The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2016

66 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AAFSW’s Secretary of State Award Celebrates 25 Years On Nov. 10, the Associates of the American Foreign ServiceWorldwide hosted its annual awards program in the Department of State’s Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room. During the ceremony, AAFSW commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Secretary of State’s Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad. This year’s SOSA recipients were Juliette Marsham-McClure, Shan- non Argetsinger, Ernesto Lunda, Karen Forsyth, Allison “Sunny” Stimler and Carolynn Poulsen. Sheila Switzer was named the 2015 Tragen Award recipi- ent for her advocacy of rights and benefits for foreign-born FS spouses. Stephanie Arnold received the Champions of Career Enhancement for Eligi- ble Family Members Award for her efforts on behalf of EFMs seeking work in Dublin. Patri- cia Linderman was presented with the 2015 Lesley Dorman Award for her outstanding service to AAFSW. AFSA was honored to be invited to join in the celebra- tion and congratulates this year’s awardees on their accomplishments. Pictured: Ernesto Luna, spouse of Public Affairs Officer Janelle Luna, receives the SOSAAward for having created an English-language program for the Slovak Diplo- matic Police force. To learn more about AAFSWand the SOSA pro- gram, visit www.aafsw.org. n AFSA/MARIAC.LIVINGSTON LAST CAL L FOR AFSA COL LEGE SCHOLARSH I P APPL I CAT I ONS ! The children of active-duty or retired, separated or deceased AFSA members may apply for col- lege aid. Graduating high school seniors may apply for $2,500 academic and art merit awards along with a community service award, while incoming/current undergraduates may apply for need-based financial aid scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $5,000. The merit award program submission deadline is Feb. 6, and the need-based financial aid schol- arship submission deadline is March 6. Not all who submit an application will receive an award. Visit www.afsa.org/scholar for details, or contact AFSA Scholarship Director Lori Dec at dec@afsa.org or (202) 944-5504. n NEWS BRIEF DEADL I NE FOR NOMI NAT I ONS APPROACH I NG : CONSTRUCT I VE D I SSENT AWARDS Nominate someone—or yourself!—for an AFSA Constructive Dissent Award. The nomination deadline is Feb. 28. AFSA proudly recognizes constructive dissent within the system with four separate awards: The W. Averell Harriman Award is for entry-level (FS-6 through FS-4) officers; the William R. Rivkin Award is for mid-level (FS-3 through FS-1) officers; the Christian A. Herter Award is for Senior Foreign Service officers; and the F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award is for Foreign Service specialists. Recipients receive prize money and travel expenses to be honored at a June ceremony in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the State Department. For more details on the awards and to file a nomination online, visit www.afsa.org/dissent. Please contact Foreign Service Profession Awards Coordinator Perri Green at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700 for more information. n NEWS BRIEF