The Foreign Service Journal, September 2013

70 SEPTEMBER 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS KENNETH KERO-MENTZ, STATE REPRESENTATIVE Ken joined the Department in January 2000 and has served in Rio, Washington, Berlin, Baghdad, Colombo, and is currently a Pearson Fellow in the o ce of Congressman David Cicilline, D-R.I. He also served a year as Kosovo desk o cer at the German Foreign O ce through the Fellowship of Hope program. In 2009, Ken was named AFSA Post Representative of the Year while serving in Berlin. He is also the president of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies. Ken married in Berlin in 2008. ELISE MELLINGER, STATE REPRESENTATIVE Elise Mellinger is a mid-level political o cer and cultural anthropologist. An FSO since 2003, she has served as a consular o cer in Mumbai, a political o cer in Jakarta and as a Cyprus desk o cer. After completing an FSI Economics Training course and serving on temporary duty as a visa o cer in Singapore, Elise is now at the Senate as a Pearson Fellow. She speaks Hebrew, Indonesian, Hindi and Korean. Married with one daughter, Elise is committed to working toward a professional Foreign Service which excels at diplomacy while allowing for work-life balance. NANCY RIOS-BROOKS, STATE REPRESENTATIVE Nancy Rios-Brooks is from Puerto Rico. Her husband, David Brooks, is a political o cer, are a tandem couple. She joined the Foreign Service in 2001 as a General Services o cer. Nancy has served in San Salvador, Managua, Lima, Sao Paulo, Bangui, Ouagadougou and Malabo. Nancy currently works for the Travel and Transportation Branch in the department. Before serving, she was an assistant profes- sor at Springfield College in Massachusetts. Nancy earned an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst in 1992. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese and has studied Polish and French. She and David have three children: Fernando, Jack and Elisabeth. SUE SAARNIO, STATE REPRESENTATIVE Sue Saarnio is a senior economic o cer with 27 years of experience in the Foreign Service. She most recently served as Minister Coun- selor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa responsible for the bilateral economic, trade, energy and environment relationship. She has served in Mexico, Panama and Nicaragua and Jerusalem. Prior to her govern- ment service, she worked as journalist. She is an advocate of flexible work arrangements and worked for four years in two different bureaus in job share arrangements. She is married and has two teenage children. MICHAEL D. THOMAS, STATE REPRESENTATIVE Michael has been a Foreign Service o cer and AFSA member since 1991, serving in Guyana, Portugal, Laos, India, and again in Guyana as deputy chief of mission. An FS-1 consular- cone o cer, he is currently director of the Special Issuance Agency. He has also worked in the Bureau of African Affairs and served on the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michael taught at the University of Sierra Leone's Institute of Public Administration and Management as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Michael’s family have experienced tropical diseases, surgery, pregnancy, birth, floods, termite infesta- tion, hostile surveillance, critical security threats, and medical and security evacuations while accompanying him abroad in service to our country. LILLIAN WAHL-TUCO, STATE REPRESENTATIVE Lillian Wahl-Turco is a mid-level consular o - cer who has served in Paris and Skopje, done a bridge assignment on the Iceland/Denmark desk, and is currently the Czech desk o cer in EUR/CE. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Balancing Act at State promoting work-life bal- ance issues. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Lilly worked in the nonprofit sector in refugee repatriation and at a World Affairs Council. She is married to a Civil Service o cer and has a son.