The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2010

July marks the halfway point for the 2009-2011 AFSAGoverning Board. Our overarching goal, as described in my first President’s Views column last September, con- tinues to be making AFSA a “stronger, more effective and more credible voice of the Foreign Service, better able to represent, pro- tect and advance our professional in- terests.” Toward that end, the board ap- proved four key objectives: securing resources and protecting benefits, in- creasing AFSA’s voice in policy devel- opment, improving the image of the Foreign Service, and improving AFSA’s internal operations. In addi- tion, as your president I remain com- mitted to ensuring that AFSA supports and represents all five of our member agencies. We are one team in word and action. As our first year draws to a close, we have made measurable progress on several of these fronts. For instance, I am proud that we are implementing overseas comparability pay in a very tough fiscal and economic environ- ment. Election reform is a top priority and must be in place before next year’s process begins. We are working with the Department of Labor to ensure that all candidates have equal access to voters and to clarify the responsibil- ities and authorities of the AFSA Elections Committee. Our goal is electronic voting, but we are not yet in a posi- tion to adopt it. At a minimum, we hope to gain approval for sending bal- lots to members electronically even if they have to be mailed back. The Governing Board has approved a major investment in upgrading our IT capabilities, starting with a more user-friendly, functional Web site that improves our access to the business world and projects a more professional image. The new AFSA Facebook page already has nearly 2,000 fans and con- tinues to grow. To enhance AFSA’s public profile, we have launched two new initiatives. The AFSA Book Notes program spot- lights authors who have recently pub- lished books on topics related to diplo- macy. The AFSA-Lockheed Martin lecture series on promoting excellence in diplomacy has already featured for- mer Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, State Department Senior Adviser for Innovation Alec Ross and Representative Nita Lowey, D-N.Y. All these programs are being recorded by WETA and posted on its Web site. To ensure that AFSA has a voice in ongoing discussion of professional edu- cation and training requirements for 21st-century diplomats, AFSA has pro- vided a grant to the American Academy of Diplomacy’s project on diplomatic professional education and training, participates in the project’s advisory group and has formed its own focus group to gather active-duty input. We still have work to do to revitalize dissent, gain a greater voice on policy issues and review the current structure of labor-management relations. We are also moving to revitalize our post representative system, strengthen our domestic retiree network and support sister organizations such as AAFSW, ADST and DACOR, among others, as well as affinity groups within our mem- ber agencies. Above all, we are building a more open and sustained dialogue with our members on issues such as linked as- signments, incentives, implementation of up-or-out policies, support for fami- lies, unaccompanied tours, balancing security and the diplomatic mission, ex- peditionary diplomacy, professional ed- ucation and training needs, mid-level staffing gaps, and policies governing post-retirement federal employment for Foreign Service members. Please join us by contributing your ideas on the issues that you think are important for our diplomatic and de- velopment services. I look forward to hearing from you at President@ afsa.org. ■ Susan R. Johnson is the president of the American Foreign Service Association. P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS A Midterm Report Card B Y S USAN R. J OHNSON J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 5