The Foreign Service Journal, June 2013

52 JUNE 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS On April 26, AFSA held an educational event on Capitol Hill for congressional staff, fellows and interns. The ses- sion, “Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Life of Challenges and Opportunities in the Foreign Service,” gave more than 30 attendees a unique opportunity to get to know Foreign Service representa- tives on a personal level. The event featured retired Ambassador Charles Ray as the keynote speaker, and a panel comprised of AFSA President Susan Johnson; Ken Kero-Mentz, president of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies; Elise Mel- linger, a Pearson Fellow and State Department represen- tative on the AFSA Governing Board; Steve Morrison, a Foreign Commercial Service representative; and Jason Singer, a U.S. Agency for International Development representative. Panelists shared their stories of living and working overseas. Morrison described how difficult it was to find help for a son with learning disabilities in a multilingual school system, while Kero- Mentz told attendees how he met his partner while working abroad. Johnson and Singer described what it was like for each of them to grow up as a child of Foreign Service parents, and how those experiences shaped their respective decisions to AFSA Goes to Capitol Hill BY SHAYE HUGGINS, AFSA STAFF become FSOs themselves. Amazingly, some audi- ence members seemed shocked to hear about the very real dangers and threats the panelists had faced every day while serving overseas. For example, Kero-Mentz was given a helmet and flak jacket to wear while serving in Baghdad. He also kept a personal weapon on the driver’s seat in case he was captured. The panelists’ anecdotes and discussion prompted insightful questions from audience members, some of whom expressed interest in pursuing a career in the For- eign Service. Others simply came to learn more about the different roles FS employees perform. This type of educational event is a key component of AFSA’s advocacy and con- gressional outreach efforts. It is instrumental in helping members of Congress and their staff better understand the realities and challenges that affect Foreign Service members and their families. The feedback from attendees has spurred AFSA’s advocacy department on to plan a similar event in September, in collabora- tion with affinity groups in Congress. Whether you are an active-duty or retired mem- ber of the Foreign Service, we are looking for compelling stories for our future event and invite you to share yours. Please contact advocacy@ afsa.org to find out how you can help. n PHOTOBYANNEWERNIKOFF (Left to Right) On April 26, AFSA President Susan R. Johnson, AFSA Governing Board State Representative Elise Mellinger, Ambassador Charles Ray, GLIFAA President and AFSA Governing Board State Representative Ken Kero- Mentz, AFSA Governing Board Foreign Commercial Service Representative Steve Morrison and AFSA Governing Board USAID Representative Jason Singer participate in AFSA’s educational event on Capitol Hill.