The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

JULY-AUGUST 2004 • AFSA NEWS 7 Delavan Award FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST Jenny A. Jeras S erving as management section office management specialist in one of the most difficult posts in the world, Embassy Kabul, Jenny Jeras is called the “community’s heart and soul.” She sits at the “nerve center” of embassy operations, and with professional competence and unflappable reserve, she is the key player in coordinating between various units of the embassy and in properly routing requests and information. Faced with the reconstruction of the embassy compound, daily security threats and a continual stream of high-level visits fromWashington, Jeras has been instrumental in coordinating the embassy’s many sections. As the post housing coordinator, she created a highly efficient operation tailored for the complex situation. She handled the support for over 100 long-term resi- dents of the compound’s shipping-container housing units, and she ran a 30-bed “hotel” for temporary visitors who were arriv- ing and departing daily. Jeras turned her office into the embassy publication center, proving her- self highly skilled at preparing useful documents. These included a laminat- ed pocket version of the ambassador’s mission statement, sophisticated morale-building certificates of appre- ciation and bound briefing books. She also took on the production of an embassy newsletter, another morale-building publication. In another helpful outside-the-job-description activity, Jeras created a functional “gift shop” in her office, where visitors and residents can find souvenirs that they may not be able to shop for on their own. Recognizing that in an environment as potentially isolating as Kabul, an unaccompanied post, the holidays can pose unique challenges and hardships, Jeras organized huge Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. These events were held in three sittings each, and all 200 attendees at both dinners were brought a bit closer to home because of the holiday spirit and hard work of Jeras and her team of volunteers. Through her strong professionalism and outstanding morale- building skills, all the more important at a post dealing with complete reconstruction of the embassy compound, rapid expansion of personnel, a dangerous environment and the demands of being a “must visit” post for much of Washington, Jenny Jeras met and exceeded the criteria for the Delavan Award. Jeras was born in Buffalo and now calls Las Vegas home. She joined the Foreign Service in 2000. Prior to Kabul, she served in Berlin. Delavan Award FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST Mary Jo Fuhrer A s office manage- ment specialist for the ambas- sador at Embassy Luxembourg, Mary Jo Fuhrer provided criti- cal assistance to the ambassador and oth- ers. Her nearly two decades of Foreign Service experience was an asset to the entire mission. The ambas- sador, the deputy chief of mission and others at post regularly consulted her on many different issues, including issues well outside the realmof “normal” OMS responsibilities. “Embassy staffing and resources had been neglected for so long that this post was simply not equipped to handle a full-time, high-energy, results-oriented ambassador,” according to Fuhrer’s nominator. “When Fuhrer arrived, post was in a state of disarray.” With rare skill and grace, she took charge of the front office and quickly grasped the ambassador’s preferences and earned his trust. She set up procedures where they were lacking. She defined how requests for meetings with the ambassador would be handled, and chaired an important weekly scheduling meeting to determine which events would go on the ambassador’s calendar. She also took responsibility for determining what briefing papers were needed by the ambassador andmade sure he got what he needed. The DCMdescribed her as the ambassador’s special assistant, as well as his OMS. She played a vital role in coordinating 15 high-level visits, including visits by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe General James Jones, and others. Fuhrer is an outstanding writer, and regularly reviewed docu- ments for substance, style and accuracy. She drafted talking points for the ambassador’s use at the country team briefing for Speaker Hastert. While handling numerous tasks, both within and outside her job description, she created an office environment where every employee feels welcome. She possesses an infectious positive attitude and was credited with doing the most to improve post morale. “Fuhrer’s performance, dedication and contributions to Embassy Luxembourg have been extraordinary by any measure,” says her nominator. The daughter of a retired Senior Foreign Service officer, Fuhrer grew up in Asia and South America. She joined the Foreign Service in 1986 and met her future husband, U.S. Marine Corps 1st Sgt Kevin Hodgkins, at her first post, Lima. She went on to postings in Nassau, Niamey and Washington. In Washington, she has served most recently in the office of the under secretary for political affairs, and has also served as OMS to the assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific and in the office of performance evaluation. She has a B.B.A. from Marymount University. AFSA’S 2004 EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNERS Jenny Jeras, 11 hours into a typically long day at the office in Kabul. Above: Mary Jo Fuhrer with her husband, Kevin, in 2002. Below: Fuhrer with her father, retired SFS officer John Fuhrer, in 2003.