The Foreign Service Journal, March 2015

AFSA NEWS CALENDAR THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION AFSA Launches New Award to Recognize the Advancement of Democracy THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2015 49 March 1-5 AFSA Road Scholar Program March 4 12-2 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting March 6 5 p.m. (EST) Deadline: AFSA Financial Aid Scholarship Applications March 15 11:59 p.m. (EST) Deadline: AFSA National High School Essay Contest March 20 11:59 p.m. (EST) Deadline: Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy April 1 12-2 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting April 12-16 AFSA Road Scholar Program May 1 Foreign Affairs Day and the AFSA Memorial Plaque Ceremony May 6 12-2 p.m. AFSA Governing Board Meeting May 17-21 AFSA Road Scholar Program May 25 Memorial Day: AFSA Offices Closed The American Foreign Service Association is pleased to announce the creation of the Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy. Proposed by Ambassador Palmer’s family to honor the late FSO’s character and spirit, the award will be bestowed for the first time at the AFSA Awards Ceremony on June 9 in the Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Reception Room at the Department of State. Ambassador Mark Palmer was passionately committed to democracy promotion. He served as deputy assistant secretary of State for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and was one of the State Department’s top Soviet experts. He was the U.S. ambassador to Hungary from 1986 to 1990, during that country’s transition from communism to democracy. Amb. Palmer served as a speechwriter for three presidents and six Secretar- ies of State, and was the chief author of President Ronald Reagan’s historic 1982 West- minster speech to members of the British Parliament that predicted the eventual downfall of communism. He organized the 1985 Geneva summit between Pres. Rea- gan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a diplomatic breakthrough that led to a thawing of relations with the Soviet Union. He also served in New Delhi, Moscow and the former Yugoslavia during his 26-year career. Following his Foreign Service career, Amb. Palmer was a member of the Ameri- can Academy of Diplomacy and the Committee on the Present Danger, vice chair- man of Freedom House and a member of the board of the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Stud- ies. He was also co-founder of the National Endowment for Democracy and the Council for a Community of Democra- cies. He died on Jan. 28, 2013, at the age of 71. The Palmer Award is open to Foreign Service members from any of the foreign affairs agencies, serving domesti- cally or overseas, especially early to mid-career rank, who promoted American policies focused on democracy, free- dom and governance through bold, exemplary, imaginative and effective efforts during one or more assignments. The award offers a $2,500 prize and a travel stipend to attend the ceremony. We invite you to nominate a colleague or yourself for this new award by March 20. Details can be found at www. afsa.org/performance. For more information, contact Perri Green, AFSA’s coordina- tor for special awards and outreach, at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700. n VOTE FOR THE NEW AFSA GOVERN I NG BOARD ! Please visit the AFSA website at www.afsa.org/elections to learn more about the cur- rent AFSA Governing Board elections and to find the list of candidates. All members in good standing as of March 16 are eligible to participate in the elec- tions. Ballots will be mailed to retiree members on or about April 15 and will provide the option of voting online. Active-duty members will be sent an email to vote online with the option of receiving a printed ballot upon request. If you do not receive either a printed ballot or an email to vote online by April 30, please contact election@afsa.org . n NEWS BRIEF COURTESYOFTHEPALMERFAMILY Ambassador Mark Palmer in Berlin, 1992.