The Foreign Service Journal, March 2005

MARCH 2005 • AFSA NEWS 9 Staff: Executive Director Susan Reardon: reardon@afsa.org Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Steven Tipton: tipton@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Advisor Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: asigfusson@usaid.gov Grievance Attorneys Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov an d Joe Slotnick: slotnick@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov Law Clerk Lindsay Kay: kaylb@state.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Cory Nishi: nishi@afsa.org Web site & Database Associate Meijing Shan: shan@afsa.org Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ken Nakamura: nakamura@afsa.org Corporate Relations/Executive Assistant Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@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 AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org AFSA NEWS: afsanews@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: limbert@afsa.org STATE VP: cranelk@state.gov RETIREE VP: jones@afsa.org USAID VP : wcarter@usaid.gov FCS VP: charles.ford@mail.doc.gov FAS VP: Laura.Scandurra@usda.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: John W. Limbert STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Louise K. Crane USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Bill Carter FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Charles A. Ford FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Laura Scandurra RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: George F. Jones SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Danny Hall STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Todd A. Kushner, Elizabeth Horst, Scot L. Folensbee, Tulinabo Mushingi, John C. Sullivan, Jim Wagner USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Thomas Olson FCS REPRESENTATIVE: William Crawford RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: Gilbert Sheinbaum, David E. Reuther, Theodore S. Wilkinson, III, Stanley A. Zuckerman IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Sheldon Daitch FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Michael Conlon Welcoming a New Secretary O n Jan. 5, several weeks before her confirmationas thenewSecretary of State, Condoleezza Rice met withrepresentatives ofAFSA—nineState active-duty AFSA Governing Board members, including President John Limbert and State Vice President Louise Crane—andcolleagues fromtheForeign AffairsCouncil, ledby formerAFSApres- ident Ambassador Thomas Boyatt. Amb. Limbert used the opportunity to make two key points: first, that the 11,000 Foreign Service employees at the Department of State are a loyal, talented anddedicated groupofmen andwomen who work for her and the commander- in-chief. “I urge you tomake the best use of the talents andexperienceof thisunique group,” he said. Second, he asked for her support on the key issue of “salary equi- ty.” He pointed out that formembers of the Foreign Service, moving from Washington to an overseas assignment todaymeans taking a 16 percent pay cut. In her remarks, Dr. Rice said she is well-acquaintedwithAFSAandknows its importance, and wants to open a chan- nel of communications. She said she is open to suggestions on personnel issues. Dr. Rice emphasized her determina- tion to make the best use of the Foreign Service, noting that nowis a time tomobi- lize this enormously talentedgroup in the interest of great causes. Her intention, she said, is to look to the people in the State Department not just to execute foreign policy but to shape it and give it the intel- lectual structure it needs. Dr. Rice underlined her concern about the lives of the people who serve in the difficult places. She also empha- sized her concern about the pay issue and security. Her first department briefing, she added, was on management issues. She said she shares Secretary Powell’s view that employees must be well- trained and that they must have access to the tools they need. She also promised, in return, to demand excel- lence from her people. Focus on Diplomacy T heopening statement presentedby Dr. Rice in her Jan. 18 confirma- tion hearing before the Senate ForeignRelations Committee included the following remarks: “In all that lies ahead, the primary instrument of Americandiplomacywill be theDepartment of State, and themen and women of its Foreign and Civil Services and Foreign Service Nationals. The time for diplomacy is now. ... We know from experience how hard they work,theriskstheyandtheirfamiliestake, and the hardships they endure. Wewill be asking even more of them. ... They will need to develop new skills, and rise to new challenges. This time of global transformation calls for transforma- tionaldiplomacy. ...Iwillpersonallywork toensure thatAmerica’s diplomats have all the tools theyneed todo their jobs— from training to budgets to mentoring to embassy security. I also intend to strengthen the recruitment of new per- sonnel, because American diplomacy needs toconstantlyhire anddevelop top talent. And I will seek to further diver- sify the State Department’s workforce.” A Warm Reception for Secretary Condoleezza Rice O n Jan. 27, Condoleezza Rice received a warmwelcome as she arrived for her first day on the job as Secretary of State. “This is a really remarkable time in our country’s history,” she told the crowd of several hundred. “The president has set forth a really bold agenda for American foreign policy and the State Department has got to be in the lead in this period in which diplomacy will be so important to solidifying the gains of the last few years and to pressing forward an agenda for a freer and more prosperous world.” An Unprecedented Meeting with AFSA