The Foreign Service Journal, December 2021

32 DECEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Nelson B. Delavan Award for an Office Management Specialist Bridgette Huerkamp Going Above and Beyond in Bangladesh A mid significant staffing gaps and remote work challenges arising from the pandemic, Embassy Dhaka relied heavily on Office Management Specialist Bridgette Huerkamp to navigate a period of crisis and keep the embassy community connected. She was selected for the 2021 Delavan Award for her outstanding support of mission goals and personnel. Although she was assigned as the political-economic affairs OMS, Ms. Huerkamp also served as OMS for the ambassador and deputy chief of mission. Dedicated to mission continuity, and in response to minimal post staffing, she enthusiastically provided additional OMS support across multiple sections, uniformly excelling in each one. As Embassy Dhaka prepared to respond to the pandemic, Ms. Huerkamp quickly identified the need to designate a large confer- ence room for use as a virtual command center, a location where the embassy could provide essential and time-sensitive com- munications to many audiences and across platforms. The space was used to host regularly scheduled town halls where critical information regarding repatriation guidelines and CDC pan- demic updates was provided to mission personnel and American citizens living in Bangladesh. In preparation for each meeting, Ms. Huerkamp proactively solicited input, designed topics and agen- das, recruited speakers, assigned remarks and arranged logistics. This confidence-building communication also served as a lifeline in keeping the geographically dispersed team informed and con- nected to the embassy. With many Americans rapidly departing Bangladesh in the spring of 2020, Ms. Huerkamp served as the direct liaison with the Royal Thai Embassy to coordinate the boarding of U.S. diplomats on multiple restrictive Thai Airways flights. She drafted flight clearance diplomatic notes and, as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs–identified contact, she was directly involved in coordination efforts. During the embassy’s multiple repatriation flights, she joined colleagues to staff the airport in support of more than 2,100 Americans scheduled to depart Dhaka. Ms. Huerkamp described her participation in the undertaking as an honor. “I amproud of the work we accomplished as a team and as representatives of the United States to support the safety and security of our colleagues, the people of Bangladesh and thou- sands of Americans who were counting on us to get themhome during the pandemic crisis,” she tells the Journal . In the midst of a long-term crisis and while managing multiple responsibilities, Ms. Huerkamp played a vital coor- dination and editorial role in crafting responses to post’s 2019 Office of the Inspector General inspection, clearly articulating recommendations to the OIG’s satisfaction. She also cataloged and retired more than 36,000 files; coordinated the pol-econ section’s rolling reporting plan and the post’s working group manifest; developed the post’s travel manifest; and supported its 2020 integrated country strategy submission. Simultaneously, Ms. Huerkampmanaged country team and Emergency Action Committee coordination. Given shifting requirements fromWashington and the immense volume of infor- mation for consideration arriving daily from the host nation, her work preparing EACmembers for “Diplomacy Strong” discussions proved critical to sound decision-making. As the embassy settled into its pandemic posture, Ms. Huerkamp provided extensive control officer duties dur- ing diplomatic engagements, including as primary logistics coordinator for the most extensive ambassadorial diplomatic engagement during her tour: a nine-day trip for the ambassador involving other diplomatic missions, amid myriad COVID-19 restrictions, to Bangladesh’s most politically sensitive regions, including Cox’s Bazar, the site of the world’s largest refugee population. If a particular embassy process was not making sense, Ms. Huerkamp advocated for change and, once approved, implemented it. For example, she developed a combined deci- sion memo and briefing checklist to streamline efficiencies and revitalized front office guidelines. Beyond her formal responsibilities, Ms. Huerkamp played a cen- tral role in the embassy community. While the embassy remained at minimal staffing, she catalyzed the facilities team to conduct long- overduemaintenance throughout themission, repairing HVAC sys- tems to improve air quality, sealing floors, painting and refurbishing Bridgette Huerkamp.