The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2019

AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION 52 JULY-AUGUST 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA Welcomes Members Ahead of Foreign Service Day For the second year in a row, AFSA hosted a day of net- working and programming during an open house on May 2, the day before Foreign Service Day. Members were able to con- nect with colleagues and old friends while they waited for photographer Joaquin Sosa to take their free professional headshots. Association staff were on hand to answer ques- tions and share information and materials about mem- bership benefits, retirement services, The Foreign Service Journal, and outreach and advocacy. The newAFSA animated video on economic diplomacy was available for viewing and a station was set up with the FSJ archive avail- able for searches. Two food trucks parked outside during lunchtime: Smoking Kow BBQ and Scoops2U. AFSA provided coupons to visitors for a free ice cream from the latter. AFSA’s Director of Advo- cacy KimGreenplate and AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson hosted a seminar outlining AFSA’s advocacy work in Congress during the past year. Green- plate’s “Congress 101” talk described the state of play in today’s divided Congress, explaining the 2018 election outcome and discussing AFSA’s work with the congres- sional committees of juris- diction vis-à-vis the Foreign Service and with particular AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA AFSA General Counsel Sharon Papp and Labor Management Counselor Colleen Fallon-Lenaghan at AFSA’s Foreign Service Day reception at the U.S. Diplomacy Center. members of Congress. Amb. Stephenson shared AFSA’s specific initiatives on the Hill, explaining howAFSA appeals to different audiences there. She touched on how AFSA frames core diplomatic capability spending, how members of Congress utilize AFSA’s data and howAFSA is working to build a domestic constituency in support of the U.S. Foreign Service. They also debuted AFSA’s new video “Economic Diplo- macy: What Diplomats Do and Why It Matters”—read more about the video on page 60. Attendees received copies of AFSA’s Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations testimony, an advocacy vocabulary sheet and a template for writing letters to the editors of their local newspapers. Both active- duty and retired members were there, demonstrating broad interest in AFSA’s advo- cacy work. The “Tips and Best Prac- tices for Local Outreach” pro- gramwas based on our March survey of AFSA Speakers Bureau members. Christine Miele, AFSA’s manager of retiree outreach and engage- ment, joined forces with Pro- fessional Policy Issues Direc- tor Julie Nutter to share the results of the survey, which identified three key areas for discussion: finding speaking opportunities, presentation tips and best practices, and AFSA resources. Miele shared a list of organizations that often host speakers, and partici- pants offered ideas for other possible speaking venues. Participants discussed com- mon challenges and issues, such as why “preaching to the choir” is still important (our supporters are interested in what we have to say; they, too, need to understand the facts on the ground; and they can use AFSA talking points in their own outreach) and how to answer audience questions, such as “How can I help?” One participant told of inviting someone from her local Global Ties to pres- ent alongside her and share volunteer opportunities for hosting foreign professionals taking part in the International Visitor Leadership Program. The session also allowed participants to share creative tips for engaging audiences, such as using local handi- crafts from past posts and finding ways to relate what diplomats do to the lives of the people in the audience. Director of Advocacy Kim Greenplate outlines AFSA’s advocacy goals for the upcoming year. AFSA/DONNAGORMAN