The Foreign Service Journal, May 2016

68 MAY 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Self Help It is easy to focus on the union aspects of AFSA because we face numerous pressing issues. However, it’s important not to forget the professional association aspects that AFSA also represents, for it is our professionalism and drive for self-improvement that truly define our members as the leaders of the foreign affairs community. Fortunately, I am pleased to report on the resurgence of interest in and support for changes that will boost professionalism in FAS. First, I am happy to report that we have established a collaborative effort with management to update the FAS performance manage- ment criteria and to eventu- ally negotiate their inclusion into the FAS AFSA collective bargaining agreement. Surprisingly, one of the biggest problems has been that FAS’s performance management criteria are outdated. This means that officers lack objective information about the skills and competencies expected of them at every level and, therefore, what is needed for success. The document now under discussion borrows liberally from State’s performance management criteria and incorporates FAS-specific knowledge and skill areas. I want to specifically acknowl- edge the work done several years ago by previous FAS AFSA working groups to develop these criteria. Considering the posi- tive and cooperative work between AFSA and manage- ment, I hope to be able to report on the final success of this initiative later in the year. Updated performance management criteria will go Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FAS VP. Contact: mark.petry@fas.usda.gov or (202) 720-2502 FAS VP VOICE | BY MARK PETRY AFSA NEWS a long way in providing the guidance we need to collec- tively articulate what success looks like in FAS. Secondly, I want to acknowledge management’s positive response to AFSA’s call to arms on strengthen- ing FAS’s esprit de corps. As a result, we are working on new initiatives designed to improve mentorship and to mandate more rigorous leadership requirements. All of these reforms to FAS’s professional culture will further strengthen our ability to field the best team to provide the services that our constituents need and deserve. n AFSAHonors 2015 Sinclaire Language Awards Recipients Foreign language proficiency is a vital skill in the work of the Foreign Service—for profes- sional development, as well as personal security and success at post. Each year, the American Foreign Service Associa- tion recognizes outstanding accomplishment in the study and utilization of difficult lan- guages and their associated cultures through the Matilda W. Sinclaire Language Awards program. AFSA established this program in 1982, thanks to a generous bequest from former Foreign Service Officer MatildaW. Sinclaire, who sought “to promote and reward superior achievement by career officers of the For- eign Service…while studying one of the Category III or IV languages under the aus- pices of the Foreign Service Institute.” Since the program’s incep- tion, more than $260,000 has been awarded to those Foreign Service members who have been recognized for their superior language skills. Any career or career-con- ditional member of the For- eign Service from the Depart- ment of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Foreign Commercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, Broadcasting Board of Gov- ernors or Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is eligible for the award. Candidates may be nom- inated by language-training supervisors at the FSI School of Language Studies, lan- guage instructors at field schools or post language officers. Recipients are selected by a committee comprising the dean of the FSI School of Language studies (or his or her designee) and representa- tives of the AFSA Governing Board and the AFSAAwards and Plaques Committee. Each winner receives $1,000 and a certificate of recognition. This year, the pool of nomi- nees was particularly diverse, with a majority of recommen- dations coming from overseas posts for the first time in the program’s history. We are pleased to announce the 2015 Sinclaire Award recipients, all of whom are AFSAmembers: Naomi Anisman, Hebrew Laura Burns, Albanian Michael Coker, Nepali Patrick Connell, Turkish and Greek Hannah Eagleton, Mandarin Chinese Neil Gibson, Japanese Torrey Goad, Mandarin Chinese Joely E. Hildebrand, Geor- gian Will Stevens, Russian Keren Yohannes, Arabic For more information on the Sinclaire Awards, please contact AFSA Awards Coordinator Perri Green at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700 or visit www.afsa. org/sinclaire. n —Marcy O’Halloran, Awards Intern