The Foreign Service Journal, March 2010

56 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / MA R CH 2 0 1 0 AFSA Annual Report 2009 Y E A R I N R E V I E W AFSA Awards: A Unique Tradition T he annual awards ceremony took placeat theStateDepartment onJune 18. Senator Sam Nunn, the recipi- ent of AFSA’s Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award, was intro- ducedby the 2005winner, SenatorRichard Lugar, R-Ind. Three members of the Foreign Service tookhome awards for constructivedissent: Barron Rosen (the Tex Harris Award for an FS specialist), Jeffrey Collins (the William R. Rivkin Award for a mid-level officer) andMichaelGonzales (theWilliam R. Rivkin Award for a mid-level officer). TheAFSAConstructiveDissentAwards areunique intheU.S. government; noother organization recognizes its federal employ- ees for voicing a dissenting opinion. Yet it is constructive dissent that causes foreign policy to be reworked and improved. So it is no coincidence that the award cere- mony at State is held in the Benjamin FranklinRoom,whereparticipants are sur- rounded by paintings of America’s origi- nal constructive dissenters: the Founding Fathers. At the same annual ceremony, AFSA presents awards for outstanding perfor- mance. In 2009, the winners of these awards were: Erica Krug (the Avis Bohlen Award for a ForeignService FamilyMem- ber), LilyHightower (theM. JuanitaGuess Award for a Community Liaison Officer) andMeganGallardo (the Delavan Award for a Foreign Service Office Management Specialist). In addition, Ken Kero-Mentz was named AFSA Representative of the Year. AFSA also presents other awards throughout the year, such as the Sinclaire Language Awards, an AFSA program based on a bequest fromMatilda W. Sin- claire, a former ForeignServiceofficer. Last year, 11 foreign language students were honored for outstanding accomplishment in the study of a “hard” language and its associated culture. The 2009winnerswereAnthonyBaird (Albanian),MonicaBoduszynksi (Vietna- mese), Candace Lynn Faber (Polish), Sandrine Goffard (Mandarin Chinese), Timothy Kraemer (Korean), Patrick Mc- Neil (Estonian), Dewey Moore (Korean), Rachel Lucille Mueller (Vietnamese), Lindsey L. Rothenberg (Arabic), Brooke Spelman (Mandarin Chinese) and Gary Westfall (Tagalog). AFSAalso sponsors theGeorgeKennan Writing Award, given each year in honor of the best paper by a State Department employee enrolled at the National War College. This year’s winner was Patricia Mahoney, writing on “The Serbian Orthodox Church and Serb Identity.” —Francesca Kelly, AFSA News Editor National High School Essay Contest O n June 14, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the first-place award for AFSA’s 2009NationalHighSchool EssayContest toBrianParker. Parker, a12th-grader at SpringbrookHigh School in Silver Spring, Md., wrote his winning essay on “Challenges to the U.S. Foreign Service: The Israeli- PalestinianConflict.” Thirty finalists receivedhonorable mention certificates for their essays. An AFSA advisory panel of judges selected the winner and finalists, deem- ing Parker’s essay one of the most outstanding submis- sions in the history of the contest. The goal of AFSA’s High School Essay Contest, now entering its 11th year, is to stim- ulate interest in a Foreign Service career among high school students nationwide. (Foreign Service dependents are not eligible to enter.) The winner receives a check for $2,500. To read this year’s winning essay, please go to www.afsa.org/essaycontest. —Tom Switzer, Communications Director Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (left) presents the first-place 2009 National High School Essay Contest award to Brian Parker, on June 14. AFSA President Susan Johnson is at right. MICHAEL GROSS MIKKELA THOMPSON The AFSA awardwinners get to know each other before the June 18 ceremony at the State Department. Left to right: Ken Kero-Mentz, Lily Hightower, Megan Gallardo, Barron Rosen, Jeff Collins andMichael Gonzales. (Absent: Erica Krug.) AFSA’s Nifty Ambassador Tracker A new presidential administration came to town in 2009, and we all know what that means: a slew of new ambassadorial nominations. AFSA keeps a close eye on these appointments with our online Ambassador Tracker at www.afsa.org/ambassadorlist.cfm. You can findoutwho’s beennominatedand/or confirmed, and see the percentage of political versus career appointments. The listisupdatedonthefirstdayofeachmonth. Please send nomination news to Marketing and Outreach Manager Asgeir Sigfusson at sigfusson@afsa.org .