The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2023 87 In 1986 Mr. Mok joined the U.S. For- eign Service. He served in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department, but was then recruited to join the Department of the Treasury as its first chief financial officer (CFO). Although that required him to resign from the Foreign Service, for the rest of his life he participated in, and often orga- nized, reunions of his A-100 class. At Treasury, Mr. Mok was one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans in the federal government. Later he served as the Senate-confirmed CFO of the U.S. Department of Labor. His A-100 class- mate John Naland (then AFSA president) swore him into office. Leaving government service, Mr. Mok established a consulting firm advising clients based in Asia and the U.S. on business partnerships. A trailblazer in the Asian American community, he served as a founding member of the D.C. Chapter of the Organization of Chinese Ameri- cans, founded the Federal Asian Pacific American Council, and became the first Asian American president of the Associa- tion of Government Accountants. In 2007 Mr. Mok received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his outstand- ing community service. He served on many boards. In May 2022 he hosted a book talk at the University Club in Wash- ington, D.C., featuring his A-100 class- mate Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Mr. Mok is survived by his wife, Nancy, and his adult children, Angela and Arthur, of Potomac, Md., and Wash- ington, D.C. He is also survived by his mother, Coralia, and his brothers, Joe and Andy, all of suburban Baltimore. n Shawn Kelly O’Donnell, 40, a Foreign Service officer, died tragically on July 20, 2022, when she was hit by a truck as she cycled to work. Born on July 7, 1982, and raised in Danville, Calif., Ms. O’Donnell was an honor student her entire academic career, beginning at Fountain Montessori. She was also an accomplished athlete from the time she was in preschool until she met her goal of conquering Mount Kilimanjaro one week before her 40th birthday. Ms. O’Donnell attended the Univer- sity of California–Berkeley, majoring in history and Middle Eastern studies. She studied abroad in Spain and graduated with honors in 2004. A rower for Cal, seat number 5, she was known as the Engine. She loved rowing, the excitement of competition, and the sweet taste of vic- tory; but most importantly, she loved her teammates and the lifelong friendships that were born of this special sisterhood. In addition to her passion for rowing, she participated in track and field, basket- ball, and soccer, and ran half-marathons. Ms. O’Donnell earned a master’s degree in public policy at the Univer- sity of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute, focusing on global public policy and community and economic development. Possessing a natural talent for lan- guages, she learned to read, write, and speak Modern Standard Arabic, Syrian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Spanish, and Turkish. She was also the recipient of the Boren Fellowship for Language Study, which took her to Syria to study at the University of Damascus, and the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad Fellowship. Ms. O’Donnell moved to Cairo, where she taught English to Egyptian and Korean children for four years. On returning to the United States, she was recruited by Google as a global investment adviser. Though she found the work challenging, her heart was always in public service. In 2013 she joined the Department of Homeland Security as a policy strategist. Then she served as a supervisory refugee officer with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and finally joined the U.S. Foreign Service with the Depart- ment of State. She had previously served overseas in Mumbai. At the time of her death, Ms. O’Donnell was attending Turkish language school in Washington, D.C., in preparation for her next assignment, in Istanbul. Shawn O’Donnell is survived by her mother, Mary; sister Shannon; stepfather Claes; and brother-in-law Andreas. In honor of Ms. O’Donnell’s love of being on the Cal women’s rowing team (Class of 2004), her family and friends are raising funds to purchase and name an eight-person racing shell to memorialize her at https://shawnsboat.com . n Henry Precht, 90, a retired Foreign Service officer, passed away on Sept. 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Mr. Precht was born on June 15, 1931, in Savannah, Ga., to Eva Middleton Davis and Herman Frederick Precht. Throughout his life, he retained his love for Savannah and for the friendships he made there. Mr. Precht attended Armstrong Junior College, where he developed a love of the Great Books and the ability to recite poetry frommemory. He graduated from Emory University in 1953, the first in his family to receive a college degree. He joined the Navy as a lieutenant (J.G.) and served at the NATO base in Naples, Italy, between 1954 and 1957. There he met Marian Olds, whom he married in 1958. Their time in Italy was the start of the couple’s lifelong love of that country and its culture. After a short tenure at the U.S. Depart- ment of Labor, Mr. Precht joined the U.S. Foreign Service, securing a first posting as a consular officer in Rome in 1962.