The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2013 51 AFSA NEWS RETIREE VP VOICE | BY MEG GILROY Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA Retiree VP. To be perfectly honest, when I retired at the end of 2009, service on the AFSA Govern- ing Board was not among the top 10 things to be accom- plished in the coming years. Reflecting on my tenure, first as an appointed, and later as an elected member of the Governing Board, I realize how rich and rewarding—and frustrating—the past three years have been. It has been an honor to work with my Foreign Service colleagues on the board, the Professionalism and Ethics Committee, and AFSA’s pro- fessional staff. I have learned a great deal about how helpful AFSA can be when a retiree or grieving spouse of a retiree needs help with navigating the department’s RNet or recorded telephone menus. While I did not have the opportunity to travel during my tenure as retiree VP, I did get to know many retired AFSA members virtually— particularly those who offer their time and consider- able energies to organiz- ing regional foreign affairs groups and promoting the Foreign Service far outside the Beltway. My moments of frustra- tion have come from an overwhelming sense of “déjà vu all over again.” Reading the farewell columns of my distinguished predecessors, Bob Houdek and Bill Farrand (and, I suspect, the distin- guished predecessors of those fine gentlemen), I see we have been addressing the same issues over and over for the past few years. Part of this is due to human nature: we each hear what we want to hear; we believe that people will act in certain ways; and find it hard to believe or even accept when they say or do something that we did not expect. n Results of AFSA’s 2013-2015 Governing Board Election Déjà Vu All Over Again The AFSA Committee on Elections is pleased to announce the results of the 2013-2015 AFSA Governing Board election. Board Officer Positions President: Robert Silverman Treasurer : Charles A. Ford Secretary : Robert F. Ritchie Retiree Vice President : Lawrence Cohen State Vice President: Matthew Asada USAID Vice President : Sharon Wayne FCS Vice President : Steve Morrison FAS Vice President : David Mergen Board Constituency Representatives Retiree Representatives: Marshall Adair, Tex Harris, David Greenlee, Edward Marks State Representatives : Clayton Bond, Everett “Alex” Copher, Todd Crawford, Chuck Fee, Ken Kero-Mentz, Elise Mellinger, Nancy Rios-Brooks, Sue Saarnio, Michael D. Thomas, Lillian Wahl-Tuco, David Zwach USAID Representatives : Jason Singer, Second Rep to be determined FCS Representative: Barbara Lapini FAS Representative: Rachel Nelson IBB Representative: Andre de Nesnera APHIS Representative: No eligible write-ins. The new Governing Board will appoint an eligible APHIS Representative.  Congratulations to all those who were elected, and to those who demonstrated their dedication to AFSA by declaring as candidates. n Full Coverage of AFSA’s Dissent and Performance Awards Will Appear in the September Issue of The Foreign Service Journal