The Foreign Service Journal, September 2014

58 SEPTEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS 1. Jon B. Clements, CEO of Clements Worldwide, presents the M. Juanita Guess Award to Mary Kay Cunningham. 2. Roberta Feldman, left, presents the Nelson B. Delavan award to Carol K. Backman. 3. Stephen Buck, Faith Duncan, Amb. Ed Peck and Robert Duncan. 1 3 2 Comparison and Evalua- tion System border security system as foreign assistance to Chad (and other countries vulnerable to terrorist activi- ties), operates without suf- ficient end-use monitoring. AFSA staff attorney Raeka Safai accepted the award on Pietrowicz’s behalf and read his words: “We are blessed to live in a country where com- plex ideas can be debated and celebrated”—a statement which seemed to resonate with each award winner at the ceremony.Aprofile of Nick Pietrowicz can be found on p. 61. In the last of the dissent awards, Deputy Secretary of StateWilliam J. Burns presented Ambassador Jonathan Addleton with the Christian A. Herter Award for a senior Foreign Service offi- cer. Calling Addleton’s dissent “inspirational,” Burns noted that he was not surprised by the ambassador’s nomination for the award due to his work around the world in the “hard- est places to be.” Addleton was the senior civilian representative for southAfghanistan, based in Kandahar. His belief that the State Department’s complex system for reviewing requests by Foreign Service personnel to speak and write is overly risk-averse and inhibits rapid responses led him to urge a systematic review of the department’s public affairs policy. On accepting his award, Addleton said, “My hope is that we’ll live in a world free of oppression”—in a reference to the plight of those in south- ern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan living under the influ- ence of the Taliban, an issue to which he hopes his award can draw more attention. A profile of Jonathan Addleton is on p. 59. Exemplary Performance Award Winners AFSA also presented awards for exemplary per- formance. The Avis Bohlen Award was established by Pamela Harriman in memory of the late Avis Bohlen, wife of the late Ambassador Charles E. Bohlen. Made possible by the Una Chapman Cox Foun- dation, it is given to an eligible family member of a Foreign Service employee whose relations with the American and foreign communities at post have done the most to advance U.S. interests. Ambassador Avis T. Bohlen, daughter of Avis Bohlen, presented this award to Kari Osborne . Osborne’s dedication and leadership energized Embassy Mexico City’s Charity and Activities Committee. Kari Osborne’s profile is on p. 65. Mary Kay Cunningham received the M. Juanita Guess Award from Jon Clements, CEO and chairman of Cle- ments Worldwide. The award, made possible by and named for the former owner of Cle- ments Worldwide, recognizes a Community Liaison Office coordinator who has demon- strated outstanding dedica- tion, energy and imagination. As CLO at Embassy Kabul, Cunninghamwas undaunted by the prospect of supporting some 5,000mission mem- bers. She created a supportive and positive environment in a difficult region. Mary Kay Cun- ningham’s profile is on p. 64. The Nelson B. Delavan Award for a Foreign Service office management specialist was given to Carol Backman. Backman used her outstand- ing computer skills at Embassy Ankara to improve the work- place’s overall effectiveness and boost morale. Carol Back- man’s profile is on p. 63. At the conclusion of the ceremony, old friends and colleagues reconnected and shared their experiences. As Stu Kennedy said, “We have to share history, and we have to think outside the box so as not to repeat history.” n —Aishwarya Raje, Editorial Intern Continued from page 57 AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA