The Foreign Service Journal, September 2017

62 SEPTEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSAAwards Honor Foreign Service Excellence AFSA’s 49th annual awards ceremony took place on June 20 in the Department of State’s Dean Acheson Auditorium, where more than 300 guests gathered to recognize Foreign Service excellence. It was an inspirational occasion, where the hon- orees for lifetime contribu- tions, constructive dissent and exemplary performance showed themselves to be the kinds of Foreign Service leaders that our profession needs and is uniquely adept at creating. Twelve award recipients and three runners-up were highlighted for their outstand- ing work; please see addi- The 2017 AFSA Constructive Dissent and Exemplary Performance Award winners and runners-up, from left: Thomas Wong, Diane Corbin, Michael Murphy, Ambassador (ret.) Nancy Powell, Aubrey Dowd, John Wood, René Gutel, Maria Barrón, Elzar Camper, Wendy Brafman, Henry Throop, Christina Le, Ambassador Tulinabo Mushingi, Mariju Bofill and Cecelia Choi. tional coverage on each of them beginning on page 76. In opening the ceremony AFSA President Ambas- sador Barbara Stephenson spoke of the privilege that AFSA feels “in recognizing the dedication, patriotism and sheer excellence of the professional career Foreign Service.” She acknowledged the five former recipients of the Award for Lifetime Contribu- tions to American Diplomacy who were in attendance— Senator Richard Lugar, Stu Kennedy and Ambassadors Bill Harrop, Rozanne Ridg- way and Ruth Davis—and the presence of most of the Foreign Service leadership at State and USAID. Among those showing their appreciation of the recipients and their achieve- ments were Under Secre- tary of State for Political AffairsTom Shannon, acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Bruce Wharton, USAID Coun- selor Tom Staal, Assistant Secretary Daniel Smith, and acting Assistant Secretar- ies Stu Jones, John Hef- fern, Peter Barlerin, Virginia Bennett, Bill Miller, Justin Siberell and Mark Taplin. The afternoon’s first award was for Lifetime Contributions to Ameri- can Diplomacy. This year’s recipient, Ambassador (ret.) Nancy J. Powell, received a standing ovation in honor of her exemplary career. From humble begin- There is no better testament to the excellence and expertise of the Foreign Service than the stories of these [awards recipients] and their contributions to our national security. —Ambassador (ret.) Nancy J. Powell AFSA/TOYASARNOJORDAN AFSA NEWS THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION