AFSA NEWS 62 OCTOBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA Welcomes New Recruits FSJ Wins Awards The Foreign Service Journal won a Gold “Tabbie” Award in the category of “best special section” for “excellent interviewing and research” in the March 2022 edition on the Afghanistan evacuation. Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) presented the award. The TABPI announcement described the March FSJ as “a thorough and thoughtful examination” of the evacuation from Afghanistan, citing “powerful photos and storytelling.” The judges also congratulated the Journal on “producing the first map of its kind,” which was created in collaboration with cartographer Chad Blevins and details the evacuation flight paths taken out of Kabul after the city fell to the Taliban. The March issue included moving reflections from 29 FS members on the front lines of the evacuation effort, as well as an interview with an Afghan ally who worked for the U.S. as an interpreter and described his harrowing exit from the country. TABPI gave an honorable mention in the category of “best single issue” to the October 2022 FSJ on Ukraine, which featured articles by former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor; Rose Gottemoeller, who previously served as under secretary for arms control and international security at the State Department and deputy secretary general of NATO; and retired FSO Ken Moskowitz, among others. The Moskowitz article continues to draw readers, garnering thousands of clicks every month. In June, the FSJ was recognized with two EXCEL Awards. The March 2022 edition on the Afghanistan evacuation earned a silver in the category of “single topic issue,” while the June 2022 issue on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility received a bronze in the category of “diversity and inclusion initiatives issue.” The EXCEL Awards are hosted by Association Media & Publishing and recognize excellence and leadership in media for associations. n FSJ team members (from left) Kathryn Owens, Julia Wohlers, and Hannah Harari accepted two awards at the EXCEL Awards Gala on June 27 in Washington, D.C. At a series of events over the summer, AFSA was pleased to welcome new members of the Foreign Service and introduce them to the association’s work on their behalf. USAID’s Career Candidate Corps, class 36, which met with AFSA on July 12, was made up of 21 participants across eight backstops, with the largest subgroup consisting of five crisis, stabilization, and governance officers. These new USAID FSOs speak Arabic, Chamorro, Chichewa, Chinese, Farsi, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Korean, Lingala, Pashto, Portuguese, Pulaar, Punjabi, Spanish, Sotho, Swahili, Urdu, and Wolof. They have worked or studied in 57 different countries. Four already have experience working for USAID, while 15 have worked for the U.S. government in other capacities. The State Department’s joint Foreign Service Orientation 169-215 class of 230 members visited AFSA headquarters for lunch events in three groups on July 31 and Aug. 9. AFSA President Tom Yazdgerdi welcomed the new hires, outlined AFSA’s recent victories and current priorities, and took questions from the group. The class consisted of 116 generalists (26 consular, 23 economic, 22 management, 22 political, and 23 public diplomacy) and 114 specialists (with the largest subgroups made up of 48 Diplomatic Security special agents, 19 office management specialists, and 13 information management specialists). The group contained 32 Rangel Fellows, three Pickering Fellows, one Presidential Management Fellow, and seven former Consular Fellows. Forty-five are former State Department employees, contractors, or eligible family members, while 70 served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Languages spoken include the six official languages of the U.N., as well as Afrikaans, Bahasa Indonesia, Bangla, Belarussian, Cantonese, Czech, Ewe, German, Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Pulaar, Punjabi, Portuguese, Romanian, Samoan, Swahili, Tajiki, Persian, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, and Yoruba. Among the class members are commercial pilots, a certified barbeque judge, and a competitive baton twirler. One individual starred in a Thai television series and Bollywood movie, one survived a hurricane on a boat, and another holds a U.S. record in ice swimming. n The March 2022 issue. The October 2022 issue. AM&P NETWORK The June 2022 issue.
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