The Foreign Service Journal, December 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2021 65 AFSA NEWS The 2020 F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award for a Foreign Service specialist went to David “Dave” Heddleston , then a supervisory special agent for the Diplomatic Security Service, for his work urging the State Department and DSS to change over- seas vehicle usage policy so regional security officers can provide a more secure envi- ronment for U.S. government personnel and their families. Mr. Heddleston noted that he received his award the same year that Mr. Harris passed away.“I’m grateful for Tex’s service, bravery and commitment to leveraging constructive dissent for the betterment of humanity,” he said in his acceptance remarks. Exemplary Performance AFSA offers six awards in recognition of exemplary per- formance and extraordinary contributions to effectiveness, professionalism and morale. The 2021 Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy went to FSO Erika Kuenne in recognition of her creative and effective work as a China watcher build- ing support across Europe for a democratic Taiwan and countering Chinese efforts to violate the human rights of the Uyghur ethnic group. There were two recipients of the 2020 award: Alexandra Shema , then a political officer in Moldova, for her leader- ship and engagement with political leaders, opposition and civil society to strengthen Moldova’s fledgling democ- racy; and Rafael “Rafi” Foley , then political counselor and deputy chief of the U.S. Mis- sion to Venezuela, for his work in fostering pro-democracy initiatives in the face of an intractable regime that poses a dangerous human rights and security threat to the country and the region. The Nelson B. Delavan Award recognizes the work of a Foreign Service office man- agement specialist (OMS) who has made a significant contribution to office or post effectiveness and morale beyond the framework of job responsibilities. Bridgette Huerkamp is this year’s Delavan recipi- ent for her exceptional and multifaceted contributions to mission goals in Dhaka during the pandemic. In 2020, the award was given to Jennifer “Jenny” McCoy , then OMS for the regional security office in Colombo, for her extraordi- nary support of the embassy community after terrorist bombings on Easter Day 2019. Jean Monfort , then OMS in the regional security office in Conakry, was the 2020 runner-up. The M. Juanita Guess Award is conferred on a community liaison office coordinator (CLO) who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, dedication, initia- tive or imagination in assist- ing the families of Americans serving at an overseas post. Alisse Sargeant received this year’s Guess Award for her service to the embassy community in challenging and unpredictable conditions at Mission China, the first post to be faced with COVID-19. The 2020 award was pre- sented to Jennifer Mauldin for her dedicated work in support of consulate staff in Karachi, a high-threat post, during the pandemic. The Avis Bohlen Award honors the accomplishments of a Foreign Service family member whose relations with the American and foreign communities at post have significantly advanced the interests of the United States. Ambassador Avis Bohlen presented the awards named after her late mother, in whose honor the recognition was established by Ambassa- dor Averell Harriman in 1982. This year, the award went to two people. Foreign Service family member Amanda Jager was selected for her significant service as vice president of the American Community Support Asso- ciation in New Delhi, and for the inclusivity initiative she launched to better serve the wider community of Mission India. Ivana Lawrence , a Foreign Service spouse, received the award for her active involvement with Cairo American College, where she had a significant impact on the expat community as president of the parent teacher organization. In 2020, William “Rick” Bassett , a professional com- poser and orchestrator, was selected for the Avis Bohlen Award in recognition of his creativity and generosity in sharing his musical talent to connect with the embassy and local community in Monrovia. “I salute my fellow eligible family members for all that they do to support U.S. mis- sions around the world, from volunteer work to community and school leadership to raising families and pursuing independent careers while moving post to post,”Mr. Bas- sett said in his remarks. The AFSA Achievement and Contributions to the Association Award recog- nizes an active-duty or retired AFSAmember from any of the foreign affairs agencies who has made a significant (nonmonetary) contribution to the association in its role as either a professional associa- tion or a labor union. Ambassador (ret.) Thomas Boyatt was given this year’s award for his work over the last two decades in leading four major inno- vations that strengthened AFSA’s role as the voice of the Foreign Service. Amb. Boyatt received the same award in 2001 in recognition of his con- tributions to AFSA from the 1960s through the 1990s. In accepting the award, Amb. Boyatt traced the growth of AFSA over nearly 100 years as a professional organization and during the past 50 years as a union, singling out instances when it went to bat in defense of AFSA members. “I would like to point out that having the capacity to defend the [Foreign Service] Continued on page 75