The Foreign Service Journal, February 2011

Last Call for Dissent and Performance Award Nominations It’s not too late to nominate an outstanding member of the Foreign Service for one of AFSA’s awards for constructive dissent and exem- plary performance. If you have witnessed someone challenging the system or making an extraordinary difference in the lives of others while overseas, please take a few minutes to fill out a nomination form. The constructive dissent awards are unique in the U.S. government, as no other agency recognizes the role of dissent in changing and for- mulating policy. All the winners receive a $2,500 cash prize and are honored at a ceremony in late June each year at the State Department. Anyone may send in a nomination, and the nominee may be a Foreign Service employee of any of the five foreign affairs agencies. The final deadline for nominations is Feb. 28. For forms and more information about these prestigious awards, please visit www.afsa.org/awards, or contact Perri Green, Coordinator for Special Awards and Outreach, at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700. 56 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 A F S A N E W S AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Life in the Foreign Service BY BRIAN AGGELER Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming AFSA Events AFSA’s calendar adds new events weekly, and we want to draw your attention to some upcoming ones that you might find interesting. The AFSA Road Scholar programs continue to be among our most popular and well-received. We will be offering two in the coming months: One focusing on the Western Hemi- sphere from Feb. 8-11 and another with a Middle East focus from March 27-31. Both will take place at Washington’s Savoy Suites hotel. You may learn more about these pro- grams at www.afsa.org/roadscholar. Another upcoming event to note is our May 16 program featuring Ambassador Edmund Hull discussing his new book, High-Value Target: Countering al-Qaida in Yemen. A former U.S. ambassador to Yemen, Hull is a noted expert on this increasingly important country. We hope you can join us for one or more of these events. Our calendar is available online at www.afsa.org/events.cfm and is frequently updated. Staff: Executive Director Ian Houston: houston@afsa.org Business Department Director of Finance Femi Oshobukola: oshobukola@afsa.org Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Assistant Controller Cory Nishi: cnishi@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Deputy General Counsel Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov Staff Attorney Michael Willats: willatsmr@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Staff Assistant Patrick Bradley: bradley@afsa.org Member Services Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Member Services Representative Richard Buscemi: buscemi@afsa.org Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Communications, Marketing and Outreach Retiree Counseling & Legislation Coordinator Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Legislative Director Casey Frary: frary@afsa.org Executive Assistant to the President: vacant Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Scholarship Program Assistant Jonathan Crawford: crawford@afsa.org Road Scholar Administrator Bernard Alter: alter@afsa.org Marketing & Outreach Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: sigfusson@afsa.org Special Awards & Outreach Coordinator Perri Green: green@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 PRESIDENT: johnson@afsa.org STATE VP: hirschdm@state.gov RETIREE VP: rghoudek@aol.com USAID VP: fzamora@usaid.gov FAS VP: henry.schmick@fas.usda.gov FCS VP: keith.curtis@mail.doc.gov AFSA News Editor Amy McKeever: mckeever@afsa.org (202) 338-4045, ext. 516; Fax: (202) 338-8244 Foreign Service Journal FSJ: journal@afsa.org Editor Steven Alan Honley: honley@afsa.org Senior Editor Susan Maitra: maitra@afsa.org Associate Editor Shawn Dorman: dorman@afsa.org Ad & Circulation Manager Ed Miltenberger: miltenberger@afsa.org Art Director Caryn Suko Smith: journaldesign@comcast.net On the Web AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org FSJ: www.afsa.org/fsj an d www.fsjournal.org How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: Susan R. Johnson STATE VP: Daniel Hirsch USAID VP: Francisco Zamora FAS VP: Henry Schmick FCS VP: Keith Curtis RETIREE VP: Robert Houdek SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Andrew Winter STATE REPS: Carleton Bulkin Ako Cromwell Mary Glantz Mike Haughey Les Hickman Bruce Matthews Raymond Maxwell Joyce Namde Lynn Nelson Sharon White USAID REPS: Michael Henning Glenn Rogers FCS REP: Stephen Morrison FAS REP: Melinda Sallyards IBB REP: Al Pessin RETIREE REPS: Janice Bay Robert (Bill) Farrand Mary Ellen Gilroy Molly Williamson