The Foreign Service Journal, December 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2014 55 AFSA NEWS Why Ethics Matter in the Foreign Service On Oct. 9, AFSA hosted an event on “Why Ethics Matter in the Foreign Service.” Anthony J. Gray, the president and chief execu- tive ožcer at the Institute for Global Ethics in Camden, Maine, spoke on professional ethics writ large and how they apply to the Foreign Service. Gray outlined the points to consider: Is having an ethical framework necessary for a profession? Should the For- eign Service have a separate and uniform code of ethics? How would it be applied and enforced? Before joining the Institute for Global Ethics, Gray served as global compliance ožcer at Sikorsky Aircraft Corpora- tion, where he significantly improved the global com- pliance culture within the organization. AFSA’s Committee for the Anthony Gray, president of the Institute for Global Ethics, addressed AFSA in October. AFSA/DEBRABLOME Foreign Service Profession and Ethics recently released the results of a survey it undertook to assess FS members’ thinking in regard to ethical decision-making in their profession. More than 70 percent of the 1,300 respondents support developing a code of ethics for the Foreign Service. To read the full report, go to www.bit.ly/FS_Ethics. Gray’s talk, as well as the question-and-answer session that followed, can be viewed at www.bit.ly/EthicsTalk. n —Debra Blome, Associate Editor AFSA SHARES FEDERAL HEALTH PLAN OPEN SEASON GU I DE AFSA is pleased to provide online access to the 2015 Consumer Checkbook Guide to Federal Health Plans . This member benefit can be accessed at www.afsa.org/retiree. Click on the banner at the top of the page, and you will be directed to AFSA’s Consumer Checkbook page. There is no need to log in, as the link is specific to AFSA for all our members. The link is now active and will remain so for the duration of Open Season, which runs through Dec. 8. NEWS BRIEF ANNOUNCEMENT JO I N AFSA’S SPEAKERS BUREAU AFSA’s long-running Speakers Bureau is always looking for new recruits. The bureau acts as a placement service of sorts for Foreign Service members who are interested in speaking opportunities in their communities. Groups from all over the country—World A’airs Councils, Rotary/Kiwanis/Lions clubs, church and civic groups, universities, etc.—contact AFSA to request a speaker in their area on international a’airs topics. AFSA then acts as a go-between, connecting the organization with potential speakers who fit the bill. Over the years, AFSA has worked on hundreds of such placements, and we are always looking to do more to help tell the story of the Foreign Service and educate the American public about the importance of diplomacy and development. To sign up, please visit www.afsa.org/speakers, and fill out the form as thoroughly as possible. The more we know about you, the easier it is to match you with a speaking opportunity. We know that Foreign Service members are best equipped to tell their story to the public. Please help us do so, and sign up!