The Foreign Service Journal, December 2011

I n thepast, this columnhas advocatedstrongly for the appoint- ment of a Foreign Service officer to the deputy director gen- eral position at the Foreign Commercial Service. We have had a long history of successful FSOs in the position, and some notable problemswhen some other choice was made. All other foreign affairs agencies appoint FSOs to their senior, stateside manage- ment jobs. At the StateDepartment, the director general and the principal deputy assis- tant secretary are both Foreign Service officers. The U.S. Agency for International Development appoints FSOs to 12 deputy administrator positions. At the Foreign Agricultural Service, the deputy administrator job for human resources policy is always held by an FSO. Fortunately for FCS, Director General Suresh Kumar picked Ambassador Charles A. Ford—the best, brightest andmost distinguished of our officers—to serve in the DDG job. Having been on board for a year during a very difficult period, Amb. Ford has done much to put FCS back on an even keel. He is dynamic and active and we are lucky to have him. However, we have some real concerns that changes proposed in the “Phoenix” reor- ganizationandregionalizationstrategywill damage the long-termprospectsof theForeign Commercial Service. While some of the changes are good, they call into question the Foreign Service priorities of the organization. BeforeAmb. Fordwas appointed, the international deputy assistant secretary posi- tion (the senior FSO position in FCS) had been significantly reduced in influence by removal ofmuchof thebudgetary function. Underhis tenure, it has been further reduced by removal of the Office of Foreign Service Human Resources and assignments man- agement, which includes everything of value to FSOs — from promotion mechanics and assignments to how our families are cared for. Apparently, this is the price we pay for having the function elevated to the DDG level. I am sure that Amb. Ford will work hard to turn these changes into a real plus, by increasing attentiononour organization’s resources, systems andpersonnel. He quick- ly demonstrated this with his choice of Jeff Tomczak, who is committed to the wel- fare of FSOs, to run OFSHR. It seems tobe hard forWashington to appreciate howthe denigrationof anFSpres- ence here erodes the effectiveness of the organization. The deputy regional directors, theDDG, the director of theOffice of StrategicPlanning, theWest Coast regional direc- tor in San Francisco, and the U.S. Export Assistance Center director in Denver were all FS positions, but no longer. And now FCS positions — London, for example — are being downgraded in the field. The thinking seems to be that FSOs should all be out in the field; that we don’t need them back here. But this means experience with howthingswork in the fieldbecomes shallowinWashington, while the invaluable expe- rience of learning howWashington works is lost to FSOs. We knowthatAmb. Ford is diligently looking after the interests of the Service. What worries us is what will happen when he leaves? This is not just an irrational fear; it is based on what has happened previously in the absence of field expertise. We cannot afford to repeat these mistakes. As I write this column, the decision to cancel awards is shaking the organization. If FCSwants to continue tobe recognized as a ForeignService organization, its lead- ership and management should have substantial Foreign Service experience. V.P. VOICE: FCS BY KEITH CURTIS Struggles of the DDG CLO Coordinators: Covering All the Bases BY DONNA AYERST H ow many jobs have you had that requiredyou tocover eight diverse, distinct portfolios? At U.S. embassies and consulates, Community LiaisonOfficeCoordinators—a position held by aU.S. citizen spouse or partner of a direct-hire employee assigned topost— must juggle crisis management and sup- port services; education liaison; employ- ment liaison; event planning; communi- ty liaison; guidance and referral; informa- tion and resourcemanagement; andwel- coming and orientation. Dependingonthepost, anyoneof these areas couldbe a full-time job. It is nowon- der thatmany familymembers have been heard to say, “Youcouldn’t payme enough to be a CLO!” Yet more than 300 indi- viduals currently serve as CLOs or CLO assistants worldwide. Each year, AFSA bestows the M. JuanitaGuessAwardonan individualwho brings energy, passionand empathy to the CLOposition. Despite thehardworkper- formedbymany in theCLOcadre, in2011 AFSA received only 12 nominations for CLO of the Year. Just 12. The Community Liaison Office pro- gramwas established more than 30 years ago by the State Department’s Family LiaisonOffice. Today, FLOprovides sup- port, resources and guidance to the CLO program at more than 200 posts, includ- ing Baghdad, Kabul and Islamabad. FLO’s commitment to ensuring a vibrant CLO program is evident by their goal of providing a five-day training course in professional skills development for all newCLOs. In2011, FLOhas trained 138CLOs andCLOassistants in six over- seas regional sessions. On any given day, CLOs are helping their community deal with an evacuation frompost; answeringamyriadof questions from bidders, newly assigned employees and new arrivals to post; providing guid- 66 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / DE C EMB E R 2 0 1 1 A F S A N E W S Continued on page 70 Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA FCS VP.