The Foreign Service Journal, September 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2016 77 AFSA NEWS AFSA Celebrates Strategic Writing: 2016 Kennan Award Every year, AFSA attends the graduation ceremonies of the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., to present the George F. Ken- nan Strategic Writing Award to a distinguished Foreign Service graduate. At this year’s ceremony on June 6, AFSA State Vice 2016 Kennan Award recipient Jennifer L. Davis (center) with AFSA State Vice President Angie Bryan and Brig. Gen. Darren Hartford. :AFSA/PERRIGREEN President Angie Bryan and Brigadier General Darren Hartford, the 29th Com- mandant of the National War College, presented the award to AFSA member and Foreign Service Officer Jennifer Davis for her paper “Congress, the Executive, and the Iran Deal: A Modern Example of the ‘Invitation to Struggle.’” Ms. Davis’ winning essay focuses on the significance of the executive and leg- islative branches working together when dealing with foreign affairs. Ms. Davis not only argues that the Found- ing Fathers intended this cooperation, but expresses a desire for more Foreign Ser- vice members to establish relationships with Congress to better explain the impor- tance of their work. Ms. Davis chose to write about the cooperation between the president and Congress after working with Secretary of State John Kerry and former Under Sec- retary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman. Both emphasize the importance of connecting with Congress to improve foreign relations. Thanks to these wonder- ful mentors, Davis says, she learned throughout her career that collaboration, communication, flexibility and “a heart that wants to learn and grow” are all impor- tant attributes for an FSO. Ms. Davis expressed her gratitude to her colleagues for choosing her essay for the George Kennan award. “I was surprised,” she says. “To be given an award by my colleagues for something I’ve written is thrilling.” Joining the Foreign Service in 2003 following a career as a corporate attor- ney, Ms. Davis has served in Mexico City, Brussels and Bogota, as well as in Wash- ington, D.C. She is married to FSO Nick Harris and is the proud mother of two boys. For her thoughtful and well-written paper, Ms. Davis received an award of $1,000 for the purchase of scholarly books. For more informa- tion on the George F. Kennan Strategic Writing Award, please visit the AFSA website, www.afsa.org/kennan. n —Eunice Ajayi, Awards Intern AFSAGoverning Board Meeting, July 6, 2016 Reaffirmation of AFSA Committee Membership: On a motion from AFSA Secretary Bill Haugh, the board unanimously accepted the membership and reaffirmed the mandate of the four standing committees listed in the AFSA bylaws, namely (1) the Elections Committee, (2) the FSJ Editorial Board, (3) the Scholarship Committee and (4) the Constituency Standing Committees. On a motion from AFSA Secretary Bill Haugh, the board confirmed the membership and mandate of the Gov- ernance Committee, the Executive Committee and the Finance, Audit and Management Committee. On a motion from AFSA Secretary Bill Haugh, the board agreed to consider the requirements and membership of the AFSA Political Action Committee at a later date. n