The Foreign Service Journal, June 2004

I n lateMarch, AFSAmet with Secretary Powell, an annual tradition. AFSA used the opportunity to thank the Secretary for using the goodwill he enjoys in such abundance on the Hill to get the resources the department so sorely needs. The funds have been put to good use and have vastly improved the professional lives of Foreign Service members. AFSA then used the rest of the session to raise issues that have generated themost e-mail from its members over the past year or so. LOCALITY PAY : In response to AFSA’s request for a progress update on efforts to secure locality pay for FS-1 employees and below, the Secretary said we have to be patient. We told him that in our conver- sations with the Office of Management & Budget and on theHill, we havemade the point that the Foreign Service is already a pay-for-performance system. Powell said he will try again to persuade OMB to approvepayingWashington localitypay to everyone in the Foreign Service. T he American Foreign Service Association is proud toannounce the winners of the 2004 AFSA Awards. AFSA places great emphasis on these awards, which serve to recognize the intel- lectual courage and outstanding achieve- ment of our Foreign Service personnel. AFSA will confer its annual awards on Thursday, June 24, at 4 p.m. in the Benjamin FranklinDiplomatic Reception Room of the Department of State. Each award winner will receive a certificate of recognition and a monetary prize of $2,500. Everyone is welcome. To RSVP for the awards event, call (202) 338-4045, ext. 515. Formore information, callAwards Coordinator Barbara Berger at (202) 338- 4045, ext. 521. CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARDS This year’s AFSA awards for intellec- tual courage, initiative and integrity in the context of constructive dissent will be pre- sented to the following Foreign Service employees who demonstrated the courage to speak out and challenge the systemon a subject related to their work: The ChristianA. Herter Award , for a senior officer: Ronald Schlicher, CPA Provincial Coordinator, Baghdad. The WilliamR. RivkinAward , for a mid-career officer: Keith Mines, Embassy Budapest. The W. Averell HarrimanAward , for a junior officer: StevenWeston, Embassy Luxembourg. The TexHarris Award , for a Foreign Service specialist: Elizabeth Orlando, Consulate General Frankfurt. Runner-up: Susan Harville, Embassy Bangkok. EXEMPLARY SERVICE AWARDS These awards, which recognize exem- plary performance and extraordinary contributions to professionalism, morale and effectiveness, are: The Avis Bohlen Award , for a ForeignService familymemberwhose rela- tions with theAmerican and foreign com- munities at a Foreign Service post have done themost to advanceAmerican inter- ests: HeleneDeJong andDawnMcKeever, American Foreign Service Association • June 2004 Inside This Issue: NEWS BRIEFS ....................................2 AFSA WANTS YOU AS A REP ............3 FS FAMILY FEEDBACK ........................4 FCS NEWS...........................................6 FS HEALTH WATCH: MALARIA ..........7 MANDATORY RETIREMENT AGE .......8 AFSA NEWS AWARDEES TO BE HONORED AT JUNE 24 CEREMONY 2004 AFSA AWARD WINNERS Continued on page 3 ON THE SECRETARY’S AGENDA AFSA Meets with Secretary Powell Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy: Ambassador Richard Parker AFSA’s annual award for Lifetime ContributionstoAmericanDiplomacywill be conferred on Ambassador Richard Parker. SecretaryofStateColinPowellhas been invited to present the award. Last year’s recipient was former Secretary of StateGeorgeShultz, and the2002winner was Ambassador Thomas Pickering. Secretary Powell presented the awards to them. Previous recipients wereU. Alexis Johnson, Frank Carlucci, George H.W. Bush,LawrenceEagleburger,CyrusVance, David Newsom, and Lee Hamilton. (Look for the interviewwithAmb. Parker in the July Foreign Service Journal .) Continued on page 5