THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025 55 AFSA NEWS positions, go to https://afsa. org/board. Nomination Procedures Nominating Candidates Any AFSA regular member in good standing (i.e., a member whose dues are automatically deducted or who has paid dues as of Feb. 14, 2025) may nominate any person (including self-nomination) for any of the available positions for which the nominee is eligible. The following requirements apply to nominations: 1. No member may nominate more than one person for each officer position, or more than the number of representatives established for each constituency. No member’s name may appear on the ballot for more than one position. 2. All nominations must be submitted in writing by letter or email. To be valid, they must, without exception, be received no later than 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 14, 2025. All written nominations must be addressed to the AFSA Committee on Elections, 2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. Email nominations shall be sent to election@afsa.org. 3. Nominations may be submitted individually or in slates. To qualify as a slate, a proposed slate must have a minimum of four candidates from at least two constituencies. Slate designations will be noted on the ballot. Qualifications for Governing Board Membership Individuals meeting the following qualifications are eligible for nomination to one of the available positions: 1. The individual must be an AFSA regular member in good standing as of Feb. 14, 2025, and remain in good standing through the election process and, if elected, for their term of office. 2. The individual must not have a conflict of interest as defined in Section 1017(e) of the Foreign Service Act. Please see the “Conflicts of Interest” section below for more information. 3. Active-duty members presenting themselves as candidate for president or constituency vice president must hold an active security clearance. 4. Retired members presenting themselves as candidate for president, secretary, treasurer, retiree vice president, or retiree representative must have been granted tenure before leaving the Foreign Service. See Article III, Section 2 of the AFSA bylaws. Conflicts of Interest Section 1017(e) of the Foreign Service Act restricts employees serving in certain positions within their agencies from participating in labormanagement issues while serving on the Governing Board. Management officials and confidential employees, as well as those in positions that may raise or appear to raise a conflict of interest (as defined below) when the new Governing Board takes office on July 15, may not participate in Governing Board discussion, deliberations, or decisions relating to labor-management issues. They may participate in AFSA Board activities that do not relate to labor-management issues. The Foreign Service Act also imposes a two-year pre- and post-AFSA “cooling off” period on employees who occupied or will occupy positions within their agency that involve labor-management relations or the formulation of personnel policies and programs of a foreign affairs agency. a. Section 1017(e) of the Act, 22 USC 4117(e) states: “Participation in labor organizations restricted. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter (A) participation in the management of a labor organization for purposes of collective bargaining or acting as a representative of a labor organization for such purposes is prohibited under this subchapter (i) on the part of any management official or confidential employee; (ii) on the part of any individual who has served as a management official or confidential employee during the preceding two years; or (iii) on the part of any other employee if the participation or activity would result in a conflict of interest or apparent conflict of interest or would otherwise be incompatible with law or with the official functions of such employee; and (B) service as a management official or confidential employee is prohibited on the part of any individual having participated in the management of a labor organization for purposes of collective bargaining or having acted as a representative of a labor organization during the preceding two years. (2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(A)(ii) and paragraph (1)(B), the term ‘management official’ does not include (A) any chief of mission; (B) any principal officer or deputy principal officer; (C) any administrative or personnel officer abroad; or (D) any individual described in section 4102(12)(B), (C), or (D) of this title who is not involved in the administration of this subchapter or in the formulation of the personnel policies and programs of the Department.” b. Section 1002 (12), 22 USC 4102(12) of the Act defines a management official as “an individual who: is a chief of mission or principal officer; occupies a position of comparable importance to chief of mission or principal officer; is serving as a deputy to the foregoing positions; is assigned to the Office of the Inspector General; or is engaged in labormanagement relations or the formulation of personnel policies and programs of a foreign affairs agency.” c. Section 1002 (6), 22 USC 4102(6) of the Act defines a confidential employee as “an employee who acts in a confidential capacity with respect to an individual who formulates or effectuates Call for Nominations Continued from page 50
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