The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2011

A F S A N E W S 42 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 1 1 2011 AFSA OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNERS “I hadn’t lived more than 20 miles from home until I joined the Foreign Service,” Ann Rehme remembers. Obviously, that has changed. Ann Rehme, this year’s recipient of the Delavan Award, is an office management specialist powerhouse. “No task is too large or too small” seems to be her credo. And equally important, “If there is no fun, there is no Ann,” she says with a laugh. When Rehme was in her mid-20s, working for an agricultural trade associa- tion, her supervisor suggested she join the Foreign Service. At the time, Ann wasn’t ready to leave home. Ten years later, her former supervisor sent her an ad from the International Herald Tribune to join the Foreign Service. She contact- ed him and he said, “You are well-suited for the Foreign Service. Give it a try.” He was right. According to Helen La Lime, deputy chief of mission in Pretoria, who nominated Rehme for the award, “Every once in a while an enterprise has the good fortune to be graced with an indispensable person who ensures the organization reaches its ultimate potential. At Embassy Pretoria, that person is Ann Rehme, who delivers day after day.” Rehme approaches her job —OMS to a hard-charging, dynamic ambassador —with a customer service attitude, sub- stantive knowledge of how the department works and a belief in the importance of forging good partnerships. “I am cus- tomer service-oriented, and a very resourceful person. If I don’t have the answer to some- thing, I find it. People soon learn they can depend on me,” says Rehme. Organizational skills were in great demand with the World Cup, an event of global proportions, coming to South Africa. La Lime points out that “Ann’s professionalism and energy made her supremely effective, and compounded exponentially the effectiveness of everyone around her. She handled with perfect aplomb the demands of the World Cup, the visit of Vice President Joe Biden and several visits to Washington by South Africa’s president and several foreign ministers.” The Delavan Award not only recognizes an individual’s professionalism and effectiveness, but also his or her contribu- tion to morale. The front office in Pretoria is staffed by Rehme, three seasoned OMSs and four OMS first-timers. Rehme appreciates the role she has taken as a mentor and sounding board for her new colleagues, by stating: “I listen to their concerns and questions and provide guidance and answers whenever I can. If they can’t come to me for help, what example would I be setting?” La Lime concurs: “Ann has a won- derful ability to reach out and to listen to people’s concerns. Regardless of how busy she is, she takes the time to answer questions and assist and mentor officers and OMSs. Her calm, open demeanor builds morale, and her wry sense of humor makes the office a fun place to work.” Her focus on morale goes beyond the office. Whether host- ing Marines in her home or finding families to host Peace Corps Volunteers during the holidays, Rehme strives to serve the broader community. Says La Lime, “She takes on sponsor- ing medevac patients here from neighboring posts, ensur- ing they have what they need and can get to where they need to be. She is so in tune with the community that the ambassador looks to her first for counsel on reaching out both to Americans and South Africans.” Looking back on her deci- sion to join the Foreign Service later in life, Rehme says: “I think waiting to join the Service has allowed me to better appreciate the experience and wisdom I have gained. I am grateful to Thomas J. Brennan, currently serving in the Foreign Commercial Service in Baghdad, for steering me toward this career. When, as my supervisor, he first mentioned it to me, all I could think of was, ‘Why is he trying to get rid of me?’” The Nelson B. Delavan Award FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICE MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST Ann Rehme Ann Rehme (rear) joins Elizabeth Caruso Powers (left), and her daughter, Maggie, at the embassy’s 2010 FIFA World Cup pep rally held in June 2010. “Every once in a while an enterprise has the good fortune to be graced with an indispensable person who ensures the organization reaches its ultimate potential. At Embassy Pretoria, that person is Ann Rehme, who delivers day after day.”