The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2006

M. Juanita Guess Award FOR A COMMUNITY LIAISON OFFICER Martine S. McKinnie T his year’s M. Juanita Guess Award goes to Martine McKinnie for her superb performance as community liai- son officer at Embassy Yaounde, which resulted in a dramatic improvement in morale among mission employees, their families and the American community. “Martine’s devotion to duty is without paral- lel,” explains the deputy chief of mission. “She seems to be everywhere at all times, organizing or assisting in an astounding number of morale- boosting programs, both official and private. Her outreach to the expatri- ate and Cameroonian com- munities has brought great credit to this mission.” She sees her highest pri- ority as welcoming newcom- ers and assisting them in get- ting settled and getting their bearings in Yaounde, a his- torically-difficult-to-staff 25- percent differential post. “As an experienced Foreign Service family member,” she says, “I know first-hand how stressful moving to a new environment can be on anyone. … It makes a world of difference to have someone assist in the crucial first days after arrival and during an entire tour.” McKinnie begins welcoming new employees and family mem- bers long before they arrive at post. “Many new employees have told me they have never felt so welcome upon arrival in a new community,” comments the deputy chief of mission. “I felt the same when I arrived.” Fluent in French and English, McKinnie has made a tremen- dous contribution to the post language program. The French- immersion trips she has organized have been particularly popular for helping staff and family members learn about and appreciate the culture of Cameroon. A weekly newsletter that McKinnie puts together serves as a great resource, including information for diverse interests. She is inclusive, and ensures that all members have holiday plans. “Martine made me feel welcome at a time when I was new to living at an American embassy,” says a Marine security guard. “She was so helpful, and that set the tone for the impression I got about the entire civilian community here in Yaounde.” A strong advocate for family member employment, McKinnie works to seek and support job opportunities inside and outside the mission. Ambassador Niels Marquardt describes McKinnie as “an indispensable actor both in building internal morale and in project- ing an appropriately inclusive public image for this mission.” Martine McKinnie grew up in Niger. She went to Paris for three years of secretarial training, and returned to Niamey, where she gained valuable private-sector experience working for several companies before going to work for the U.S. embassy as an office management specialist. She has accompanied her Foreign Service spouse, Robert McKinnie, for 19 years to Georgetown (Guyana), Kinshasa, Bogotá, Berlin, Dar es Salaam andWashington. The couple has three sons. The family will return toWashington this summer for a new assignment. 74 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 0 6 A F S A N E W S Delavan Award FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST Malgorzata “Gosia” Lamot B eyond her regular duties as the office management specialist for the deputy chief of mission, Malgorzata “Gosia” Lamot has made significant contributions to the entire embassy community in Kuwait. She generously shares her knowledge, skills and lifelong commit- ment to learning and exercise through spirited and relevant activities she organizes for embassy staff and family members. For enhancing the quality of life and learning at Embassy Kuwait, Lamot has been selected as the 2006 winner of the Delavan Award. Nearly 10 percent of Embassy Kuwait’s 500 personnel partici- pate in the popular program she runs during her lunch break every day. “The Healthy Living Lunch Break” promotes both physical and mental fitness as well as financial and social well-being. Four times a week, she leads a group-oriented athletic activity, such as walking, running or water exercises, enjoyed by a loyal following of locally-engaged staff, Foreign Service officers and family members. Wednesday’s lunch breaks are dedicated to promoting profes- sional development. Lamot targets each lecture to specific groups of employees or Eligible Family Members. Most of these work- shops aim to better familiarize employees with the Department of State and the embassy. For example, her talk on employment opportunities for spouses weighed the benefits and disadvantages of outside employ- ment versus embassy employ- ment as an Eligible Family Member. The sessions on “Intranet versus Internet” and “FSI Distance Learning” were so popular that she had to repeat them several times to accommodate the extraordinary demand from FSN and direct-hire personnel. During the 2006 winter school break, when options were scarce for organized activities for students, Lamot arranged a three-day Junior Diplomat Program for embassy youth between the ages of 12 and 15. In addition to field trips, the group met at the embassy and learned about the functions of the many elements of the U.S. mission to Kuwait and visited the ambassador’s residence. Lamot’s creative programs have contributed enormously to post morale. Her programs have prepared participants to make better career decisions, improve their performance, gain new skills and compete more effectively for promotions and awards. She also has boosted participants’ self-confidence, and encouraged them to share their knowledge and demonstrate their new skills to others. Kuwait is her second posting as an OMS, the first being Riyadh. Before joining the Foreign Service, Lamot was an EFM and worked as an overseas educational adviser during postings with her hus- band to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. She was born and educated in Poland and is a graduate of the Academy of Economics in Krakow. She and her consular officer husband, Charles Glatz, have three children. AFSA’S 2006 OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNERS These awards honor exemplary performance and extraordinary contributions. Lamot (right) with the junior diplomats at the ambassador’s residence in Kuwait. McKinnie, with the Embassy Yaounde Marine Detachment, delivering food and supplies to an AIDS/HIV orphanage.