The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2016 89 AFSA NEWS to address pervasive bias against women in the State Department Foreign Ser- vice. She was elected WAO president in 1975 and, during her tenure, WAO lobbied the department to remove some of the most basic barriers to women in hiring, promo- tions and assignments, and to provide training to help female officers advance their careers. Having served as a consular officer in Fukuoka, Japan, and in Tel Aviv, then as a political officer in Mum- bai and Islamabad, as well as assignments in Washington, D.C., Ms. Cooper retired from the Foreign Service in 1986. Following retirement, she worked as a professional staff member on a presiden- tial and several congression- al campaigns. Since joining the NWPC in 1988, Ms. Cooper has held leadership positions at all levels. She has represented California on the NWPC board since 2001. Accepting the award, Ms. Cooper spoke of the struggle women faced for equality at the time she joined the Foreign Service. “Women were not seen as leaders,” she stated, adding “the way you change that is to put more women in leadership positions.” AFSA congratulates Ms. Cooper on her wonderful achievement. AFSA encourages retiree members to stay connected to AFSA in retirement, wher- ever you may be. You may also consider joining the AFSA Speakers Bureau or your local FS retiree associa- tion. Why not email AFSA and tell us about your activities? Write to member@afsa.org. n —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor Marguerite Cooper (center) received the NWPC Lifetime Achievement Award from NWPC President Donna Lent (left) and Sherri Loveland (right), president of the California chapter. AFSA/GEMMADVORAK AFSA/GEMMADVORAK