The Foreign Service Journal, May 2016

70 MAY 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL COURTESYOFSETONHALLUNIVERSITY From U.S. Ambassador to FS Ambassador On Feb. 23, AFSA Governing Board Retiree Repre- sentative and Ambassador (ret.) Patricia Butenis spoke to 35 graduate and undergraduate students at New Jersey’s Seton Hall University about the role of the Foreign Service in promot- ing and protecting America’s people, interests and values overseas. Her presentation, which included vignettes from her distinguished career, was part of AFSA’s concerted outreach effort to build a strong Foreign Service constituency across the United States. Amb. Butenis was the U.S. ambas- sador to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and Maldives, as well as deputy chief of mission in Islamabad and Baghdad. For her service in Iraq, Amb. Butenis received the Baker- Wilkins Award for Outstand- ing Deputy Chief of Mission in 2008. Amb. Butenis is a strong proponent of AFSA’s Speak- ers Bureau, and highly proac- tive in seeking opportunities to engage with the public in her home state of New Jersey. She has met with middle school and high school audi- ences, as well as students at her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. Amb. Butenis says she enjoys speaking with under- graduates who are interested in a Foreign Service career, and to answer their questions about the personal side of the job. She has found that students are interested in hearing about the challenges of raising a family overseas, serving in different cultures and whether you can bring pets on assignments Ambassador Pat Butenis addresses students at Seton Hall University. Ambassador Butenis meets students at Trenton Catholic Academy. COURTESYOFTRENTONCATHOLICACADEMY

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