The Foreign Service Journal, May 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2015 57 AFSA NEWS speak on those foreign policy issues that he or she believes will most engage the president and Congress over the next two years. Ambassador John Negroponte gave the first lecture in 2013. In his talk, Amb. Pickering offered his thoughts on the key foreign policy challenges facing the U.S. administration and the new Congress up to the 2016 elections. Amb. Pickering, who retired from the Foreign Service after more than 40 years with the rank of Career Ambassador, served as under secretary of State for political affairs, the third-highest post at State, as well as ambas- sador to the United Nations, the Russian Federation, India, Israel, Nigeria, Jordan and El Salvador. According to the Center for International Studies, the goal of the endowed Distinguished Diplomat Lecture series is to educate and inspire the country’s future diplomats. The lecture is free and open to Distinguished Diplomat continued from p. 49 the public, though a private recep- tion and dinner with the speaker is held for major donors. “The Univer- sity of St. Thomas and the Houton community gained a deeper appreciation of U.S. diplomacy overall and the professional role played by the career Foreign Service, which is a funda- mental mission of AFSA,” said AFSA Executive Director Ian Houston after the lecture. To learn more about the University of St. Thomas and the Distinguished Diplomat Program, visit www.stthom. edu/DistinguishedDiplomat- Donations. The University of St. Thomas welcomes donations from AFSA sup- porters. n –Debra Blome, Associate Editor From left: Dr. Hans Stockton, director of the Center for International Studies; FSO John C. Roberts, diplomat-in-residence for Southeast Texas- Louisiana; Ambassador Thomas Pickering, who delivered the second biennial Distinguished Diplomat Lecture; retired FSO H. Richard Sindelar, assistant professor at the Center for International Studies, and Ian Houston, AFSA’s executive director. COURTESYOFTHECENTERFOR INTERNATIONALSTUDIES,UNIVERSITYOFST.THOMAS COURTESYOFTHECENTERFOR INTERNATIONALSTUDIES,UNIVERSITYOFST.THOMAS AFSA Executive Director Ian Houston meets with students from the Center for International Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. AFSA WELCOMES NEW STAF F AFSAwelcomes Allan Saunders, our new Communications and Press Specialist. Allan recently graduated fromAmerican University with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and psychology. He was an intern at The Foreign Service Journal from September to December 2014, where he assisted the advertising and sales team. He is enrolled in a master’s degree program in international affairs at AU. Born inWyoming, Allan is also an enthusiastic traveler and spent many childhood summers in Switzerland, where he and his family also hold citizenship. In his free time Allan is an avid reader and enjoys working with his hands, primarily in woodworking and design. n NEWS BRIEF