The Foreign Service Journal, October 2004

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 5 “The treasure of love is found on no chart,” as the old song tells us. Do you care about the future of the Foreign Ser- vice? Do you care about the well-being of your colleagues and their families? Can you write well? Do you enjoy the give-and-take of sharp debate? Do you enjoy solving individual problems? Are you a good listener? Then I have a great job for you that even your best friend, your CDO, won’t talk about. If you are a Foreign Service member transferring in 2005, AFSA has some plum jobs that you will not find on any vacancy list. These jobs are those of AFSA president and the constituency vice presidents. AFSA has a great professional staff and enjoys the support of its 13,000 members worldwide; much of its suc- cess, however, depends on members stepping forward to serve on its Governing Board. Those positions will turn over again in July 2005. Elections to fill them will start with nominations this autumn. This column discusses the AFSA president position. For information on AFSA’s vice president jobs at State, USAID, FCS and FAS, or for retirees, contact the incumbents or AFSA’s executive director (their names and e- mail addresses are in the “How to Contact Us” box on p. 2 of AFSA News ). In addition, anyone interested in serving on the AFSA Governing Board, but not ready to commit to a senior AFSA leadership job, may run for one of AFSA’s 14 constituency rep- resentative positions, or the secretary or treasurer slots. The AFSA presidency is a full-time position with responsibilities similar to those of an assistant secretary. Although there is no explicit grade requirement, the advocacy, negotia- tion, and public outreach skills are those demanded of a Senior Foreign Service employee. The AFSA presi- dent deals directly with senior officials at State, USAID, FCS, FAS and IBB; briefs members of Congress and their staffers; gives on-the-record interviews to national media; speaks before a range of groups (student, professional, business); and has frequent represen- tational duties. The job has a significant leadership component, as well. The AFSA presi- dent directs a 26-member professional staff, monitors annual operating expen- ditures of $3 million, oversees trust funds (e.g., scholarships) exceeding $5 million, and interacts with members worldwide. The AFSA president, with the advice of the Governing Board, sets tone and policy for the association. Like a chief of mission, he or she needs clear goals and priorities, whether on workplace, legislative, or professional matters, such as upholding the pride of our profession. The president’s first job is fighting for AFSA’s 13,000 mem- bers. When AFSA presidents speak, they speak not on behalf of the Department of State, but the men and women of the Foreign Service. In other words, the job offers the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of your colleagues and their fami- lies. AFSA’s staff and officers work hard. They do so with a sense of com- munity, enthusiasm and conviction that AFSA is a force for good. Who Can Run? Who can be AFSA president? Any member of the career Foreign Service who is a dues- paying AFSAmember and who has not served in certain positions with respon- sibility for formulating personnel poli- cies within two years of taking AFSA office. For further information on these limitations, contact AFSA General Counsel Sharon Papp at papp@afsa.org. How is the position filled? The AFSA Election Committee has put out a formal call for nominations in this issue of the Journal . Candidates may run individually or in slates with candi- dates for other AFSA Governing Board positions. After worldwide bal- loting this winter, the winner will be announced next spring. After two years as an AFSA officer, I do not plan to run for re-election. How can you find out more? Contact me at limbert@afsa.org o r (202) 338-4045, ext. 502, or AFSA’s executive director, Susan Reardon, at reardon@afsa.org or (202) 338-4045, ext. 505. We pledge not to reveal iden- tities of potential candidates to other candidates or to anyone else. P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS Your Union Needs You B Y J OHN L IMBERT John Limbert is the president of the American Foreign Service Association.