The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2015 81 AFSA NEWS AFSA ON THE HILL Workforce Diversity: A Driver for Effective Advocacy Not too long ago, I read an article on how a diverse workforce spurs economic growth. The author argued that employees with different backgrounds help compa- nies market more effectively to diverse segments of the population. For a business, build- ing a diverse workforce is a financially savvy move. For an organization like the American Foreign Service Association, it is the key to a successful advocacy strategy. Our goal is simple: to leverage Foreign Service diversity to demonstrate that foreign affairs agencies are representative of the entire country, not just a select few. AFSA strives to educate lawmakers and staffers about their constituents’ contributions to American diplomacy. We explain how diverse workforce perspec- tives have improved the way U.S. diplomats understand and address regional and religious conflicts, promote U.S. exports and business interests abroad and foster security and stability through development and coopera- tion. By highlighting the many ways in which our diverse members are forging innova- tive and effective foreign policy solutions, we foster an understanding of how invest- ments in the Foreign Service are really investments in America. At the end of the day, our most effective advocacy is telling your stories. n —Javier Cuebas, Director of Advocacy On June 10, AFSA met with Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From left: AFSA Director of Advocacy Javier Cuebas, AFSA Retiree VP Larry Cohen, Sen. Cardin, AFSA President Robert J. Silverman, AFSA USAID VP Sharon Wayne and AFSA FCS VP Steve Morrison. Thousands Join AFSA’s Online Discussion Board Only a few months after the March launch of the Ameri- can Foreign Service Asso- ciation’s online discussion board, AFSA Community, the platform has grown to include more than 11,000 users (with nearly 300 writ- ten contributions so far). A 2014 membership sur- vey revealed a large demand for new and innovative ways to get involved. AFSA Com- munity is the association’s response to that call, with great potential to expand and become a dynamic medium through which AFSA members across the world can exchange advice, network and discuss topics around American diplomacy. The inaugural discussion forum, “AFSA 2015 Gov- erning Board Election and Bylaw Amendment,” allowed members to stay up to date with election news, read candidate statements and submit questions and com- ments directly to Governing Board hopefuls. After the election in June, AFSA converted the discus- sion to the “AFSA Open Forum” to spur conversa- tions on broader Foreign Service issues. Members may suggest discussion top- ics; and, if needed, separate forums may be created. If you haven’t already, AFSA asks that you please sign up for this new member benefit by logging into the members-only area of the AFSA website and clicking on “AFSA Community” in the blue navigation tab at the top of the page. (You must have a personal email address stored in your user profile to access the AFSA Community. Email addresses ending in “.gov” do not work.) Once you have logged into the AFSA Community page, join the “AFSA Open Forum” discussion to get started. Each user is required to agree to a basic set of guidelines for participation, in order to preserve a safe environment that encour- ages civil, fruitful dialogue. Please send questions and comments to mem- ber@afsa.org, with “AFSA Community” in the subject line. n —Natalie Cheung, Member Services Representative AFSA/JANICEWEINER