The Foreign Service Journal, May 2015

54 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA and HECFAAWelcome the New Director General On Feb. 25, the American Foreign Service Association and the Hispanic Employee Council of Foreign Affairs Agencies co-hosted a recep- tion to welcome Ambassador Arnold A. Chacón as the new Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources at the Department of State. Amb. Chacón is the first Hispanic to hold the post of DG. Following a welcome fromAFSA President Robert Silverman, Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave remarks paying tribute to Amb. Chacón, a career mem- ber of the Foreign Service for 33 years, for his dedication to the institution of the Foreign Service. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbot- tom also spoke, following an introduction by AFSA State VP MatthewAsada. She praised Amb. Chacón’s enthusiasm and support for the mentor- ing of young staff. HECFAA President Francisco Palmieri introduced Amb. Chacón and reflected on the early talks he and Amb. Chacón had with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s transition team on diversity and Hispanic under- representation at State. Taking the microphone, Amb. Chacón remarked that as DG, he seeks to empower the workforce and aims to build on what HECFAA has already done.“I fully embrace this responsibility,” he said. He also described his goal to increase diversity in the For- eign Service in the broadest sense, from race to gender and those with disabilities. Amb. Chacón previously served as ambassador to Guatemala, deputy chief of mission in Madrid and deputy executive secretary in the Executive Secretariat. He has also served in Honduras, Mexico, Chile, Italy, Peru and Ecuador, as well as the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in NewYork. His wife, Alida Chacón, is also an FSO. n –Brittany DeLong, Assistant Editor From left: HECFAA President Paco Palmieri, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Heather Higginbottom, Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources at the Department of State Ambassador Arnold Chacón, Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and AFSA President Robert Silverman. AFSA/DEBRABLOME DON ’ T FORGET TO VOTE I N THE AFSA GOVERN I NG BOARD ELECT I ON MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD! The 2015-2017 AFSAGoverning Board election and proposed bylaw amendment is underway. Details and rules can be found at www.afsa.org/elections. All members should have received candidates’ statements with the ballot and may also view the campaign material on the AFSAwebsite. Campaigning through an employer email by any member is prohibited with the exception of the three pre-approved candidate email blasts. • Ballots: Ballots were mailed on or about April 15. If you do not receive a bal- lot by May 6, please contact election@afsa.org . • Ballot Tally: On June 4, at 9 a.m. Eastern time, the printed ballots will be picked up from the post office inWashington, D.C. Only printed ballots received in the post office will be counted. Online voting will be available until 8 a.m. East- ern time on June 4, after which point the voting website will close. • Election Information: Written requests for a duplicate ballot should be directed to election@afsa.org or AFSACommittee on Elections, 2101 E St. NW,Washington DC 20037. Please include your full name, current address, constituency, email address and telephone number. n NEWS BRIEF