with Sharon when I served as AFSA State VP. She displayed remarkable professionalism, resourcefulness, and unflappable determination in defending our Service during one of the most challenging periods in our history. Faced with open hostility toward the Foreign Service from the George W. Bush administration, she played a critical role in ensuring that dangerous postings to the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones remained voluntary and that those hundreds of career members who put their lives on the line to serve there received appropriate compensation and incentives, as well as proper security measures to ensure their safety. She always stood firm in protecting FS members from the frequent unfairness and capriciousness of the system, even when it required her to confront very senior officials. Sharon well earned her reputation as the legal champion of the Foreign Service.
—Steve Kashkett, AFSA State VP (2005–2007)
§Here are some of my fondest memories of Sharon and how she gave me a valuable education at AFSA. When I became AFSA president in 2003, Sharon provided tactful advice and guidance that was enormously helpful. I remember sitting through meetings with her and various management officials, who displayed staggering ignorance, arrogance, and obliviousness. She never broke courtesy and remained calm and professional despite hearing the most outrageous statements from people who imagined they could simply ignore the rights of our members.
Later, when I served on the Foreign Service Grievance Board (ca. 2017–2018) as an AFSA-nominated member, I encountered management statements about grievances and grievants that were loaded with insults, snark, and innuendo. I raised the issue with Sharon, noting that such statements were highly unprofessional and undermined the collegial nature of our service. I wanted to call out these inappropriate comments in our FSGB decisions. She told me, “John, don’t bother. This is what the State Department lawyers do. They have watched too many episodes of ‘Perry Mason.’” Thank you, Sharon, for these and so many other valuable lessons and for being such a valuable part of AFSA. Best wishes and congratulations.
—John Limbert, AFSA President (2003–2005)
§When I think of Sharon Papp, one word comes to mind: friend. For nearly 34 years, Sharon has been not just a vital force for AFSA, she’s been a vital friend of all those members of the Foreign Service, officers and specialists alike, who came through the doors of Main State during her tenure. She has advocated for, fought for, and defended AFSA members and, by extension, nonmembers alike, making the Foreign Service a better career and the State Department a better place to work (current situation excepted). The list of her successes over her tenure could fill a hundred FSJs, and the words of thanks and appreciation from current and former members of the Foreign Service could fill a hundred more. And just imagine this—fewer than 1 percent of current active-duty FSOs were in the Foreign Service when she began her career as AFSA’s general counsel so long ago. She’s done more than earn our gratitude; she’s become a friend to so many of us along the way.
For me personally, Sharon’s work in her earliest days to support glifaa (formerly Gays & Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies) made it possible for LGBTQ+ FSOs and specialists to finally join the Foreign Service and serve openly. During my two tours as a State representative, Sharon and I built on that support and helped expand benefits for same-sex spouses and partners. When I was AFSA State VP, we worked particularly closely with Balancing Act, Working in Tandem, and Foreign Service Families with Disabilities Alliance (FSFDA) to push the department to do more to allow us to keep our families together while we serve abroad. And when I served as AFSA secretary, Sharon and I worked hand-in-hand to reinvigorate and update the Legal Defense Fund (LDF)—so critical when our colleagues were being pulled into impeachment proceedings in 2019, and it’s only become more important over the past 18 months. But through all this work, all that we did and all that she’s done, I’m proud to call Sharon a friend.
So, here’s to Sharon, and may she thrive in her well-deserved retirement!
—Ken Kero-Mentz, AFSA State Vice President (2017–2019), AFSA Secretary (2019–2021)
§Sharon Papp was devotedly committed to AFSA and the Foreign Service, and the concept of union democratic governance. Throughout her career, Sharon counseled hundreds of individual members as well as advanced the interests of the union and the professional association. As AFSA State vice president from 2013 to 2015, I worked closely with her on two issues that resulted in landmark union wins: codifying a statutory right for employees to appeal assignment restrictions (22 U.S.C. 2734c(a)) and filing an implementation dispute that the Foreign Service Labor Relations Board ultimately upheld to ensure employees’ meritorious service increases (MSI) were paid out. Your union thanks you, Sharon, for your years of service.
