The Foreign Service Journal, April 2017

56 APRIL 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSAOutreach in Austin In January AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Ste- phenson accepted an invita- tion to attend the University of Texas at Austin Forum on Diplomacy and Statecraft, hosted by the Lyndon B. John- son School of Public Affairs. The Jan. 12-14 event brought together foreign affairs professionals from the State Department, the Department of Defense and diplomats representing the European Union’s External Action Service, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Finland, the Netherlands, Bra- zil, Colombia and Israel. The forum opened with an appeal from the organizers to diplomats to make policy choices that reflect their country’s larger strategic framework, rather than the crisis of the day. The arc of strategy often gets lost due to bureaucratic fragmenta- tion and because “the urgent crowds out the important.” Among other topics featured were the rise of populism, energy and water resource challenges, race in America, drone technology, climate change and diplo- matic training worldwide. Amb. Stephenson led a session on reforms that have made the U.S Foreign Service stronger—as well as remain- ing challenges. She cited gains in attracting a diverse workforce as a key improve- ment, observing, “We still have work to do, but we are getting closer to our goal of making the Foreign Service reflect and represent the rich diversity of America.” She also highlighted the importance of leadership and management training, noting that AFSA members value the training, want more of it, and believe it makes themmore effective at their jobs. Taking advantage of the travel to Austin, Amb. Ste- phenson and AFSA Outreach Coordinator Catherine Kan- nenberg met with represen- tatives of GlobalAustin, the local affiliate of Global Ties U.S., along with entrepreneurs from the area and faculty members from UTAustin and Southern Texas University. At that event, Amb Stephenson spoke of the importance of government- funded exchange programs such as the International Visitor Leadership Program in maintaining American global leadership. The visit also included a meeting with the executive director of theWorld Affairs Council of Austin. Finally, Amb. Stephenson and Dr. Kannenberg met with the president of the Foreign Service Group, AFSA retiree member JohnWood, to coordinate AFSA speakers for upcoming events in Austin. n —Catherine Kannenberg, AFSA Outreach Coordinator AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson speaks with members of GlobalAustin, the Austin affiliate of Global Ties U.S., one of AFSA’s strategic partners. AFSA/CATHERINEKANNENBERG AFSA Sponsors HECFAA Interns at State AFSA and the Hispanic Employees Council of For- eign Affairs Agencies have co-sponsored interns at the Department of State since 2014. This past year, Carolina Abraham and Mauricio Cortes honed their diplomacy skills in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforc- ment Affairs and Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs’ Office of Policy Planning and Coordination, respectively. Ms. Abraham attends Florida International Univer- sity, where she is studying for her master’s degree in public administration and criminal justice. She has previously studied overseas in Switzer- land, France and Belgium and hopes to continue deepening her understanding of foreign policy implementation. Mauricio Cortes is pursuing a master’s degree in public adminis- tration at Cornell Univer- sity. Mauricio previously served in the U.S. Navy, completing three tours in the Middle East. He is passionate about providing educational opportunities for low-income families and minorities, and hopes to join the Department of State to work on these and other issues. n HECFAA Interns Carolina Abraham (left) and Mauricio Cortes at AFSA headquarters. AFSA/ALLANSAUNDERS