The Foreign Service Journal, March 2012

H ighlights of AFSA’s past year include the elec- tion of the 2011-2013 Governing Board; suc- cess in retaining 16.52 percent Overseas Comparability Pay; strong advocacy for the international affairs budget in coordination with other supporters of diplomacy and development; contin- ued efforts to raise the profile of the American Foreign Service Association and what we do to advance and protect U.S. inter- ests around the world; and sustained growth in membership, bringing us near the 16,000 mark. The newAFSAGoverning Board, comprising both re-elected members of the 2009-2011 board and new members from all constituencies, took office in July. Combining continuity with fresh ideas and energy, the board held a strategic planning re- treat to identify five strategic priorities: governance; core advo- cacy; image and outreach; professionalism and effectiveness; and membership and development. I reported on the results of those discussions, which also included AFSA professional staff, in my November and December “President’s Views” columns. The 2011Annual Report is designed to informyou about some of our key activities in the five priority areas. Governance and Internal Operations. The goal of our focus on governance is to increase AFSA’s effectiveness and efficiency by clarifying the role and responsibility of the Governing Board and its individual board members, as well as the relationship of the board to professional staff; streamlining processes and for- malizing standard operating procedures; and aligning programs, services and resources with our strategic priorities. With this overarching goal in mind, AFSA: • Hired new professional staff • Created new staff teams to pursue key goals • Addressed IT weaknesses and introduced new technologies • Enhanced financial management and budget development • Continued capital investments in our building and equip- ment These and many other changes build on the operational im- provements AFSA initiated in 2010. In 2012, we will examine how we can strengthen internal governance by pursuing bylaw reform and overhauling committee structures, making better use of professional expertise and advisers, reviewing and updat- ing the AFSA post representative system and organizing our do- mestic members for more effective advocacy. Core Advocacy. AFSA is committed to improving the reach and the effectiveness of our advocacy for the Foreign Service and for diplomacy and development. In 2011 we: • Averted severe cuts to State Department and Foreign Oper- ations budgets. M A R C H 2 0 1 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 2011 ANNUAL REPORT American Foreign Service Association B Y AFSA P RESIDENT S USAN R. J OHNSON Amplifying the Voice of the Foreign Service AFSA NEWS DONNA AYERST Then-Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg and AFSA President Susan R. Johnson head for AFSA’s annual Memorial Plaque Ceremony held on Foreign Affairs Day, May 6.