The Foreign Service Journal, April 2012

50 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 1 2 A F S A N E W S AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Update on the AFSA Scholarship Program AFSA recently debuted a new online submission and judging process for the AFSA Academic and Art Merit Awards, which are open to high school seniors of Foreign Service members in the United States and abroad. The new system allows students to easily track the six components of their application, while allowing judges to easily access each submission. This year, 70 students submitted academic merit applications and another 10 students applied for an art merit award. A total of $40,500 in prizes will be bestowed on approximately 25 students. In addition, AFSA received 109 need-based financial aid applications for undergraduate college study in the 2012-2013 school year and, with $183,000 in the coffers, AFSA is poised to help 70 students. Our scholarship program is run under the oversight of the AFSA Scholarship Committee. The Merit Award winners will be announced at a ceremony during Foreign Affairs Day, on Friday, May 4. Please visit www.afsa.org/scholar for details. Have You Heard About Balancing Act? Balancing Act at State: Achieving Work-Life Balance is a new employee organization focused on a range of work-life balance issues, including teleworking, alternative work schedules, child care, elder care, job sharing and other policies and programs critical for the recruitment, retention and morale of the depart- ment’s diverse work force. For more information on upcoming Balancing Act events, and how you can get involved, or to be added to our distribution list, please e-mail Anne Coleman- Honn at colemanas@state.gov. Third Culture Kids On Monday, April 2, at 11:30 a.m., AFSA is proud to present a panel discussion on Third Culture Kids, highlighting the Foreign Service experience. Panelists Rebecca Grappo, Ruth Van Reken, Julia Simens and Rebecca Oden, all experts who have studied TCKs from discrete viewpoints, will devote particular attention to the question of emotional resilience, asking what enables some kids to adapt well to Foreign Service life while others struggle. The discus- sion will take place at AFSA headquarters, 2101 E Street NW, Washington, D.C., and is open to the public. Space is limited, so please RSVP to events@afsa.org. Staff: Executive Director Ian Houston: houston@afsa.org Business Department Director of Finance Femi Oshobukola: oshobukola@afsa.org Controller KalpnaSrimal: srimal@afsa.org Assistant Controller Cory Nishi: cnishi@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Deputy General Counsel Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov Labor Management Counselor Janet Weber: weber@afsa.org Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov StaffAttorneyRaekaSafai : safair@state.gov StaffAttorneyAndrewLarge: largea@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov USAIDSeniorLaborManagementAdviserDouglasBroome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Staff Assistant Stefan Geyer: geyer@afsa.org Member Services Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Member Services Representative Kristy Pomes: pomes@afsa.org Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Communications, Marketing and Outreach Retiree Counseling & Legislation Coordinator Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Director of Policy Edward Dickens: dickens@afsa.org LegislativeAssistantClintLohse: lohse@afsa.org Executive Assistant to the President Patrick Bradley: bradley@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Scholarship Program Assistant Jonathan Crawford: crawford@afsa.org Marketing & Outreach Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: sigfusson@afsa.org Special Awards & Outreach Coordinator Perri Green: green@afsa.org Web and IT Assistant Jeff Lau: lau@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 PRESIDENT: johnson@afsa.org STATE VP: hirschdm@state.gov RETIREE VP: megilroy@gmail.com USAID VP: fzamora@usaid.gov FAS VP: david.mergen@fas.usda.gov FCS VP: keith.curtis@mail.doc.gov AFSA News Editor Donna Ayerst: ayerst@afsa.org (202) 944-5516; Fax: (202) 338-6820 Foreign Service Journal FSJ: journal@afsa.org Editor Steven Alan Honley: honley@afsa.org Senior Editor Susan Maitra: maitra@afsa.org Associate Editor Shawn Dorman: dorman@afsa.org Ad & Circulation Manager Ed Miltenberger: miltenberger@afsa.org Art Director Caryn Suko Smith: journaldesign@comcast.net On the Web AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org FSJ: www.afsa.org/fsj How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: Susan R. Johnson STATE VP: Daniel Hirsch USAID VP: Francisco Zamora FCS VP: Keith Curtis FAS VP: David Mergen RETIREE VP: Mary Ellen Gilroy SECRETARY: Vacant TREASURER: Andrew Winter STATE REPS: Matthew Asada William Bent Grace Choi Kenneth Kero-Mentz Kimberly Krhounek Elise Mellinger Joyce Namde David Zwach USAID REPS: Michael Henning Iris Young FCS REP: Steve Morrison FAS REP: Andrew Burst IBB REP: Andre De Nesnera RETIREE REPS: Robert Houdek Edward Marks Hugh Neighbour Molly Williamson Give to the AFSA Scholarship Fund This month, the AFSA Scholarship Fund’s annual appeal for donations will be arriving in your mailbox. Please consider making a donation to support the Academic and Art Merit Awards program for Foreign Service high school seniors and need-based financial aid scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 for college study. There are very few programs available that reward academic and artistic excellence at the high school level, and that is what makes AFSA’s program so special. Our goal is to disburse more than $220,000 in aid to almost 100 Foreign Service children. Your donation is tax deductible. For online donations and more information, please go to www.afsa.org/scholar.