The Foreign Service Journal, September 2022

AFSA NEWS 72 SEPTEMBER 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA Welcomes New Staff Members AFSA is pleased to welcome two new staff members: Hannah Chapman, our new membership coordinator, and Lola Michel-Infante, who previ- ously worked as an intern for AFSA and now joins the team full-time as communications and educational outreach coordinator. A Northern Virginia native, Han- nah graduated from Virginia Com- monwealth University in Richmond, Va., in 2019 with a bachelor of arts degree in English and a bachelor of science degree in health science. During her time there, she worked on extracurricular projects in event management, content creation and social media management. In 2017 she spent a semester abroad at Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia, which sparked her interest in foreign affairs and life abroad. After graduation, Hannah taught English at an elementary school in Busan, South Korea, for two and a half years amid the coronavirus pandemic. She honed her abilities in leading Zoom classes and structuring lessons for third through fifth graders, as well as debate and speaking programs for middle and high schoolers. The experience taught her a lot, including the Korean language and cuisine, which she loves. Having returned from Korea in March, Hannah is excited to serve AFSA’s almost 17,000 members around the world and get to know D.C. better. She enjoys crafting handmade ceramics, seeing music performed live, reading and perfecting her banana bread recipe. Hannah can be reached at chapman@afsa.org. Lola, who originally hails from Washington, D.C., received her bach- elor’s degree in Spanish and global liberal studies with a concentration in politics, rights and development from New York University. She then completed a master’s degree in international relations from NYU. During this time, she explored many facets of international law and diplomacy and received the Outstanding M.A. Thesis Award for her work on the role of local grievances and global political opportunity structures in the evolution of violent separatist organizations in Spain. Lola began her professional work with AFSA as an intern and later as a part-time communications assistant. She has supported the team across research, drafting and outreach projects related to communications and AFSA’s scholarships and awards program. She is excited to return to her D.C. roots and continue exploring and creating new memories in the city. Lola can be reached at michel@afsa.org . n Membership Coordinator Hannah Chapman. Communications and Educational Outreach Coordinator Lola Michel-Infante. Webinar Financial Planning for the Foreign Affairs Community On June 29, in its fourth webi- nar of the year on retirement preparation, AFSA hosted financial planner and retire- ment management counselor William Carrington of Car- rington Financial Planning, LLC, to present “Pathways to Financial Independence: Financial Planning for the Foreign Affairs Community.” The Foreign Service pension system, Carrington explained, is extremely well designed and provides an unusual level of financial security. “The typical financial rules of thumb do not apply to Foreign Service employ- ees,” he said. For example, retirement can begin sooner than in other professions, and many FS members buy real estate that they manage from overseas. Despite the challenges of uneven cash flows or the unpredictability of fam- ily member employment, those who actively maintain a financial plan throughout their relocations will find themselves well positioned when they return to the U.S. Tailored to active-duty personnel looking ahead to retirement, Carrington’s guidance touched on the most common problem areas for Foreign Service employees, how to lever- age technology to enhance advanced planning, pension comparisons (less than 20 years compared to 20 years or more) and home owner- ship. Members can view the video recording at afsa.org/ videos. n