The Foreign Service Journal, June 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2017 51 AFSA NEWS Consent Agenda: The Governing Board approved the con- sent agenda items, which were: (1) the Mar. 1 Governing Board meeting minutes; (2) acceptance of the resignation of Retiree Representative Dean Haas. Minutes Approval Committee: With no objection, the board created a Minutes Approval Committee to review and approve Governing Board minutes before presentation to board mem- bers. State Representative TriciaWingerter, FCS Representa- tive Suzanne Platt and Retiree Representative John Limbert were appointed to the committee. Staff Matters: Executive Director Ian Houston thanked AFSAGovernance Specialist Patrick Bradley for his work and congratulated him on his new role as Labor Management Specialist. AFSA Awards: On behalf of the Awards and Plaques Com- mittee, State Representative Josh Glazeroff moved that the Governing Board approve the committee’s recommendations for the recipients of the 2017 AFSAAwards for Construc- tive Dissent and Exemplary Performance. The motion was approved. William R. Rivkin Award: Retiree Vice President Ambassador Tom Boyatt moved that the Governing Board approve the recommendation from the Rivkin family for the recipient of the 2017William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent by a mid-level officer. The motion was approved unanimously. The names and biographies of all award winners will appear in a future issue of The Foreign Service Journal . n AFSACongratulates Job Search ProgramGraduates On March 31, AFSA hosted a reception for graduates of the first Job Search Program of the year. AFSA President Ambas- sador Barbara Stephenson congratulated the class and thanked them for their years of service. She highlighted the impor- tance of a strong network and community in retirement, and noted that AFSA’s resources, including the Retiree Direc- tory, are some of the best ways to maintain and grow your connections to the For- eign Service family. Amb. Stephenson also encouraged JSP graduates to join AFSA’s campaign to educate others about what the Foreign Service does and why it matters. “You have lived this life, you know what it means. We need your voices,” she told the group. “You are the most effective voice for arguing that the Foreign Service is essential to continued Ameri- can global leadership.” Any Foreign Service gradu- ate of the program interested in sharing the story of the Foreign Service should con- sider signing up with AFSA’s Speaker’s Bureau. AFSA can provide talking points and other resources for retirees (and active- duty members) who speak at high schools, colleges and commu- nity groups. Switching from active-duty to retiree membership with AFSA is not an auto- matic process, so members approach- ing retirement should contact Member Services (member@ afsa.org) to ensure that they do not lose out on the ben- efits of being an AFSAmem- ber. Membership includes access to our online forum, dedicated retiree counsel- ing, a bimonthly newsletter and the Retiree Directory, as well as a subscription to The Foreign Service Journal. n —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson and James Benson, vice president of DACOR, welcome and congratulate graduates of the Job Search Program at a reception at the Foreign Service Institute on March 31. AFSA Member Services Director Janet Hedrick helps a Job Search Program graduate sign up for retiree membership. AFSA/GEMMADVORAK AFSA/GEMMADVORAK AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, April 5, 2017