The Foreign Service Journal, April 2007

A P R I L 2 0 0 7 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 63 P rominent retirees ledAFSA’s expan- sion of its national outreach efforts in 2006 aimed at broadening and deepeningpublic support for fundingdiplo- matic readiness. Retirees support outreach throughpublic speakingandbywritingarti- cles andop-eds for their local papers. One of our most effective outreach vehicles is our Speakers Program , which in 2006 deployed 520 Foreign Service speakers to explain the importance of U.S. diplomacy for American national interests to more than 31,000 professional and academic attendees in43 states andWashington,D.C. AFSA’s speaker corps includes nearly 500 retired Foreign Service officers — 80 former ambassadors among them. Most of these individuals are still actively involved in international affairs as teachers, authors, business people and consultants. Drawing on their personal experiences and histori- cal perspectives, they offer audiences an opportunity both to explore the complex, oftenconfusing international order that has replaced theColdWar and to reflect on the evolving roleofAmericandiplomacy in the face of global terrorism and other chal- lenges. Audiences range frommajorworld affairs councils anduniversities tocommu- nity-service organizations, town meet- ings, churches and high schools. Among AFSA’s prominent retiree speakers were Ambassador Richard Hol- brooke andAmbassadorMarcGrossman. Holbrooke highlighted for eminent legal experts at the Washington Foreign Law Society the increasingly dangerous chal- lenges facing the Foreign Service in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hardship posts. Grossman elicited glowing reviews from attendees at George Mason University’s “Learning inRetirement” adult education series for his insightful description of the crucial role of the Foreign Service in var- ied global hot spots. AFSA speakers addressed other topics, including counterterrorism; public diplo- macy; U.S. initiatives in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East; international trade promotion; migra- tion; energy issues and human rights. Speakers were provided with talking points and issueupdates fromAFSA, aswell as promotion material for AFSA’s best- sellingbook, Inside aU.S. Embassy . Speak- ers stressed the critical role of diplomacy in advancingAmerica’s vital security andeco- nomic interests around theglobe. Theyalso encouraged audiencemembers to contact their congressional representatives to request increased funding for U.S. diplo- matic readiness. Our speakers also reached out to talented youth — especially minority-group members — to encourage them to consider Foreign Service careers. AFSA’s mediaoutreach effortswerealso intensified in2006. Weplaced, eitherdirect- ly or throughAFSAretirees, 52op-eds, let- ters to the editor, articles and press releas- es advocating increasedpublic andcongres- sional support forU.S. diplomacy in lead- ingmedia entities including the Washington Post , New York Times , Wall Street Journal , Government Executive , Federal Times , The Associated Press, NPR and CNN. Among ourmost successful effortswas heavy media coverage for AFSA’s annual Memorial Plaque Ceremony held at the State Department in May. The event attractednetwork coverage and reports by some12 journalists frommajormedia. The result was in-depth coverage via some 22 media outlets nationwide, including the Washington Post , NBC, CNN, Fox News, The Associated Press and NPR. AFSA outreach efforts have placed strong emphasis on the vital role playedby U.S. diplomacy in the ongoing struggle against terrorism. Since the 9/11 attackswe have deployed more than 850 AFSA retiree experts oncounterterrorism,Middle Eastern and South Asian issues for speak- er and media programs nationwide. We also held frequent discussions regarding AFSA issues with themore than 35 diplo- matic correspondents at- tached to the State De- partment, as well as with senior editors and bureau chiefs of national media based inWashington. These outreach pro- grams have promoted three important AFSA goals: broadening the ForeignService constituen- cy throughoutreach to the public; enhancing public awareness of global affairs and of the key role of the ForeignService anddiplo- macy; and activating the AFSA retiree constituen- cy by involving it in significant programs that draw on their backgrounds and skills in telling our story to audiences nation- wide. If you would like to be involved with AFSA outreach, please contact me at switzer@afsa.org , or 1 (800) 704-2372, ext. 501. A F S A N E W S GAINING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR DIPLOMATIC READINESS FUNDING Prominent Retirees Lead AFSA Outreach in 2006 BY TOM SWITZER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS “AFSA speakers explained the importance of U.S. diplomacy to more than 31,000 attendees in 43 states and Washington, DC.” Above: Amb. Richard Holbrooke highlights the dangerous challenges facing the Foreign Service to the Washington Foreign LawSociety. Left: Amb. Marc Grossman explains the critical role of the Foreign Service to GeorgeMason University’s “Learning in Retirement” adult education series.