88 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL role as America’s premier foreign affairs agency. He was, for instance, instrumental in getting Cox’s financial support for the American Diplomacy Project, the brainchild of retired Ambassadors Nicholas Burns, Marc Grossman, and Marcie Ries. Initially housed in the Belfer Center at Harvard’s Kennedy School, the follow-on project was supported by Arizona State University when Burns left Harvard to accept a position in the second Obama administration. Thanks to Lino’s recommendation, I was chosen to be the project’s executive director. e I will never forget Lino’s wry wit and ability to see the lighter side of things, even when times were dark, and I’m sure that everyone who knew him feels the same way. Lino Gutiérrez was one of those people who never needed public adulation for his work. He did what needed to be done because it was required and it was the right thing to do. His legacy will endure in the lives of those whom he quietly influenced. He was like a candle in a dark room, a gentle light that doesn’t overwhelm, whose power and impact are only truly appreciated when extinguished. On Oct. 11, 2023, Amb. Lino Gutiérrez addresses new State Department Foreign Service officers and specialists at AFSA HQ. AFSA/DONNA GORMAN Richard Boucher 1951-2025 “The Boucher Rules” Live On BY CAITLIN HAYDEN Caitlin Hayden was a civil servant at the State Department from 2001 to 2014. For nearly 20 years, a document has floated around the State Department that serves as a bit of a bible for aspiring spokespeople. The one-pager, written in green Times New Roman font (because its author always wrote in green ink), was titled “Richard Boucher’s Words of Wisdom.” It included 11 top tips from the department’s longestserving Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, who briefed from behind the podium for seven Secretaries: Baker, Eagleburger, Christopher, Albright, Powell, Rice, and Clinton. Richard’s voice was intertwined with U.S. foreign policy for decades until his retirement in 2009 with the rank of Career Ambassador, so it’s fair to say his thoughts on the topic were authoritative. I was privileged to be Richard’s senior staffer for six years, first in the Bureau of Public Affairs and then in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. These were dream jobs, truly. Crisscrossing the globe—in airplanes, helicopters, and up-armored SUVs—I spent endless hours with an experienced diplomat who was funny, humble, whip-smart, and consistently kind. He was
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