The Foreign Service Journal, September 2015

70 SEPTEMBER 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS ATrue Visionary CONTR I BUT I ONS TO AFSA AWARD ANDREW WINTER “Andrew was a treasurer, an auditor and a finance person, but more than that, he was a visionary.” Thus the current treasurer of AFSA, Ambassador Chuck Ford, began his praise for the 2015 Contributions to AFSAAward recipi- ent, Ambassador AndrewWinter. Speaking at this year’s awards cer- emony, Ford trans- ported the audience to a criti- cal time of change for both the Foreign Service and AFSA as he described his predeces- sor’s exemplary performance as AFSA treasurer—an elected position Amb.Winter held for four consecutive terms from 2005 to 2013. As the State Department wrestled with how to respond to emerging global challenges (e.g., rising violent extremism, increasing operational risk, staffing for civilian recon- struction efforts, declining budgets), AFSA was simul- taneously evaluating how to best navigate the ensuing institutional headwinds. Thanks to Amb. Winter’s leadership, AFSA took a num- ber of steps to modernize so that it could more effectively advocate on behalf of and offer more and better services to its fast-growing membership. As chair of the AFSA Finance, Audit and Manage- ment Committee, Amb. Winter contributed directly to the extensive growth of the association’s invest- ment portfolio and provided counsel when AFSA sought outside experts to analyze its organizational structure. As a direct result, AFSA’s operat- ing budget increased by 25 percent and its professional staff by 33 percent. After placing AFSA on firm financial ground, Amb. Winter participated in the 2009 renovation of the AFSA head- quarters building—arguably the most substantial (and necessary) investment in the association’s history—to allow growth of its services and staff and to offer members improved space for meetings and events. The now 45-year mem- ber of AFSA also provided the budgetary support that propelled AFSA into the infor- mation age with a revamped website, improved IT service support, a new membership database and a redesigned, online-accessible Foreign Service Journal . In addition to his nor- mal fiduciary duties, Amb. Winter contributed to the AFSA Scholarship Fund and regularly offered advice on policy, labor management and congressional matters. Ford pointed to Amb. Winter’s success in shepherd- ing such transformation as a testament to his leadership and dedication to AFSA: “It’s just so impressive…the qual- Amb. Winter speaks with members of the 165th A-100 class at a February 2012 luncheon in his capacity as AFSA treasurer. AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA AFSAARCHIVES ity of the work that [Winter] brought, not only on the books, but to the staff and to the professionalism, and how the organization changed how it thought about itself and how it visualized its future… as the voice of the modern Foreign Service.” Amb. Winter spent 30 years with the Department of State, serving as ambassador to The Gambia, deputy assis- tant secretary for informa- tion management, executive director of the Bureaus of theWestern Hemisphere and African Affairs, and in posi- tions overseas in Ecuador, Finland, Brazil, Taiwan and South Africa. He now lives in Ecuador. n Amb. AndrewWinter at the AFSA awards ceremony. AFSA EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS