The Foreign Service Journal, June 2023

AFSA NEWS AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION AFSA President on the Road AFSA President Eric Rubin traveled to Charlotte, N.C., on April 4 for a series of events. Ambassador Rubin was invited by recently retired FSO and former AFSA Gov- erning Board member Daniel Crocker, now director of the Dean Rusk International Studies Program, to speak at Davidson College. He moderated a speaking event with Ambassador (ret.) Marie “Masha”Yovanovitch before an audience of 200 students and community members. The two were introduced on stage by a first-year David- son student from Ukraine whose goal is to join her country’s diplomatic corps after graduation. After speaking, Amb. Rubin was able to visit a U.S. politics class on campus, while Amb. Yovanovitch vis- ited a class on international relations. Later, more than 50 people turned up at theWorld Affairs Council of Charlotte, where Amb. Rubin spoke on the topic of diplomacy in the 21st cen- tury. A recording of that event can be viewed at https://bit. ly/WACC-Diplomacy. On April 17, Amb. Rubin virtually joined an interna- tional politics class at Valen- cia College, based in Orlando, Fla., to speak to students about a Foreign Service career and AFSA’s role in promoting the importance of diplomacy. Nearly half of Valencia College’s student body claims Hispanic heritage, and many speak several lan- guages. Amb. Rubin pointed out that these skills pres- ent opportunities for young people interested in becom- ing diplomats. “One of the great strengths of our country is that we have so many people who are immigrants or children of immigrants or grandchildren of immigrants, who speak other languages and can bring that to the Foreign Service. That’s some- thing that we actually recruit for,” he said. A recording of the event can be found at https://bit. ly/VC-Rubin. n CALENDAR Please check www.afsa.org for the most up-to-date information. June 12 Time TBD Welcome Lunch for State LNA Class June 14 12-1 p.m. Lunch for Outgoing FAS Officers June 19 Juneteenth AFSA Offices Closed June 21 12-2 p.m. Final Meeting of the 2021-2023 AFSA Governing Board July 3-4 Independence Day AFSA Offices Closed July 10 FAS Global Attaché Conference at USDA July 15 2023-2025 AFSA Governing Board Takes Office July 18 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Youth Awards Ceremony and Reception July 19 12-2 p.m. First Meeting of the 2023-2025 AFSA Governing Board July 20 Time TBD Welcome Lunch for State Class September 4 Labor Day AFSA Offices Closed September 22 7:05 p.m. Foreign Service Night at Nationals Park THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2023 45 Ambassadors Eric Rubin and Marie Yovanovitch share the stage at Davidson College in North Carolina. NEWSOFDAVIDSON Ljubomir “LJ” Stambuk, president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, N.C., presents a certificate of appreciation to Amb. Rubin. WORLDAFFAIRSCOUNCILOF CHARLOTTE