The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2016

NOMI NAT I ON DEADL I NE APPROACH I NG : EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS The American Foreign Service Association is accepting nominations for its six awards recognizing exemplary performance until the Feb. 28 deadline. We urge members to nominate someone whose contribution has made a difference. The Nelson B. Delavan Award recognizes the work of a Foreign Service office management specialist. The M. Juanita Guess Award is conferred on a community liaison office coordinator who has demonstrated outstanding leadership. The Avis Bohlen Award honors the volunteer accomplishments of a family member of a Foreign Service employee at post. The Mark Palmer Award is open tomembers of the Foreign Service from any of the foreign affairs agencies, especially entry andmid-level per- sonnel, who promote American policies that advance democracy, freedom and governance through bold, exemplary, imaginative and effective efforts during one or more assignments. The AFSAAchievement and Contributions to the Association Award is conferred on an active-duty or retiredmember of AFSAwho has made an outstanding contribution to the association’s work. The Post Rep of the Year Award honors a post representative who best demonstrates sustained and successful engagement withAFSAmember- ship at post. Recipients are presented with prizes and honored at a ceremony in June in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the State Depart- ment. For details on the awards and to file a nomination online, go to www.afsa. org/performance. Contact Foreign Service ProfessionAwards Coordinator Perri Green at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700 for more information. n 68 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSAMembership Dues Remain Unchanged in 2016 The American Foreign Ser- vice Association Governing Board has determined that membership dues will remain at their current levels in 2016. In accordance with AFSA bylaws, any dues adjustment is based on the Department of Labor’s third-quarter Consumer Price Index, which is used by the Social Security Administration to calculate the next year’s Cost-of- Living Adjustment increases. This year the COLA did not increase. The Governing Board takes any decision on membership dues with the goal of ensuring that the association contin- ues to operate with a stable and predictable income source, so that it can continue to offer excellent member services and advance mem- ber priorities. n CREATEDBYJEFFLAU NEWS BRIEF TRANS I T I ON ON THE AWARDS AND PLAQUES COMMI TTEE Longtime chair of the AFSA Awards and Plaques Committee Ambassador (ret.) John Limbert traded in his credentials in June to serve as an elected Governing Board representative of the AFSA retiree constituency. Amb. Limbert served as the head of the commit- tee from 2009 to 2015. Following Limbert’s departure from the committee, retired State Foreign Service Officer and former Governing Board Retiree Repre- sentative Janice Bay stepped in to serve as interim acting chair. This fall has been a busy one for the committee, and her leadership has helped ensure that it hasn’t missed a beat. AFSA thanks Limbert and Bay for their service, and looks forward to an action-packed 2016 with the newly appointed committee chair, State FSO Annie Pforzheimer. n NEWS BRIEF