The Foreign Service Journal, December 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2015 59 AFSA NEWS AFSAGoverning Board Meeting October 7, 2015 September Governing Board Minutes: On a consent motion from Retiree Vice President Tom Boyatt, the board approved the Sept. 2 Governing Board minutes. The motion passed unanimously. Foreign Service Titles: On a consent motion made by Retiree VP Boyatt, the board reaffirmed AFSA’s inter- nal guidance to refer to members of the Foreign Service as either “Foreign Service specialist” or “Foreign Service officer,” and not “Foreign Service generalist.” The motion passed unanimously. On a motion made by Treasurer Charles Ford, the board agreed to form a working group to clarify internal AFSA guidance governing the appropriate use of “officer” and “specialist” when referring to members of the Foreign Service in each of AFSA’s five constituent agencies/depart- ments. The motion passed unanimously. Awards and Plaques Committee Applicants: On a motion made by Retiree Representative Dean Haas, the board approved the appointment of the following Foreign Service members to serve on the AFSA Awards and Plaques Committee for the period October 2015–October 2017: AFSA FCS VP Steve Morrison, USAID FSO Todd Andrews, State (ret.) FSO John Bushnell, and active-duty FSOs Annie Pforzheimer, Sandy Robinson and Bridgette Walker. The motion passed unanimously. AFSA Memorial Plaques Criteria: On a motion by Retiree VP Boyatt, the board did not approve changes to the criteria governing who is eligible to be considered for inclusion on the AFSA Memorial Plaques, located in the Department of State’s C Street Lobby. The proposed change would have limited eligibility to career members of the Foreign Service. Retiree Representative: On a motion by Retiree VP Boyatt, the board approved the appointment of Ambassador (ret.) Patricia Butenis to serve as AFSA retiree representative ad interim. 2013 Meritorious Service Increase Implementation Dispute: The board discussed the implications of the Sept. 3 ruling by the Foreign Service Grievance Board in favor of AFSA’s implementation dispute on behalf of the 554 mem- bers of the FS who did not receive the monetary component of their MSIs awarded by the 2013 selection boards (see page 54 for details on the case). n Lunch with the 8th CA-LNA Class On Oct. 26, the American Foreign Service Association hosted a welcome luncheon for the 8th Foreign Service Consular Adjudicator Class at its head- quarters. In photo: AFSA Staff Attorney Andrew Large explains the many ways that the association’s dedicated labor management staff stands ready to assist AFSAmembers (e.g., security clearance questions, employment performance evaluations, disciplinary issues, etc.). n AFSA/BRITTANYDELONG