The Foreign Service Journal, May 2011

C ommunications Director Tom Switzer was born into a family proud of getting the message out. His father was a regional news director for NBC in the Denver area, and his mother was a high school teacher. Tom’s dad spoke several foreign languages and implanted in his son a lifelong interest in world affairs. Graduating from Notre Dame, Tom studied international relations one summer at Harvard and was hooked. He signed up for the Peace Corps and spent two years in Malawi. Fol- lowing graduate studies at the University of Colorado, he joined the Foreign Service as a public diplomacy officer, serving in Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and Spain, plus temporary-duty stints in Kosovo and Russia. He also had two Washington assignments in the Bureau of Euro- pean Affairs and the Office of Broadcast Services. Tom is thoughtful about his extraordinary experiences, in- cluding work on the 1987 Reagan-Gorbachev summit where he had the opportunity tomeet the legendary George Kennan. An- other “close-up” for Tom involved arranging logistical support for Henry Kissinger’s speech at the World’s Fair Exposition in Seville in 1992. “It was fascinating — if at times somewhat prickly — seeing from inside to what degree Kissinger de- manded perfection in all details, as well as to observe the esteem, even awe, he commanded among his European counterparts.” Tom met his wife, Sheila, while serving as a regional public affairs officer inMexico. She was a newspaper reporter who re- quested an interview with the U.S. ambassador. “Of course, I gladly obliged,” smiles Tom. The interview was a big success, and the rest is history. “She shares my love of travel, culture and meeting people from many exotic backgrounds,” he notes. Sheila teaches protocol and eti- quette at the Foreign Service Institute, and also serves as pres- ident of the Pan American Roundtable. The couple have two daughters, both graduates of the University of Virginia and flu- ent in six languages between them. Tom joined AFSA after he retired from the State Depart- ment in 2001 and says he has greatly enjoyed promoting AFSA and the Foreign Service.“We have a first-class, highly dedicated teamof professionals, who work together quite closely and con- genially, almost as a family.” He adds,“I also feel great personal pride and satisfaction in knowing that my work is directly con- tributing to a greater public awareness of the importance of our beloved Foreign Service in advancing vital American interests.” AFSA Executive Director IanHouston has worked with Tom for several years, and calls him “energetic, committed and a skillful communicator who knows the Foreign Service inside and out. Tom is the kind of personality who sees the glass as half-full — an invaluable trait.” Tom has many interests, including reading, languages, music, painting, fine arts, hiking, boating and travel. He re- cently enjoyed reading Washington Rules by security expert An- drew Bacevich, and has been known to cast a fishing line into the beautiful Shenandoah River now and again. M A Y 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 71 A F S A N E W S MILESTONES BY FRANCESCA KELLY AFSA’s Affable Spokesman Ten Years at AFSA: Tom Switzer FRANCESCA KELLY ident talking about exports in a State of the Union address.” He called the goal of doubling exports “very ambitious,” but said it could be done through trade agreements, export financing and an ex- port promotion program. And since most exporters only export to one coun- try, he added, we need to help them ex- pand to other countries. In response to a question byDonnelly about the Secretary of State’s Quadren- nial Diplomacy and Development Re- view, Larson reacted positively, saying that it has “elevated the importance of the functional bureaus.” Pointing to a need for a “reservoir of knowledge in today’s interconnected world,” he feels the QDDR is“puttingmoremuscle”into the State Department’s agenda overseas. All three panelists spoke of the im- portance of ambassadors thinking of themselves as the senior commercial of- ficers at post. “Early in my career,” said Larson, “there was the impression that State FSOs didn’t want to‘get their hands dirty’ with commercial work. Later, when I briefed outgoing ambassadors about FCS, I told them, ‘I’m going to break out the champagne on the day that I hear an ambassador was overly zealous in promoting American business inter- ests overseas.’” The audience included more than a few current and former high-level offi- cials from State and Commerce who posed thoughtful questions. Topics such as gross domestic product/gross national product, bribery and corruption, and “inward investment” were discussed. Many people, including the panelists, ex- pressed concern that no one person is actually accountable for implementing the National Export Initiative, and that it lacks an “action plan.” Still, the speakers were excited about the changing face of economic and com- mercial diplomacy. “There’s a very im- portant journey going on now,” Ford said. “It’s not just about selling widget X to country Y.” A video of the program can be viewed at www.afsa.org. AFSA appreciates the charitable sup- port of the Lockheed Martin Corpora- tion for these lectures.We also appreciate the individual donors of AFSAwho have contributed to the Fund for American Diplomacy. Globe • Continued from page 69