The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2023

78 JULY-AUGUST 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA REPORT and provided AFSA and senior agency management with information that they could not have obtained them- selves, partly due to agency constraints in the use of demographic information. AFSA has built up an excel- lent reputation for conducting insightful surveys. State’s Bureau of Medical Services partnered with AFSA to conduct a survey on mental health in the Foreign Service, and the Overseas Briefing Center and the Administrative Bureau partnered with us on a survey on the myriad costs of pet transport in the Foreign Service, respectively. PPI also introduced the Advocacy Update newsletter to keep our members informed. With contributions from AFSA’s Labor Management Office, director of advocacy, vice president for retirees, and representatives, the newsletter is issued every four months to maintain a constant rhythm of disseminating infor- mation. This newsletter, along with articles in the FSJ , peri- odic town halls, and continuing consultations with employee groups, helps to keep mem- bers updated on organizational priorities. PPI continues to look for ways to increase the profes- sionalism of the Foreign Service by offering member events such as the very popu- lar EER writing session, featur- ing an assistant secretary as one of the speakers. We also ensured that, given it was a midterm election year, our members were reminded of the provisions of the Hatch Act and the Anti- Lobbying Act via AFSAnet messaging. The addition of a policy analyst to PPI staff has improved our capacity to assist members with issues related to the implementation of the Foreign Service Families Act, including our ability to send letters to landlords and companies informing them of the consequences of noncompliance with the law. We will continue to monitor the implementation of provisions regarding obtaining in-state tuition for Foreign Service members and dependents who meet domiciliary requirements, a potentially huge cost-saving measure for our members. AFSA 2022 award sponsors and recipients (from left) Christine Peterson, AFSA President Eric Rubin, Susan Johnson, Elisabeth Zentos, RaeJean Stokes, Michael White, Ambassador AnneW. Patterson, Steven May, Dr. Sushma Palmer, Benjamin Dille, Sharon Papp, Jon Clements, and Ambassador Charles Rivkin. Scholarships, Awards, and Plaques A FSA gave $399,500 in scholarships to chil- dren of AFSAmembers in 2023, and a similar amount in 2022. This total is split between merit scholarships and financial aid scholar- ships. No AFSAmembership dues are used in the AFSA Scholarship Program, which has disbursed more than $5 million to more than 2,500 students during the past 28 years. The AFSA awards program continues to honor exemplary performance and dissent in the U.S. Foreign Service. While the 2020-2021 awards ceremonies did not take place as usual because of the pandemic, in October 2022 we returned to a full in-person ceremony where we honored all winners from the previous three years. We also returned to in-person events for Foreign Service Day in 2023, including the first in-person memorial plaque ceremony since 2019. AFSA’s plaques now honor 321 individuals who died in service abroad. This year, we also unveiled a new plaque honoring those members of the Foreign Service who died after contracting COVID-19 while posted abroad. AFSA/CALEBSCHLABACH