The Foreign Service Journal, May 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2013 57 AFSA NEWS AFSA President Addresses World Affairs Councils On March 14, AFSA President Susan R. Johnson addressed the Savannah Council on World Affairs at the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah, Ga. Johnson’s lecture tour is another example of AFSA’s outreach efforts to educate people on the critical role diplomacy plays in the world. Johnson’s presentation centered on “The Demands of Contemporary Diplomacy.” Her presentation featured two themes: “What is the role of diplomacy in an increas- ingly complex world driven by demographics, technologi- cal and information revolu- tions, globalization and the phenomenal increase in global interaction,” and “How can the United States build an effective diplomatic cadre to serve the 21st century needs of U.S. diplomacy and advance the global role and responsibilities of the United States?” Her talk resonated with the more than 100 mostly retired professionals in the audience. Following the presenta- tion, Savannah Council President Justin Godchaux said, “We tend to think of the U.S. Diplomatic Corps as a selection of cushy jobs in exotic locales, but Susan Johnson gave us a new and powerful perspective on the critical and difficult role that a diplomat plays. She also underscored the rigorous training that diplomats of other countries are likely to receive and contrasted that with the high level of political patronage assignments and casual training that many U.S. diplomats receive. She addressed the point that effective diplomacy can avoid the need for military force, a belief that is strongly sup- ported by the U.S. military itself. It was a powerful lecture.” Johnson’s talk can be heard on www.savannahcwa. org on the monthly newslet- ters page. The following day, the AFSA president addressed the World Affairs Council of Hilton Head, S.C. She covered the same topics, but to an audience of more than 400. After her talk, WACHH President Blaine Lotz con- gratulated her and conveyed the audience’s reaction by saying, “Thanks for your visit and your outstanding, cogent and exciting presentation; new and revealing for all of us. Our speakers program continues to be the hallmark of our WAC activities and your participation in it has raised it a notch further.” The World Affairs Councils of America, located in Wash- ington, D.C., and founded in 1918, has 83 member coun- cils in 40 U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, with approxi- mately 80,000 members. working to engage Americans in international affairs and foreign policy. To find a coun- cil near you, please visit www. worldaffairscouncils.org. n BY TOM SWITZER, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Notice: AFSA Officer Election The 2013 AFSA Officer and Governing Board election is underway. Details about the election including the rules can be found at www.afsa.org/ elections . Members will receive candidates’ campaign literature with the ballot and may also view it on the AFSAWeb site. Campaigning through an employer e-mail by any member is prohibited with the excep- tion of the three pre-approved candidate e-mail blasts. • Ballots: Ballots were mailed on or about April 15. If you did not receive a ballot by May 6, please contact election@afsa.org. • Ballot Tally: On June 6, at 9 a.m., the printed bal- lots will be picked up from the post office in Wash- ington, D.C. Only printed ballots received in the post office will be counted. Online voting will be available until 9 a.m. on June 6, after which point the voting site will close. • Election Information: Written requests for a duplicate ballot should be directed to election@ afsa.org or AFSA Committee on Elections, 2101 E St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20037. Please include your full name, current address, e-mail address and telephone number. NEWS BRIEF AFSA President Susan R, Johnson, flanked by World Affairs Council of Hilton Head program committee member Claudia Kennedy and WACHH President Blaine Lotz, during her presentation in Savannah, Ga.