—Matthew Asada, AFSA State VP (2013–2015)
§I have known Sharon Papp for more than 30 years, as a client and as a member of the AFSA Governing Board for 10 years. There is no one on the staff of AFSA whose judgment I trust more than Sharon’s. Her dedication to AFSA and to her clients is total. I was serving in a senior management position in the State Department when I was investigated by the IG. Sharon accompanied me to the meeting with the IG. The IG agreed with Sharon on all the deletions she requested from the investigative report. The matter never arose again.
—Andrew Winter, AFSA Treasurer (2005–2013)
§I have been retired for about three years but still feel gratitude for AFSA and for Sharon Papp, in particular. When the Bureau of Consular Affairs hit me with an unjustified warning letter and a day without pay, I did not know how to respond or understand anything about the process for a grievance. I felt like David against Goliath, but without a slingshot. In stepped Sharon with years of experience to advise me. She explained mitigating and aggravating circumstances, and advised me to express contrition (even though I mostly felt anger!). She filed the right forms within deadlines. With her help, the letter was removed and the day of leave without pay restored. I continue to pay AFSA dues in retirement and advise others to do the same. You never know when you might need help, and AFSA will be there for you. I wish Sharon all the best in retirement and am glad that she has successors in AFSA.
—Phil Skotte, FSO (ret.)
§Sharon helped me at a bracing moment. The Tenure Board said the decision about my tenure would only be possible after a Diplomatic Security investigation concerning me. (Gulp.) I hadn’t been aware of any investigation, so I called Sharon expecting to hear either “wait and see” advice or “there’s nothing we can do” placebos. She was consummately professional—empathetic, thorough, and candid. The summary is that Sharon and her team wrapped things up efficiently, and I was granted tenure about a month after that initial, and harrowing, notification from the board. I had a great career thanks, in no small measure, to Sharon’s commitment to Foreign Service members. Wishing Sharon a fulfilling next chapter.
—Clayton Hays, Senior FSO (ret.)
§Sharon Papp guided me, both as an officer and as a supervisor, during several critical moments in my career. Personally, she was part of the team that helped me successfully push back on an absurd allegation that was thrown out after many harrowing months. As a supervisor, I turned to her for advice. On several occasions, she helped me guide members of my team to preempt looming outrageous accusations against them. They were spared. In another case, she helped me guide the State team at an embassy to push back against one agency’s attempt to have them sign clearly slanted, predrafted “voluntary” testimony to pursue a case against one of their own. At all times, she provided wise and calm counsel. I am sure she has done the same for others, especially in these harrowing times for the Foreign Service. She will be sorely missed.
—Ambassador Deborah McCarthy, Senior FSO (ret.)
§I was the executive assistant and office manager at AFSA from 1991 until 1996, when I had the pleasure of working with Sharon, who was already highly respected during this early part of her career. She was always positive, friendly, and willing to help others. I admired Sharon’s ability to handle her responsibilities in an efficient manner and help so many Foreign Service personnel. I wish Sharon and her family all the best in her next stage of life.
—Judy Shinn, AFSA Office Manager and Executive Assistant (1991–1996)
§My wife and I have huge respect for Sharon’s professional advice over the years. When we were stationed overseas some 20-plus years ago, Sharon advised us how to deal with unreasonable objections to an embassy employment clearance for my dual-national spouse, and the matter was resolved. Later, as a member of the AFSA Committee on Elections, I repeatedly depended on Sharon’s outstanding expertise and wise counsel as we committee members faced challenging questions and issues. Thank you, Sharon!
—Mort Dworken, Senior FSO (ret.)
