The Foreign Service Journal, September 2016

64 SEPTEMBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS change the culture of the Foreign Service and Civil Service. She also called on the State Department to step up efforts to promote equal opportunities for all races, ethnicities, ages, genders and traditionally under- represented minority groups. Amb. Davis underlined the critical importance of good leadership. “In order to have world-class diplomacy, we must have world-class diplomats—diplomats who understand that our success hinges on good leadership and that leadership is a privi- lege, not a right.” See page 24 for FSJ Editor Shawn Dorman’s interview with Amb. Davis and page 66 for her acceptance speech. CONSTRUCTIVE DISSENT AWARD Each year, AFSA’s unique constructive dissent awards honor Foreign Service per- sonnel who demonstrate the courage to speak out on an unjust or inefficient policy or practice and offer construc- tive alternatives. This year only one award, the William R. Rivkin Award for Constructive Dissent by a Mid-Level Officer , was presented. Introducing the award, Amb. Stephenson reaffirmed AFSA’s support for “principled constructive dissent as a core value of the Foreign Service” and noted that, with the recent—highly publicized—use of the State Department’s Dissent Chan- nel, it does not seem that the Foreign Service is backing away from dissent when necessary. The Honorable Robert S. Rivkin, son of the late ambas- sador for whom the award is named, presented the award to Jefferson Smith of U.S. Embassy Kuwait. This award, made possible by the Rivkin family, supports constructive dissent by mid-level FSOs. While in Kuwait, Mr. Smith wrote a thoughtful cable to the State Department requesting reconsideration of compensation standards for posts where prevailing practice is unfair to locally employed (LE) staff. Although unable to effect a worldwide policy change at this time, Mr. Smith’s efforts did secure a 22-percent sal- ary increase, as well as hous- ing and education allowances for LE staff in Kuwait. In accepting the award, Mr. Smith paid tribute to LE staff around the world, add- ing: “Rather than following an unfair labor market, we felt that the embassy should lead the way to better labor practices.” See page 36 for Mr. Smith’s article on dissent. EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARDS Dr. Sushma Palmer presented the Mark Palmer Award for the Advance- ment of Democracy to Mike Honigstein, currently of U.S. Embassy Kabul. The award was created in honor of her late husband, Ambassador Mark Palmer, who devoted his career to the promotion of democracy. In his remarks, Mr. Honig- stein recalled the uphill battle he and his colleagues led in Sri Lanka. “It seemed like every three months we moved the ball forward on human rights and democracy in ways everyone said was impossible until we actually did it.”Always optimistic, he insisted that with “patience a good plan, and hard work, we can make the world a better place.” Dr. Palmer also congratu- lated runner-up USAID FSO Steven Hendrix, currently posted in Ghana. Former AFSA President John K. Naland received the Achievements and Contri- butions to the Association Award , presented by AFSA President Ambassador Bar- bara Stephenson. Mr. Naland served two terms as AFSA president and one as State vice president; his leadership was crucial when AFSA was able to overcome legislative resistance to Overseas Com- parability Pay. Mr. Naland’s support continued after his AFSA presidency, as he drew atten- tion to matters of importance to our members in his role as director of the Office of Retirement. Toni Kula of U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo received the Nelson B. Delavan Award for an Office Management Specialist , presented by Amb. Thomas Boyatt. Made possible by the Nelson B. Delavan Foundation, this award recognizes the work of a Foreign Service OMS Awards Ceremony Continued from page 59 AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA Ambassador Kristie Kenney (left) and AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson (right) congratulate Ambassador Ruth Davis (center) on her achievement. AFSA/JOAQUINSOSA