The Foreign Service Journal, May 2007

A FSA President Tony Holmes attended the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs’ regional entry-level professionals conference held in Colombo March 8-9. The conference was well-attended, including by some who paid their own way in order to be there. Under Secretary for Management Henrietta Fore was the guest of honor. Director General George Staples and Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Maura Harty, as well as high-level representatives from SCA and the Human Resources Bureau, spoke during the conference. The conference focused on the Foreign Service career more than on policy, and SCA representatives made a real effort to promote the bureau as a “home” for the ELOs at the conference, encouraging them to return to SCA for future assignments. Amb. Holmes participated in five different sessions. One was devoted to AFSA issues exclusively; in the other four, he was part of a panel discussing life in the Foreign Service and the FS career. Holmes tells AFSA News that the embassy and bureau did a superb job in organizing the conference and were open to and appreciative of AFSA’s participation and contributions. “Going It Alone” from AAFSW In response to the growing number of unaccompanied post- ings for Foreign Service employees, the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide recently added a page to its Web site that pulls together information for families facing an unaccompanied tour. It is a good place to go to find infor- mation on the Separate Maintenance Allowance and links to State Department resources, as well as instructions for joining the e-mail listserv “homefrontUS” for Foreign Service family members, sponsored by the State Department Family Liaison Office. Go to www.aafsw.org and click on “Going it Alone.” 54 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / MA Y 2 0 0 7 A F S A N E W S Staff: Executive Director, Acting, Ian Houston: houston@afsa.org Business Department Controller Twee Nguyen: nguyen@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Jon Reed: reed@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov Grievance Attorneys Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov and Holly Rich: richhe@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: asigfusson@usaid.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Cory Nishi: nishi@afsa.org Web-site & Database Associate: vacant Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ian Houston: houston@afsa.org Executive Assistant to the President Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org Elderhostel Coordinator Janice Bay: bay@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 AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: holmes@afsa.org STATE VP: kashkettsb@state.gov RETIREE VP: 42reuwash@earthlink.net USAID VP: fzamora@usaid.gov FCS VP: donald.businger@mail.doc.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: J. Anthony Holmes STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Steven Kashkett USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Francisco Zamora FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Donald Businger FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Vacant RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: David Reuther SECRETARY: Tex Harris TREASURER: Andrew Winter STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Alan Misenheimer, Hugh Neighbour, Joyce Namde, Randy Steen, Daphne Titus, Andrew Young, Andrea Tomaszewicz and Sandy Robinson USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Mike Henning FCS REPRESENTATIVE: William Center FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Robert Curtis IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Al Pessin RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: Leonard J. Baldyga, Roger Dankert, Larry Lesser and Gilbert Sheinbaum Life in the Foreign Service BY BRIAN AGGELER AFSA NEWS BRIEFS AFSA President Meets with ELOs in Colombo