The Foreign Service Journal, December 2009

Welcome to Attorney Michael Willats AFSA warmly welcomes Michael Willats, the newest face in the Labor Management office. Originally from Buffalo, N.Y., Michael received a B.S. in civil engineering from Bucknell University and subsequently was employed for two years in the field of storm-water management design. A recent graduate of The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, he also has worked as a summer law clerk at the National Labor Relations Board. Michael lives in Arlington, Va., with his wife, Rebecca. Foreign Service Parents: Get Educational Information at AFSA Check out AFSA’s online education resources page, including articles on college admissions, choosing a boarding school, taking a gap year, educating special- needs children, the International Baccalaureate pro- gram and study abroad. There’s also video advice from Rebecca Grappo, educational consultant and former Family Liaison Office education and youth officer. Just point your browser to www.afsa.org/ads/school/ and you’ll find a wealth of useful material. Corrections We love our interns here at AFSA, so you’d think we’d get their names right. Alas, not one, but two interns suffered the indignity of misspelled names in our November issue. We apologize to summer interns Claire Halbrook and Chelsea Hollstein. We also want to make sure that you have the correct link to AFSA’s Political Action Committee Web page, which was not clearly given in November’s FCS VP column. (This was your AFSA News editor’s fault, not that of FCS VP Keith Curtis.) The correct URL is: www.afsa.org/pac.cfm 54 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9 A F S A N E W S AFSA NEWS BRIEFS Life in the Foreign Service ■ BY BRIAN AGGELER Staff: Executive Director Ian Houston: houston@afsa.org Business Department Controller Kalpna Srimal: srimal@afsa.org Accounting Assistant Cory Nishi: cnishi@afsa.org Accounting and Administration Assistant Alicia Campi: campi@afsa.org Labor Management General Counsel Sharon Papp: papps@state.gov Deputy General Counsel Zlatana Badrich: badrichz@state.gov Labor Management Specialist James Yorke: yorkej@state.gov Senior Staff Attorney Neera Parikh: parikhna@state.gov Staff Attorney Michael Willats: willatsmr@state.gov Office Manager Christine Warren: warrenc@state.gov USAID Senior Labor Management Adviser Douglas Broome: dbroome@usaid.gov Member Services Member Services Director Janet Hedrick: hedrick@afsa.org Member Services Representative Michael Laiacona: laiacona@afsa.org Web Site & Database Associate Geron Pleasant: webmaster@afsa.org Administrative Assistant Ana Lopez: lopez@afsa.org Communications, Marketing and Outreach Retiree Liaison Bonnie Brown: brown@afsa.org Director of Communications Thomas Switzer: switzer@afsa.org Legislative Director Casey Frary: frary@afsa.org Executive Assistant to the President Austin Tracy: tracy@afsa.org Scholarship Director Lori Dec: dec@afsa.org Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger: berger@afsa.org Exploritas Administrator Bernard Alter: alter@afsa.org Marketing & Outreach Manager Asgeir Sigfusson: sigfusson@afsa.org AFSA HEADQUARTERS: (202) 338-4045; Fax: (202) 338-6820 STATE DEPARTMENT AFSA OFFICE: (202) 647-8160; Fax: (202) 647-0265 USAID AFSA OFFICE: (202) 712-1941; Fax: (202) 216-3710 FCS AFSA OFFICE: (202) 482-9088; Fax: (202) 482-9087 AFSA WEB SITE: www.afsa.org FSJ: journal@afsa.org PRESIDENT: johnson@afsa.org STATE VP: hirschdm@state.gov RETIREE VP: rghoudek@aol.com USAID VP: fzamora@usaid.gov FAS VP: henry.schmick@fas.usda.gov FCS VP: keith.curtis@mail.doc.gov AFSA News Editor Francesca Kelly : kelly@afsa.org (202) 338-4045, ext. 516; Fax: (202) 338-8244 On the Web : www.afsa.org/fsj and www.fsjournal.org How to Contact Us: Governing Board: PRESIDENT: Susan R. Johnson STATE VP: Daniel Hirsch USAID VP: Francisco Zamora FAS VP: Henry Schmick FCS VP: Keith Curtis RETIREE VP: Robert Houdek SECRETARY: F.A. “Tex” Harris TREASURER: Andrew Winter STATE REPS: Carleton Bulkin, Jorge Delfin, Mary Glantz, Les Hickman, Joyce Namde, Julia Stewart, Mike Unglesbee, Sharon White, Teresa Yata USAID REP: Michael Henning FCS REP: Rebecca Balogh FAS REP: Melinda Sallyards IBB REP: Al Pessin RETIREE REPS: Janice Bay, Robert (Bill) Farrand, David Passage, Molly Williamson Apply by Feb. 6 for College Scholarships Awards ranging from $1,000 to $3,500 are now available for qualified tax-dependent children of Foreign Service employees (active-duty, retired or deceased). Applicants must be high school seniors or undergraduate college students. Unfortunately, grandchildren of Foreign Service employees do not qualify. Go to www.afsa.org/scholar for complete details, or contact Lori Dec at dec@afsa.org if you have questions. The submission deadline is Feb. 6.