The Foreign Service Journal, March 2005

4 AFSA NEWS • MARCH 2005 Y E A R I N R E V I E W AFSA Scholarship Fund (#2422) and the Fund for AmericanDiplomacy (#2460). AFSA arranges for four senior retirees to explain the role of U.S. diplomacy to audiences at Johns Hopkins University’s “Evergreen” professional education program. The AFSA State VP speaks to CDA assignment officers and career development officers on the topic, “Assignments from the Point of View of the Client,” as part of the briefing for incoming CDA staff members. She stresses the necessity for the system to be as transparent as possible. October Retirees in Houston put on the first Foreign Service Elderhostel program there. Speakers include former AFSA president John Naland, now principal officer inMatamoras, Mexico. The programmarks the 100th put on by AFSA retirees nationally since AFSA Elderhostels began in 1996. AFSA/State joins in a discussion with the State Department’s HR Bureau regarding manage- ment’s proposal for a career development model for generalists. The model would require generalists to fulfill certain conditions in order to cross the senior threshold. AFSA/FAS holds a “coffee hour” for new FAS lateral entrants to educate them on AFSA’s role. AFSA President John Limbert and staff meet with the new director of HR/RET, David Dlouhy, to discuss retirement office proce- dures. John Limbert meets with Foreign Service retirees, students, university and civic leaders and the media during trips to Houston and San Angelo, Texas. AFSA/State protests the department’s practice of paying no salary to employees for a pay period when the Resource Management office cannot ascertain where an employee is located. Election process for new AFSA Governing Board, 2005-2007 term, begins with a call for nominations. November AFSA press conference is held for the Foreign Affairs Council to roll out the task force report, “Secretary Colin Powell’s State Department: An Independent Assessment.” The AFSA president sends a strong letter of support to the chairman of the Foreign Service Grievance Board in reference toUSAID’s refusal to abide by the FSGB’s final decisions in two cases. AFSA writes to all regional assistant secre- taries urging that they note the denial of Washington-level salaries for Foreign Service employees serving overseas in the briefing papers they prepare for Secretary- designate Condoleezza Rice as one of the challenges they face in their efforts to exe- cute administration policy. AFSA introduces a new retiree page on itsWeb site (www.afsa.org/rtvppage.cfm). AFSA and FCS negotiate a new standard oper- ating procedure to govern the notification of the decision to close overseas posts and/or des- ignate a position to be left unfilled, including new procedures to insure that officers affected by these decisions receive fair and equitable consideration by the assignment panel. December During 2004, AFSA hosts 23 recruitment luncheons for incoming Foreign Service employees. An astonishing 91 percent of these employees join AFSA as full members in 2004. Membership stands at 12,852 at year’s end. AFSA welcomes 35 new lifetime members in 2004. AFSA Public Affairs efforts place 82 articles advocating increased support for U.S. diplo- macy in leading media outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Associated Press. AFSA statements were broadcast on NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox News, NPR, Bloomberg and AP-TV, among others. AFSA arranges a record 442 speaker pro- grams in 2004 to explain the importance of U.S. diplomacy to 26,500 attendees in 41 states and Washington, D.C. AFSA presents the Sinclaire Language Awards ($1,000 each) for achievement in the study of hard languages and their cultures to five employees for the study of Azerbaijani, Dari, Greek, Japanese and Tagalog (2). AFSAmeets with a repre- sentative of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations to discuss the Capital Security Cost Sharing Program and its impact on FAS, FCS and USAID. The Journal sets an all-time record for total annual advertising revenue, topping $493,000. In spite of a relatively difficult year for the advertising industry, the FSJ increased gross ad sales by more than 10 percent. AFSA arranges for Saudi specialist Stephen Buck, a retired FSO and current Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board member, to explain the key role of the Foreign Service in the war against terrorism on CNN’s prime- time program “Now.” AFSA participates in the development and approval of an Iraq recognition package of benefits which would give FCS officers bene- fits and recognition equal to those afforded to employees from other foreign affairs agencies working in Iraq. At AFSA’s urging, State management agrees to allow reconstituted promotion boards for those employees omitted from consideration by the regular selection panels due to an administrative error. Several Foreign Service employees in Africa lose several thousands of dollars after thieves copy their checks, then counterfeit and cash them. AFSA urges Citigroup to agree to reimburse the employees and cooperate with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in its inves- tigation. Citigroup agrees. AFSA holds three champagne receptions for retiring members, and welcomes over 125 new and rejoining retired members. By year’s end, over 150 libraries and over 120 college career centers around the country have AFSA’s book, Inside a U.S. Embassy , on their shelves. More than 15 universities have adopted the book for courses on diplomacy and international relations. A revised printing is released for 2005. At the end of 2004, AFSA has 159 Post Representatives at our embassies and missions overseas. They serve as a liai- son with AFSA and pass on the views of members at each post from all the foreign affairs agencies. w AFSA Annual Report 2004 w JOSH