The Foreign Service Journal, June 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2019 49 AFSA NEWS AFSA Honors 2018 Sinclaire Language Award Recipients Proficiency in foreign languages is a vital skill in the work of the U.S. Foreign Service, not only for profes- sional development but also for personal security and success at post. Each year since 1982, the American For- eign Service Association has recognized the outstanding accomplishments of mem- bers of the Foreign Service in the study and utilization of difficult languages through the Matilda W. Sinclaire Language Awards program. AFSA established this pro- gram as a result of a bequest from former Foreign Service Officer Matilda W. 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.” Any career or career- conditional member of the Foreign Service from the Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Foreign Com- mercial Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Agency for Global Media or Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is eligible for the award. Recipients are selected by a committee comprising the dean of the FSI School of Language studies (or their designee) and the AFSA Awards and Plaques Com- mittee. Each winner receives $1,000 and a certificate of recognition. AFSA received a record 38 nominations for 2018, the largest number in the pro- gram’s history. The nominee pool was evenly divided by gender. This year’s recipients demonstrated a dedication to their chosen language and extraordinary skills by engaging in a wide variety of in-language activities, including participating in a Hungarian Christmas bazaar, visiting Jaipur and Vara- nasi to interact with Hindi- speaking people, immersing themselves in Chinese local cuisine, giving presentations to Road Scholars program participants, and putting in extra effort both in and out of the classroom to improve their language skills. The 2018 Sinclaire Award recipients are: Shawn C. Bush : Greek Jenny Curatola-Wozniak : Turkish Jenna Covucci : Mandarin Peter N. D’Amico : Hungarian Vivian O. Ekey : Amharic Joshua Johnson : Hindi Ethan Lynch : Urdu Jason Rubin : Mandarin Frederick Stokes : Turkish Vera Zdravkova : Mandarin This year, three honorable mentions were also selected: Carly Cohen : Russian Sarah Grebowski : Burmese Holly Miles : Russian 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. Nominations for the 2019 Sinclaire Awards are now being accepted; the deadline is Aug. 30. n AFSA is pleased to welcome to Kathryn Owens to The Foreign Service Journal and the AFSA publications team as manag- ing editor. Kathryn began her career as an acquisitions assistant at Potomac Books, then a Virginia-based publisher spe- cializing in such areas as mili- tary history and international affairs (and AFSA’s partner on distribution for the Inside a U.S. Embassy book). Soon finding her niche in editorial, design and produc- tion, she climbed the ranks The Foreign Service Journal Welcomes New Managing Editor to managing production editor before the company was acquired by University of Nebraska Press in 2013. Join- ing UNP as a project editor, she continued shepherding book projects through the production process. In late 2014, Kathryn returned to theWashing- ton, D.C., area as editorial and production coordinator at Georgetown University Press. There, she broadened her publishing experience through deeper exposure to design and production, and honed her editorial craft by preparing projects for copy- editors and revamping the GUP style guide. Kathryn holds a B.A. in English fromThe George Washington University and an M.A. in humanities from the University of Chicago, where she also earned an editing certificate. Kathryn lives inWashing- ton, D.C., and enjoys making pottery. She can be reached at owens@afsa.org . n