The Foreign Service Journal, October 2020

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2020 75 had also been available to me at that time. A true gem, it should be man- datory reading for any State Depart- ment employee planning and transitioning toward retirement. A longtime CIA veteran, Alison Pentz Bouwmeester worked in the private sector for several years before starting her own coaching firm to assist U.S. government employees transitioning from careers in public service. She follows a logical framework in her book, from an employee’s first considerations regarding transition and retirement, to the practical, financial, logistical, emotional and social changes one can expect. She provides excellent worksheets that guide employ- ees through various steps, not unlike simi- lar materials provided in the FSI courses. But the real strength of the book lies in the interviews and direct quotes pep- pered throughout in response to specific retirement and transition challenges. Coming from a group of accomplished State, intelligence community, military and national security professionals rang- ing in rank from FS-2 to SFS equivalent who have trodden this path before, these interviews are wise, poignant, compelling and informative. They are also humbling, when one realizes that the challenges of transition can be as daunting for the highest senior executives in the U.S. government as for midlevel employees. The human side of such stories gives Bouwmeester’s book an added sense of both emotional power and nuance at the same time. This book is not only good to read both before (even several years ahead of actual retirement) and during one’s transition, but also afterward, for one of its salient take- aways is that retirement is not one transition, but many. The inter- view subjects gracefully acknowledge that there are many steps on each path. The book is also meant to be reread, shared and discussed with colleagues— another test of a good read. Reading it brought back wonderful memories of service, tremendous colleagues, incom- parable life and work experiences, and gratitude for the oath that we all took at our swearing-in ceremony. Other State employees planning their transition and retirement may reflect, too, on having served our great country in one of the finest organizations and most important missions in defending it. Bou- wmeester has done the national security, diplomatic and intelligence community a great service in writing this book. n Kenneth Dekleva, M.D., is currently an asso- ciate professor of psychiatry at the Univer- sity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. He served in the State Department as a regional medical officer/psychiatrist from 2002 through 2016, retiring at the rank of Minister-Counselor. The real strength of the book lies in the interviews and direct quotes peppered throughout in response to specific retirement and transition challenges.