The Foreign Service Journal, May 2015

58 MAY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA Hosts Chiefs of Mission On March 25, AFSAhosted a breakfast for U.S. chiefs of mis- sion—those already serving, as well as nominees—who were in Washington, D.C., for the State Department’s annual global COM conference. Some 40 ambassadors, chargés and designees attended the event at AFSA headquarters. Other guests included Director General of the Foreign Service Arnold Chacón, Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Com- mercial Service andAssistant Secretary for Global Markets Arun Kumar, Counselor to the U.S. Agency for International Development Susan Reichle, State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon Jr. and Thomas Perriello, special rep- resentative for the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. AFSAPresident Robert Silverman, State Vice Presi- dent MatthewAsada, USAID Vice President SharonWayne, Foreign Commercial Service Vice President Steve Morrison, Retiree Vice President Larry Cohen, and various AFSA Governing Boardmembers and professional staff also attended the breakfast. Pres. Silverman andVP Asada presented a brief overview of AFSA’s post rep- AFSA hosted a breakfast meeting with U.S. chiefs of mission who were in Washington, D.C., for the State Department’s annual global COM conference. resentative program, congres- sional advocacy and workforce development plans, before opening the floor for questions and discussion. n —Debra Blome, Associate Editor AFSA/DEBRABLOME AFSA COMMUN I TY: A NEW WAY TO ENGAGE AFSA has rolled out a new way for members to participate and stay con- nected with each other and with the association. In the online AFSACommunity, members can post comments, exchange ideas and communicate with one another in a closed environment accessible only to other AFSAmembers. The AFSACommunity is now holding its first discussion, on the AFSA 2015 Governing Board election and bylaw amendment. Use the community to discuss a candidate’s platform and positions on issues facing the Foreign Service or specific career and professional concerns. You can also weigh the pros and cons of the proposed bylaw amendment to rightsize the AFSAGoverning Board in 2017. Access this discussion by logging in to the members-only area of the AFSAwebsite and clicking on “AFSACommu- nity” in the blue navigation tab at the top of the page. (You must have a personal email address stored in your contact information to access the AFSACommunity because work email addresses ending in .gov are inaccessible in the AFSA Community.) Once on the AFSACommunity page, join the AFSA 2015 Governing Board Election & BylawAmendment community to get started. We hope the AFSACommunity provides a meaningful way to share your thoughts and collaborate with your col- leagues. As our recent survey showed, AFSAmembers want opportunities to actively participate, particularly when serving outside theWashington, D.C., area. AFSA is optimistic that this new benefit will allowmembers to participate in AFSA no matter where they are living. Questions and comments can be sent to member@afsa.org , with the subject line “AFSACommunity.” n NEWS BRIEF