36 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL U.S. Air Force airman. My parents are immigrants to this country and taught us that service to their adopted country [is the best way to show] gratitude for the opportunities it has given me and my family.” She used her acceptance speech at the October 1 awards ceremony to thank mentors, colleagues, and LE staff throughout Mission Japan, from political officers and LE staff translators to RSO and GSO colleagues, whose teamwork made every high-level visit and initiative possible. She dedicated her award to her late father, Amanaki Raass, “who thought this was the greatest country in the world and would’ve been over the moon knowing his daughter was recognized for doing her job for this country he so loved.” “Recognizing me,” she said, “is recognizing the nearly 800 OMSs serving in more than 200 U.S. missions around the world whose portfolios and the support they provide mirror the same things, in varying degrees, that I’ve been recognized for. My name is on this wonderfully generous award, but it also recognizes all the colleagues whose collaboration and professional courtesies help me do my job.” Through her leadership, mentorship, and commitment to the mission, Mina M. Raass-Dana has embodied the very best of the office management specialist corps: building bridges between agencies, empowering colleagues, and advancing the U.S.-Japan alliance with professionalism and heart. M. Juanita Guess Award for a Community Liaison Office Coordinator Jiana Leonard Steadfast Leadership in Times of Crisis When crisis struck Dhaka in mid-2024, Jiana Leonard became the anchor that held the U.S. embassy community together. As community liaison office coordinator (CLO), she guided employees and families through violent unrest, communication blackouts, and evacuations with resolve, empathy, and an unwavering focus on connection. Her leadership sustained morale and helped the mission emerge stronger and more united than before, earning her AFSA’s 2025 M. Juanita Guess Award for a Community Liaison Office Coordinator. Leonard arrived at post in September 2023 and joined the CLO team in May 2024, just as Bangladesh was entering a period of political upheaval. Within her first month, violent protests erupted across the country, and the government abruptly shut down all Jiana Leonard Mina M. Raass-Dana (fourth from right) with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, Amy Rule (spouse of Ambassador Emanuel, second from right), and Embassy Tokyo colleagues at the ambassador’s residence, 2022. EMBASSY TOKYO/KENT JAGODZINKSI
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