The Foreign Service Journal, March 2011

M A R C H 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 29 A FSA’s annual Awards Ceremony took place at the State Department on June 24. Am- bassador Lowell Bruce Laingen received AFSA’s Lifetime Contributions to Ameri- can Diplomacy Award, and was introduced by Deputy Secretary of State Jacob J. Lew and Ambassador John Limbert. Three members of the Foreign Serv- ice community took home awards for constructive dissent: David M. Zwach (the Tex Harris Award for a FS specialist), Diana Briton Putman (the William R. Rivkin Award for a mid-level officer) and Kathryn A. Kiser (the W. Averell Harriman Award for a junior-level officer). The AFSA Constructive Dissent Awards are unique in the U.S. gov- ernment; no other organization rec- ognizes federal employees for voicing a dissenting opinion. Yet it is con- structive dissent that causes foreign policy to be reworked and improved. Appropriately, the awards are held in the Benjamin Franklin Room, where participants are sur- rounded by paintings of America’s original constructive dissenters — the Founding Fathers. At the same annual ceremony, AFSA also presents awards for out- standing performance. In 2010, the winners of these awards were: Anne Bridgman (the Avis Bohlen Award for a Foreign Service family member), Sarah S. Genton (the M. Juanita Guess Award for a Community Liai- son Officer) and Allie Loraine Almero (the Delavan Award for a Foreign Service Office Management Special- ist). In addition, James A. Fox was named AFSA Post Representative of the Year. The ceremony was attended by many guests and dignitaries who en- ANNUAL REPORT American Foreign Service Association 2010 S ecretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pre- sented the first-place award in AFSA’s 2010 Na- tional High School Essay Contest to Evaline Bai on Aug. 11. The award came with a check for $2,500 and a $500 check to the winner’s school. Bai, a rising 11th-grader at Upper ArlingtonHigh School in Columbus, Ohio, submitted her winning essay on the subject, “Challenges to the U.S. Foreign Service: Rebuild- ing Afghanistan.” Her mother Jin Liu, her father Fred Bai, and brother Jason Bai, also met Sec. Clinton, who com- mended Ms. Bai for her work and encouraged her to pur- sue a career in the Foreign Service. The 2010 contest drewmore than 400 submissions from high school students nationwide. Students were asked to analyze and explain howForeign Service members promote U.S. national interests by participating in the reso- lution of today’s major international problems. The goal of AFSA’s High School Essay Con- test, now entering its 12th year, is to stimulate interest and understanding of the United States Foreign Service among high school students nationwide. (Foreign Service dependents are not eligible to enter.) AFSA pro- motes the contest widely through listings on various Web sites, including Facebook. For more information about the essay contest, and to read this year’s winning essay, please visit AFSA’s Web site. Sec. Clinton presents Evaline Bai, center, with the first-place award for the 2010 high school essay contest. AFSA Awards: A Unique Tradition ■ B Y P ERRI G REEN , S PECIAL A WARDS AND O UTREACH C OORDINATOR National High School Essay Contest ■ B Y P ERRI G REEN , S PECIAL A WARDS AND O UTREACH C OORDINATOR Diana Putman, right, with AFSA Special Awards & Outreach Coordinator Perri Green. Patrick Bradley Michael Laiacona