The Foreign Service Journal, April 2016

52 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS is currently the treasurer of the Public Diplomacy Council and a member of the board of Pyxera Global. AFSA Outreach Bolstered by Members AFSA was pleased to offer every conference goer a free copy of the December FSJ and made numerous cop- ies available throughout the venue for anyone who wished to take more to share with colleagues, friends and family. The association’s exhibit table was a popular stop in the conference Meeting Hub, where numerous visitors stopped to learn more about the Foreign Service. Several public diplomacy-coned Foreign Service volunteers— Robert Zimmerman, John Dunne, Kit Norland, Carlos Aranaga, Amy Bliss and Peter Kovach—helped staff AFSA’s table throughout the confer- ence. Their personal per- spectives were invaluable to Jeanne Clark, a public diplomacy officer and AFSA member, dropped by the AFSA exhibit table to say thanks for her complimentary conference registration. From left: Clark and AFSA Director of Professional Policy Issues Maria Livingston. COURTESYOFGLOBALTIESU.S. FSO Volunteer Amy Bliss (left) shares her Foreign Service experience with a conference attendee at the AFSA exhibit table. AFSA/MARIAC.LIVINGSTON Global Ties Conference • Continued from page 51 visitors interested in how the Foreign Service helps advance American interests and values overseas. Conference goers were also eager to learn about the many ways AFSA can help enrich their programming for international visitors, as well as bolster their efforts to create a more globally aware citizenry in their home states. The association’s National High School Essay Contest and Speakers Bureau, and resources such as the popular book Inside a U.S. Embassy and The Foreign Service Journal, offer dynamic pos- sibilities. Supporting Professional Development for Members Given the professional development and network- ing opportunities inherent in this type of event, AFSA raffled off two complimentary conference registrations to PD-coned members. Deputy Director Jeanne Clark of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs’ Office of Public Affairs, Planning and Coordination and Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Amy Steinmann of Embassy Mos- cow were the lucky winners. AFSA wishes to thank everyone who had a hand in ensuring that AFSA’s pres- ence at the Global Ties con- ference was strong. Thanks to this team effort, AFSA—and the Foreign Service—estab- Ambassador (ret.) Linda Jewell (left) with Institute of International Education’s Executive Director of Professional Exchange and Community Outreach Nancy Overholt at the State Department-sponsored reception for the Global Ties Conference. AFSA/SHAWNDORMAN lished a new and important relationship with one of the country’s largest networks of internationally minded civic leaders. We look forward to working with Global Ties U.S. and its affiliates in the near future. n —Maria C. Livingston, Director of Professional Policy Issues