The Foreign Service Journal, April 2023

AFSA NEWS 44 APRIL 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA seeks to highlight dissent, achieve- ment, performance, courage, and sacrifice within the Foreign Service community. Our awards program began in 1968 with the first award for constructive dissent within the system and has continued to expand to recognize the work of members of the Foreign Service community. Constructive Dissent Awards: AFSA’s Constructive Dissent Awards recognize Foreign Service members who work within the system to change policy and perfor- mance for the better. Such dissent may be made in any non- public 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. Unique within the federal government, these awards 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. As Secretary of State Antony Blinken put it in his October modernization address at FSI, “Dissent is patriotic. It should be and will be welcomed.”We invite nominations for the four constructive dissent 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. Exemplary Performance Awards: AFSA also invites nomina- tions for exemplary performance awards. These awards are meant to highlight the professionalism and spirit of service and volunteerism within the Foreign Service community. These awards honor Foreign Service employees, and in particular community liaison officers, office management AFSA Seeks Award Nominations for 2023 specialists, and family members for their important contributions at work, at home, and in the community. • The Nelson B. Delavan Award recognizes the work of a Foreign Service office management specialist (OMS) who has made a significant contribution to post or office effectiveness and morale, both within as well as beyond the frame- work of their job responsibilities. • The M. Juanita Guess Award recog- nizes a community liaison office coordina- tor (CLO) who has demonstrated out- standing 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 American 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 individu- als 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 2023 is Monday, May 15. Anyone may send in a nomination; self-nominations are also accepted for some performance awards. AFSA is grateful to the many individuals and organiza- tions that make our awards program possible through their generous support. Our thanks to the Ambassador William R. Rivkin family, the Avis Bohlen family, Dr. Sushma Palmer, and Clements Worldwide. We deeply appreciate their support and dedication to the Foreign Service community. AFSA’s awards programs are administered by Awards and Scholarships Manager Theo Horn. Contact him at awards@ afsa.org , and visit www.afsa.org/awards for more information. AFSA’s Awards and Plaques Committee has institutional oversight over these programs and has primary responsibil- ity for the recommendation of award recipients and plaque honorees. n