The Foreign Service Journal, November 2010

“It never occurred tome thatwhat Iwas doing was constructive dissent. I just wanted to recover from the trauma I experienced dur- ingmy Iraq tour and believed that the inter- ests of the State Department would be better served if its traumatized employees received treatment. So I spoke out, raising my hand in town-hall meetings and penning an arti- cleaboutmy experience in the ForeignService Journal. At the time, the StateDepartment did not have a policy on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, so the resistance I encounteredwhile pressing for heightenedawareness on the issue was institutional rather thanpurely political. It was not something that could have been adequately addressed through the formal Dissent Channel.” — Rachel Schneller F or 42 years, AFSA has been proud to encourage and recognize constructive dissent and risk-taking in the Foreign Service. It was due to her efforts raising awareness about PTSDthatAFSAdeclared Schneller thewinner of its 2008WilliamR. Rivkin Award for constructive dissent. Please give some thought now to those among your colleagues who have had the courage to challenge the system—on any subject, policy ormanagement. Success is D o you want to represent your col- leagues andmake sure the voice of the Foreign Service is heard on the Hill and around the country? If so, con- sider joining thenextAFSAleadership team by running for apositionon the 2011-2013 AFSA Governing Board. Pursuant to a voluntary settlement agreement between AFSA and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor- Management Standards, the election is being supervised by OLMS. OLMS is responsible for assuring that the election is conducted in accordance with Title IV of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959. Please lookat thepositions available and consider putting your name forward or nominating a colleague. This election is for the board that will take office on July 15, 2011, and serve for two years. Here are instructions on how to be nominated and run for the 2011-2013 AFSA Governing Board. Important Dates: Feb. 1, 2011—Deadline for Nominations March 28, 2011—Ballots and Candidate Statements Mailed CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2011-2013 AFSA GOVERNING BOARD Continued on page 64 Continued on page 66 American Foreign Service Association • November 2010 AFSA NEWS Nominate Risk-Taking Colleagues for AFSA’s Dissent Awards BY PERRI GREEN, SPECIAL AWARDS AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR NOV EMB E R 2 0 1 0 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 61 Amb. J. Stapleton Roy discusses the rise of China before a standing-room-only crowd at the Adair Memorial Lecture on Sept. 1 at American University. AFSA Director of Communications Tom Switzer looks on. JEFF WATTS, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY Amb. J. Stapleton Roy Looks at the Future of U.S.-China Relations STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 68