AFSA NEWS 60 MARCH 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Nominate a Colleague for a 2025 AFSA Award AFSA seeks to highlight achievement, performance, courage, and sacrifice within the Foreign Service community through our awards program, which began in 1968 and has expanded every year since. We are proud to be able to spotlight the best of our community. AFSA’s Constructive Dissent Awards recognize Foreign Service members who work within the system to change policy and performance for the better. Such dissent may be made in any nonpublic channel including meetings, emails to superiors, memoranda, telegrams or via the State Department’s formal Dissent Channel. Thus, AFSA’s Constructive Dissent Awards may be given to, but are not restricted to, employees who make use of the Dissent Channel. These awards are unique within the federal government and remain the lynchpin of AFSA’s awards program. There is no democracy without dissent, and the U.S. Foreign Service must remain a leader in the encouragement of respectful yet provocative constructive dissent. We invite nominations for the four awards: • The W. Averell Harriman Award for entry-level Foreign Service officers. • The William R. Rivkin Award for mid-level Foreign Service officers. • The Christian A. Herter Award for Senior Foreign Service officers. • The F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award for Foreign Service specialists. AFSA also invites nominations for the Exemplary Performance Awards, which are meant to highlight the professionalism and spirit of service and volunteerism within the Foreign Service community. These awards honor Foreign Service members, community liaison office coordinators, and family members for their important contributions at work, at home, and in the community. Performance awards include: • The Nelson B. Delavan Award recognizes the work of a Foreign Service office management specialist who has made a significant contribution to post or office effectiveness and morale, both within and beyond the framework of their job responsibilities. • The M. Juanita Guess Award recognizes a community liaison office coordinator who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, dedication, initiative, or imagination in assisting the families of Americans serving at an overseas post. • The Avis Bohlen Award honors a Foreign Service family member whose volunteer work with the U.S. and foreign communities at post has advanced the interests of the United States. • The Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy is bestowed on a member of the Foreign Service from any of the foreign affairs agencies, especially individuals at the early- to mid-career level, serving domestically or overseas. The award recognizes the promotion of American policies to advance democracy, freedom, and governance through bold, imaginative, and effective efforts during one or more assignments. Note that we accept awards nominations all year, but the deadline for 2025 is April 7. Anyone may send in a nomination; more information including the nomination criteria and guidelines is available on the AFSA website at https://afsa. org/awards-and-honors. AFSA is grateful to the many individuals and organizations that make our awards programs possible through their generous support. Our thanks to the Delavan Foundation, the Ambassador William R. Rivkin family, the Avis Bohlen family, Dr. Sushma Palmer, and Clements Worldwide. We deeply appreciate their dedication to the Foreign Service community. AFSA’s Awards and Plaques Committee has institutional oversight over AFSA’s awards programs and the AFSA Memorial Plaques. They also have primary responsibility for the recommendation of award recipients and plaque honorees. Visit https://afsa.org/awards for more information or contact awards@afsa.org with questions. n AFSA/JOAQUIN SOSA
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=