The Foreign Service Journal, March 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2014 53 AFSA NEWS AFSA Welcomes New Retiree Coordinator AFSA welcomes Todd Thurwachter as our new retiree coordinator, replacing Bonnie Brown, who retired last Novem- ber after 10 years with AFSA. Todd, a native of Wisconsin, is a retired Foreign Commercial Service officer who was posted to Japan, China and Germany. He brings a strong client-service orienta- tion, gained from counseling and assisting thousands of U.S. exporters over the years. A Foreign Service retiree himself, Todd has personal understanding of the challenges faced by retirees.  As part of AFSA’s membership team, and in cooperation with his associate, Matt Sumrak, Todd is committed to continuing the superb counseling and advocacy for which AFSA is known. He is also keen on developing new areas where we can add value to membership for retirees. Todd welcomes your ideas and input at thurwachter@afsa.org . NEWS BRIEF AFSA is pleased to highlight these three excellent events. • MARCH 4 : In association with the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association, we present noted pollster and commentator John Zogby, discussing “America’s First Globals: Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century.” Zogby has teamed up with leading Millennial Manage- ment Consultant Joan Sny- der Kuhl to co-author a new book that provides a detailed analysis of why Americans born between 1979 and 1994 are truly more globally aware and sensitive, how they want to make their workplace and planet a better place, and how we can begin to understand them and posi- tion them better to play out their destiny. It’s a revision- ist examination of who First Globals really are, what they have to offer, and how they are the best equipped of all to thrive and solve the problems of our shared world today and tomorrow. The book is a call to action, a handbook for those who lead and want to lead, and a more holistic depiction this next generation of public diplo- mats—whether they realize it or not. The program takes place at AFSA headquarters, 2101 E Street NW, at 2 p.m., March 4. • MARCH 25: We welcome Ambassador Gerald Feier- stein to present the latest Upcoming Events at AFSA installment in our ongo- ing series on diplomacy in the Middle East. Feierstein served from 2010 to 2013 as the U.S. ambassador to Yemen, where he faced personal threats in a hostile environment. He will address the challenges of being the face of U.S. foreign policy in a country that may not be receptive to its message and goals. Please note that this event is open to AFSA members only . It will take place at AFSA headquarters at 2:30 p.m., March 25. • APRIL 29 : AFSA Book Notes presents Ambassador Laurence Pope in a discus- sion of his new book, The Demilitarization of Ameri- can Diplomacy: Two Cheers for Striped Pants . Both an insider and a historian, Laurence Pope describes the contemporary dysfunction of the State Department and its Foreign Service. While the Defense Department and the American military services have reinvented themselves in a decade of failed nation- building wars, the State Department is promising to do a better job of nation- building next time. Its policy functions have migrated to the White House. Secretaries of State largely ignore the State Department bureau- cracy, circumventing it with a personal staff. Pope contends that in the information age diplomacy is more important than ever, and that, as Presi- dent Obama has stressed, without a ‘change of thinking’ the U.S. may be drawn into more wars it does not need to fight. Laurence Pope is a retired FSO who lives in Port- land, Maine. He is the author of François de Callieres: A Political Life (Republic of Letters, 2010), a biography of the first proponent of professional diplomacy. His presentation will take place at AFSA headquarters, 2101 E St NW, at 2:00 p.m. on April 29. RSVPs for all events should be sent to events@ afsa.org. n The Family Liaison Office Releases Family Member Employment Report FLO collects Foreign Service family member employ- ment statistics from more than 200 posts, show- ing the number of adult family members employed inside an embassy or consulate, or working on the local economy. Statistics also indicate the number of adult family members at post. View the report at www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c7900.htm. Email FAMER questions to FLOAskEmployment@state.gov. NEWS BRIEF