The Foreign Service Journal, May 2008

50 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / MA Y 2 0 0 8 A F S A N E W S AFSA NEWS BRIEFS FSJ Welcomes New Business Manager We are pleased to report that former FSO Alicia J. Campi joined the Foreign Service Journal staff as the new business manager in March. (Former Journal Business Manager Andrew Kidd moved on in January.) The holder of a Ph.D. in Mongolian studies, Ms. Campi served in Singapore, Taiwan, Tokyo, New York, Ulaanbaatar and Washington, D.C. After leaving the Foreign Service in 1991, she became president of the U.S.-Mongolia Advisory Group, and remains in this position today. Her book on the history of U.S.- Mongolian diplomatic relations is due for publication this year. As research coordinator for the Immigration Policy Center from 2004 to 2007, Ms. Campi gained extensive publication experience. In addition, since 1996 she has been teaching courses on China at the Washington Center for college students doing a Washington semes- ter. She can be reached at campi@afsa.org . Seeking Information from Vietnam, 1965 Peter M. Hunting was working with International Voluntary Services in Vietnamwhen he was killed in the Mekong Delta by the Vietcong on Nov. 12, 1965, on Highway One, 15 kilometers south- west of Can Tho. His sister, Jill Hunting, is conducting research for a book that expands on an article she wrote for Washington Post Magazine (March 18, 2007). Ms. Hunting would like to hear from anyone who knows some- thing about the incident or who is familiar with the U.S. Operations mission in the Delta at that time. She can be contacted at info@ jillhunting.com, or (202) 834-5339. PIT Buyback Contribution Refunds If you worked as a PIT (part-time intermittent temporary) employee and contributed to the Federal Employees Retirement System for less than five years — which is the minimum length of service needed to qualify for a FERS annuity — you may wish to ask for a refund of your retirement contributions. You can apply for a refund of your retirement contributions if you have been separated from federal service for at least 31 days (or have occupied a position not covered by FERS for at least 31 days). If you have more than one year of service, interest on the contributions will be part of the refund. Please be aware that if you receive a refund for your PIT service and later are re-employed by the federal government, you will not be able to repurchase credit toward retirement for your prior PIT service. Applicants who have been separated from federal service for at least 31 days may request a refund by submitting Form SF-3106, Application for Refund of Retirement Deductions, to this address: Office of Personnel Management, Federal Employees Retirement System, P.O. Box 45, Boyers PA 16017-0045. The form can be down- loaded at www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF3106.pdf. Collective Grievance for Newly-Promoted SFS Members At the request of a majority of those promoted across the senior threshold in 2006, AFSA has prepared a collective grievance to con- test the denial to them of any annual performance-based salary increase. The claim for redress is based on the grounds that the effec- tive date of their promotion to the Senior Foreign Service — which is a product of the paper flow between the White House and Congress — did not occur until less than 120 days before the end of the 2006- 2007 rating cycle. Nearly three-fourths of this promotion cohort have signed onto this grievance. Staff: Executive Director John Mamone: mamone@afsa.org Business Department Controller Twee Nguyen: nguyen@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Cory Nishi: nishi@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 Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Member Services Representative Michael Laiacona: laiacona@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 FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: naland@afsa.org STATE VP: kashkettsb@state.gov RETIREE VP: pamichko@aol.com 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/fsj How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: John Naland STATE VP: Steve Kashkett USAID VP: Francisco Zamora FAS VP: Vacant FCS VP: Donald Businger RETIREE VP: Robert W. Farrand SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Andrew Winter STATE REPS: Anne Aguilera, Oscar DeSoto, David Firestein, Jim McRea, Sandy Robinson, Shayna Steinger, Daphne Titus, Andrea Tomaszewicz USAID REP: Michael Henning FCS REP: Stephen Anderson FAS REP: Vacant IBB REP: Al Pessin RETIREE REPS: Janice Bay, Herman Cohen, Harry Geisel, David Passage