The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

2 AFSA NEWS • JULY-AUGUST 2004 AFSA NEWS BRIEFS AFSA President Back from Iraq AFSA welcomes back John Limbert, who returned in late May from a 3-month assignment to Iraq. Given his experience and language abilities, we were not surprised he was called for a second short-term assignment in Iraq. He was missed at AFSA headquarters and we’re glad he’s back at the helm. We hope someday he will be at liberty to tell us all exactly what he and his team were doing in Iraq! Membership at All-Time High As of early May, AFSAmembership had reached an all-time high of 12,728. Active-duty members account for 68 percent of the total, and of those, 33 percent are specialists. Retiree Fun in the Sun Event In May, the Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida host- ed a three-day weekend gathering in Key West for Foreign Service retirees and family members. Over 80 people attended, most of them coming from around Florida, with a few fromVirginia and Georgia. Programming for the weekend was deliberately kept to a minimum so people could spend most of their time socializing and reconnecting with old friends. There was a dinner at which Under Secretary Marc Grossman was scheduled to speak, but because he had to travel out of the country, a replacement was found: Washington Times correspondent Nicholas Kralev, who recently completed an eight-part series on the Foreign Service for his paper, addressed the group. FSRA has about 850 members, and meets five times a year in different Florida locations. The group runs three Elderhostel pro- grams each year, helping educate the public about the Foreign Service. The FSRA published a book of Foreign Service stories last year, Serving America Abroad , available through XLibris at www.xlibris.com or (888) 795-4274, ext. 276. Time to Donate to BOOKFAIR AAFSW needs your donations for BOOKFAIR — an annual October event for 44 years. Artwork, books in good condition, stamps and coins are all gratefully accepted. Handicrafts from around the world are especially wel- come, as such items are highly popu- lar and sell quickly. To donate: Pick-ups in the Washington area can be arranged by calling Virginia Jones at (202) 223-5796. Donations may be dropped off in the Truman Building at the bookroom, now located in B816, Monday through Friday from noon to 2 p.m. From overseas, donations may be pouched to the AAFSW BOOKROOM, Room B-816 Main State. Briefs • Continued on page 12 Life in the Foreign Service BY BRIAN AGGELER, FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER “IT’S A PERFECTLY FINE EVALUATION, BUT I JUST DON’T KNOW IF IT’S THE KIND OF THING THAT WILL GET YOU PROMOTED....” Staff: Executive Director Susan Reardon: reardon@afsa.org Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Steven Tipton: tipton@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Labor Management Attorney Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Advisor Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov USAID Office Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: asigfusson@usaid.gov Grievance Attorneys Charles Henderson: hendersonch@state.gov an d Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov Law Clerk Marques Peterson: petersonmo@state.gov Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Representative Cory Nishi: nishi@afsa.org Web site & Database Associate Meijing Shan: shan@afsa.org Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Outreach Programs Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Congressional Affairs Director Ken Nakamura: nakamura@afsa.org Corporate Relations/Executive Assistant Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org AFSA E-MAIL: afsa@afsa.org AFSA NEWS: afsanews@afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: limbert@afsa.org STATE VP: cranelk@state.gov RETIREE VP: jones@afsa.org USAID VP : wcarter@usaid.gov FCS VP: charles.ford@mail.doc.gov FAS VP: Laura.Scandurra@usda.gov AFSA News Editor Shawn Dorman : dorman@afsa.org (202) 338-4045 x 503; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/news How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: John W. Limbert STATE VICE PRESIDENT: Louise K. Crane USAID VICE PRESIDENT: Bill Carter FCS VICE PRESIDENT: Charles A. Ford FAS VICE PRESIDENT: Laura Scandurra RETIREE VICE PRESIDENT: George F. Jones SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Danny Hall STATE REPRESENTATIVES: Pamela Bates, Cynthia G. Efird, Scot L. Folensbee, Raymond D. Maxwell, John C. Sullivan, Jim Wagner USAID REPRESENTATIVE: Thomas Olson FCS REPRESENTATIVE: William Crawford RETIREE REPRESENTATIVES: Gilbert Sheinbaum, David E. Reuther, Theodore S. Wilkinson, III, Stanley A. Zuckerman IBB REPRESENTATIVE: Alex Belida FAS REPRESENTATIVE: Michael Conlon