The Foreign Service Journal, December 2014

48 DECEMBER 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Reflecting on AFSA’s Good Stewardship in Its 90th Year BY IAN HOUSTON, AFSA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ringing in a new year is conducive to goal setting, but there must be a clear moment of reflection just as a year comes to a close. As I reflect over the 90th anniversary year, I see an organization that continued to be a good steward of financial and sta- ing resources. AFSA remained commit- ted to promoting innovation, deepening services and advancing issues of direct interest to the membership. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and a healthy organization must always seek to identify weak- nesses so as to strengthen those areas. It was not unusual for the great golfer Ben Hogan to go out and practice at the driving range only hours after winning major championships. In reality there are many demands on AFSA, and, consequently, there can be constant pull to reach beyond the fundamentals of who we are and why we exist. What the 90th year allowed me to do was to reconnect with our past and the many individuals who have committed so much energy to building the organi- zation we know today. Both the history of AFSA and the Foreign Service must inform the mission going forward. We cannot eectively achieve goals if we are not willing to defend and honor our past and those on whose shoulders it rests. And so for me there is great joy and inspiration in being able to listen to firsthand accounts of those early days when AFSA became the ocial represen- tative of the Foreign Service. Especially during this season, allow me to express devout thanks and gratitude to the many who have built AFSA and have protected the integrity of the Foreign Service over decades. It is a pleasure to serve you and play a modest role in building on your vision. n Please Join AFSA for its Holiday Open House at the Department of State Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014 • 2 to 5 p.m. Harry S Truman Building, Room 1251 ANNOUNCEMENT CAL L FOR NOMI NAT I ONS : S I NCLA I RE AWARDS We are now accepting nominations for the 2014 MatildaW. Sinclaire Language Award, which recog- nizes outstanding accomplishment in the study of Category III or IV languages and their associated cultures. Nomination deadline is Dec. 24. AFSA is proud to recognize Foreign Service employees for dedication and hard work in the study of foreign languages. Candidates may be nominated by their language- training supervisors at FSI, instructors in the field schools or post language ocers. Recipients receive a $1,000 prize and certificate of recognition. For further information, please contact AFSA’s Coordinator for Special Awards and Outreach Perri Green at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700. Go to www.afsa.org/sinclaire for more information. AFSA LAUNCHES THE 20 1 5 ESSAY CONTEST AFSA is pleased to announce the 2015 National High School Essay Contest. The contest was established in 1999 and encourages students to think critically about the key role diplomacy plays in the world. AFSA sees the contest as a way to inspire and empower the next generation of diplomats and devel- opment professionals. Students who are U.S. citizens and whose parents are not in the Foreign Service are eligible to partici- pate if they are in grades 9 through 12 in any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories, or if they are attending high school overseas. The winner will receive $2,500, a trip toWashing- ton, D.C., to meet the Secretary of State and a full- tuition scholarship for a Semester at Sea voyage. The runner-up will receive a full scholarship to participate in the International Diplomacy program of the National Student Leadership Conference. The deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on March 15, 2015. Details and this year’s essay topic can be found at www.afsa.org/essaycontest. For more information, please contact AFSA’s Coordinator for Special Awards and Outreach Perri Green at green@afsa.org or (202) 719-9700. ANNOUNCEMENT