The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2019

58 JULY-AUGUST 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Retirees Tour Muse Vineyards Two dozen Foreign Service retirees visited the Muse Vineyards in the Shenan- doah Valley on April 26. The vineyards are owned by Ambassador (ret.) Sally Grooms Cowal and her hus- band, Robert Muse. Amb. Cowal (pictured on left) led a tour, explain- ing the grape-growing and AFSA/JOHNNALAND AFSAWelcomes Newest Foreign Service Members On May 16, AFSA welcomed 57 members of the 152nd Specialist Class to its head- quarters in Washington, D.C. The class consists of 25 women and 32 men who are joining the Foreign Service as construction engineers, security engineering officers, medical provid- ers, couriers, information management specialists and more. Between them they speak 20 languages. They have some fascinating back- grounds: one member is a certified skydiver; another runs ultramarathons; still another rode a bicycle from California to Minnesota, raising $117,000 along the way to feed hungry children. Table hosts included Ambassador (ret.) Bob Beecroft, Mette Beecroft, Ambassador Piper Campbell and former Assistant Secre- tary of State for Diplomatic Security Greg Starr. More than 90 percent of the class chose to join AFSA. The following week, AFSA again opened its doors to welcome members of the 198th A-100 Class. The 28 women and 47 men of the class speak two dozen languages. Nearly 50 percent of them have prior U.S. government experience, and approximately one-third have prior experience at the State Department. Almost all of them have postgradu- ate degrees. Table hosts included AFSA Governing Board State VP Ken Kero-Mentz discusses the functions of AFSA in its dual role as a professional association and labor union. AFSA Secretary Ambassador (ret.) Tom Boyatt speaks with A-100 class members. The 152nd Specialist Class is sworn in. AFSA/DMITRYFILIPOFF members Roy Perrin, Deborah Mennuti, Ken Kero- Mentz and Jeff Levine. Welcome to the Foreign Service! n wine-making processes. Participants sampled the vineyards’ award-winning wines and enjoyed lunch and conversation. The event was a joint outing of the Foreign Affairs Retirees of Northern Virginia and the Foreign Affairs Retirees of Maryland and Washington. n AFSA/DONNAGORMAN STATEDEPARTMENT