The Foreign Service Journal, March 2019

62 MARCH 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Stay Tuned for “Next Stage” Programming AFSA is pleased to announce a new programming initiative, “Next Stage,”which will focus on what are popularly known as “encore” careers. The idea of an encore career dates back to 1997, when a San Francisco-based nonprofit captured the phe- nomenon of people return- ing to work after retirement, sometimes in unrelated fields, sometimes for financial reasons, and at times with a primary goal of giving back to society. These new programs will be geared to retired Foreign Service personnel and to active-duty members who are considering their transition plans post-Foreign Service. They are meant to comple- ment AFSA’s ever-germane Federal Benefit Series programming that focuses on retirement benefits. In the case of the Foreign Service, work after retire- ment is nothing new. Foreign Service personnel often retire early enough to have sig- nificant second or even third careers. In addition, some- times the Foreign Service itself is a second career. Foreign Service retirement packages also may afford us the freedom to explore vari- ous opportunities, remunera- tive and not. And, with gains in life expectancy, sometimes it just doesn’t make sense, nor is it sustainable, to stop work- ing in our 50s or even 60s. AFSA’s pilot “Next Stage” programming during the early months of 2019 will focus on work that naturally flows from our Foreign Service experi- ence—such as teaching and writing—and on burnishing our networking and social media skills. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements on a “Teach- ing of Foreign Policy/Interna- tional Relations” practicum. Members say it’s a labor- intensive leap from being a practitioner to a teacher of diplomacy, and those who have been through that transi- tion can offer practical advice and information on curricula they have developed. Another upcoming pro- gramwill focus on writing and publishing—a how-to from Foreign Service authors. Note: we are seeking a blogger to widen the traditional reper- toire. In addition, we hope to launch “How to Network with LinkedIn” to reinforce mem- bers’ social media skills. And we’ll keep collecting your sto- ries of “life after the Foreign Service” to share. (See the May and June 2016 Journals for a sampling.) If members have ideas on programming they would find useful, please be in touch with Dolores Brown, AFSA’s retirement benefits counselor, at brown@afsa.org or at (202) 944-5510. n AFSAWelcomes Newest Foreign Service Specialists On Dec. 13, AFSAwelcomed 72 members of the 150th Specialist Class to its head- quarters building inWashing- ton, D.C. About one-third of the class has joined Diplomatic Security, with another third joining the Information Man- agement track. The remaining third is split between various other specialist tracks. Table hosts included former Assistant Secre- tary of State for Diplomatic Security Greg Starr, Facility Maintenance Specialist Keith Hanigan, Ambassador (ret.) Jay Anania and AFSATrea- surer Ambassador (ret.) Tony Wayne. Hosts talked to the newest Foreign Service members about the functions of AFSA in its dual role as a professional association and labor union. Welcome to the Foreign Service! n AFSA Treasurer Ambassador (ret.) Tony Wayne with guests. Former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Greg Starr (left) talks to guests. AFSA/DMITRYFILIPOFF AFSA/DMITRYFILIPOFF