The Foreign Service Journal, November 2010

not a requirement. Thewillingness to ask the tough questions and pursue the answers is what counts. Remember that anyone cannominate anyone else. The official call for nomina- tions will be in the AFSANews section of the December Foreign Service Journal. There are four awards: The F. Allen “Tex”Harris Award for a Foreign Service Specialist The W. Averell HarrimanAward for a junior officer (FS 6-FS 4) The William R. Rivkin Award for a mid-level officer (FS 3-FS 1) The Christian A. Herter Award for a member of the Senior ForeignService (FE OC-FE CA) Winners receive amonetary rewardof $2,500 along with a recognition ceremo- ny at the State Department (see the 2010 winners in the July-August andSeptember issues). These awards are truly unique. They are not based on performance, and no other organization or agency in the U.S. government has a similar program. A Foreign Service dedicated to indi- vidual excellence, independent thinking and the intellectual courage to challenge conventional wisdomis especially needed now as the nation faces challenges far greater thanany in recent history. Foreign Service employees at all grades and in all agencieswork to advanceAmerica’s inter- ests abroad. Our dissent awards offer an opportunity to recognize the critical con- tributionsmadebyour colleagues over and above their assigned responsibilities. “Engaging in the sort of advocacy that merits an AFSA constructive dissent award involves taking risks and breaking your head against bureaucratic brick walls,” Schneller said. “You do it not to get a prize, but because it is the right thing todo. Nominating someone for the award also takes bravery—anawareness that the StateDepartment as a whole ismade bet- ter because someone has had the courage to question the system.” A full description of the program and the nomination process can be found at www.afsa.org/awards. ❏ I reported inmy last column on the decision of the AFSAGoverning Board to seek congressional action to lift the caps onpay andhours for retiredannuitants orWhen Actually Employed positions. We are currently working on proposed language and strategy, and by the time this column makes it to press, we should be actively working the Hill. Meanwhile, there have been some positive developments at the department on the retired annuitant front. At the most recent retirement seminar at the ForeignService Institute, Ambassador Nancy Powell, the Foreign Service director general, announced that her office is in the process of setting up a central registry forWAEs. She noted that there are a number of kinks towork out and it is tak- ing more time than she would like, but it will get done. This will be a great step forward, one that levels the playing field, shares information broadly, and essentially breaks down the “stovepipe” operations that have existed in the various bureaus. Additionally, AFSA has learned in brief- ings on the Quadrennial Diplomatic and Development Review process that the final report will most likely contain a recommendation on lifting WAE pay and hour caps. This is an encouraging development, but it would only cover WAEs in foreign affairs agencies. We have asked the QDDR staff to seek provision for employment of foreign affairs agencies’ retirees with other national security agen- cies, mainly the Department of Defense, without forfeiture of annuity benefits. The National War College and other service training institutions are eager to hire retired FSOs, but are largely unsuccessful due to the annuity problem. While continuing to pursue all the avenues described above, AFSA is also look- ing into a “default” option in case none of the foregoing result in satisfaction for our members. As contractors to State and other federal agencies are not required to suspend their annuities, AFSA is considering a contractor/job placement ser- vice for retirees seeking employment with national security agencies. Overhead would be charged to the employing agencies and any profit would be devoted to AFSA activities such as the scholarship fund. Our preliminary due diligence indicates that this plan is legal under our con- stitution and bylaws. But it would be amajor newundertaking for AFSA, somem- bership feedback is essential. Please get in touch with us to express any thoughts as to this plan, or interest in being placed in the proposed talent pool. You can reach Bonnie Brown, retiree issues coordinator, at brown@afsa.org. ❏ Our preliminary due diligence indicates that this plan is legal under our constitution and bylaws. But it would be a major new undertaking for AFSA, so membership feedback is essential. V.P. VOICE: RETIREE ■ BY ROBERT HOUDEK Making the Most of Retiree Talent 64 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / NOV EMB E R 2 0 1 0 A F S A N E W S Dissent • Continued from page 61