§I remember Sharon helping me with my wife’s security clearance. My wife is a naturalized American, born in, shall we say, a country of concern. We assumed when she naturalized she lost her other citizenship. When interviewed by Diplomatic Security, the reemployed annuitant [REA, formerly WAE] had her complete the form attesting that she wouldn’t claim dual nationality. We thought about it and figured, yeah, she’s not, so we completed the form. She provided it, and then he got very aggressive, claiming she had lied about not having any other nationalities. We were concerned, so I dropped by AFSA, and Sharon saw me. I walked through it, and she pointed out the agent was way out of his lane and offered to have a lawyer present for any future conversation. Thankfully, the agent’s superiors seemed to reach the same conclusion, and the issue seemed to die, and my wife got her clearance. I never felt my AFSA dues were better spent than with the time I spoke to Sharon. I deeply appreciate her calm counsel.
—Jeff Gringer, FSO (ret.)
§The AFSA Legal Defense Fund’s March 2026 call for donations made me recall my personal encounter with AFSA’s General Counsel Sharon Papp. In the summer of 2000, I was at FSI preparing for an onward assignment overseas. Unexpectedly, Diplomatic Security asked me to come to their office, where two FBI special agents (female “good cop” and male “bad cop”) were lying in wait for me. Over three hours they accused me of being a Russian spy and threatened to suspend my security clearance and cancel my career. I knew I needed legal help and immediately went to Sharon Papp’s office.
Pointing out that the FBI had not yet acted against my clearance, Sharon explained that if my clearance was suspended, then the Legal Defense Fund could help me. In the meantime, Sharon telephoned a lawyer specializing in security cases, and within an hour I was in his office. At the lawyer’s suggestion, the FBI agreed that if I passed a lie detector test, I could proceed to post. After the test, the polygraph technician commented that he had rarely seen such a flat lack of response to his questions.
Looking back at that situation, when I entered Sharon’s office, I was dazed and bewildered about what to do next, and, thanks to Sharon’s contact, by that evening I was confident that I had a plan of action. Knowing that the Legal Defense Fund would help if my clearance was suspended also calmed my anxiety. Since then, I have contributed to the AFSA Legal Defense Fund, including for the March 2026 appeal for donations, and I hope others will follow suit.
—Frederic Maerkle, Senior FSO (ret.)
§In 1991, I was one of those employees who Sharon Papp recalls stumbling into AFSA’s office “frightened or distraught and left with their careers and livelihoods intact.” Sharon and her team were vital lifelines over decades for me and many foreign affairs employees facing discrimination within government because they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex. Before there was glifaa, AFSA understood the human, moral, and legal justice underlying our cases and connected our scattered community to each other and to the resources we needed to make the U.S. foreign affairs community, and thus our national security, stronger by helping us prevail to serve the country as ourselves, not with targets on our backs.
—Bryan Dalton, FSO (ret.), glifaa VP, co-founder, and former president
§I have been an AFSA member since 1974. Fortunately I have never had to contact Ms. Papp for advice or counsel. But I have always felt good about knowing that she could be available if I ever needed her.
—Jonathan Bensky, FSO (ret.)
§Sharon Papp was a tour de force for the Foreign Service workforce. I learned so much from her legal prowess and profound understanding of foreign affairs agencies’ inner workings. I am incredibly lucky to have overlapped with Sharon’s tenure at AFSA for eight years.
—Kim Sullivan, AFSA Director of Advocacy
§It’s always difficult to say goodbye to a valued colleague, particularly one you’ve worked alongside for 25 years. Sharon is that most unlikely of unicorns: a fierce advocate for her clients, the Foreign Service, and AFSA; a bottomless repository of institutional memory; a drama-free workhorse who just got the job done; a caring and compassionate colleague; and a devoted mentor who treated her staff like family. It’s for that last reason that we are not despairing over Sharon’s well-deserved rest: She personally mentored and prepared the two talented women now taking the reins of our legal team. I wish Sharon the very best, and may she never again need to worry about a long-winded Board meeting, late-night phone calls, or budget justification.
—Ásgeir Sigfússon, AFSA Executive Director
