The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2022 73 AFSA NEWS Diplomats Engage Road Scholars in D.C. and NYC As AFSA celebrates its 26th year of collaboration with the Road Scholar lifelong learning organization (formerly known as Elderhostel), the asso- ciation led two programs to educate participants about the work of the Foreign Service. On Sept. 11-15, fiveAFSA members gave presentations at “InsideAmerican Diplo- macy: Stories of the U.S. For- eign Service,”a collaboration with Road Scholar designed to provide an introduction to the work of the Foreign Service. This third program of the year, held inWashington, D.C., was well received by its 36 participants. In addition to lectures fromAFSA’s subject matter experts, the program took participants to the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Foreign Service Institute, and the DACOR Bacon House. Participants said the program helped them gain a greater understanding of the Foreign Service. One partici- pant noted that he was “so impressed by the profession- alism and the deep expertise of our FSO speakers, and I feel much better about our government.” Now on pause through the winter, the “Inside American Diplomacy” program will resume in March 2023. On Sept. 25-29, AFSAPresi- dent Eric Rubin and five other AFSAmembers (shown at right) visited Chautauqua, New York, to lead adult students throughAFSA’s long-standing programoffering,“Foreign Policy in Chautauqua with the American Foreign Service.” The presentations drew on the diplomatic careers of Ambassadors Rubin, James Zumwalt, and Jimmy Kolker, retired USAID FSO James Bever, retired State Depart- ment FSO Mark Fitzpatrick, and AFSA Governing Board Retiree Representative and retired Foreign Agricultural Service FSO Philip Shull. More than 130 participants attended from all over the country for lively engagement with the speakers. During 10 lectures across five days, they covered topics including: NATO and Ukraine, Iran as a nuclear threat, global health diplomacy, how advances in agricultural science help feed the world, U.S.-Japan rela- tions, how embassies respond to major crises, national secu- rity strategy, and the impact of foreign aid. The next Road Scholar program in Chautauqua will be held in June 2023. It continues to be a highly successful outreach and constituency-creating vehicle. For more on AFSA’s programs and course offer- ings through Road Scholar, see www.afsa.org/road- scholar. n AFSAmembers traveled to Chautauqua, New York, to present U.S. foreign policy topics to the Road Scholar program Sept. 25-29. AFSA/NADJARUZICA New Executive Assistant Joins AFSA AFSA is pleased to welcome Maria Benincasa as the new executive assistant to AFSA President Eric Rubin. While studying inter- national affairs at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., Maria developed an interest in economic development and human rights. During her sophomore year, she worked as an advocacy intern for The interested in the U.S. Foreign Service. During her senior year, Maria joined the American Academy of Diplomacy as a program intern, working closely with Ambassador Ronald Neumann and several other distinguished acad- emy members. She received her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in May 2022. Originally from Fairfax, Va., Maria is now a Wash- ington, D.C., local. She has two cats named Gibbs and Scar. n Borgen Project, a nonprofit organization that lobbies for global anti-poverty legisla- tion, and stayed with them subsequently as a regional director. She also served on the executive board of Delta Phi Epsilon, a professional fra- ternity for students engaged in international affairs, where she learned about and became more deeply Maria Benincasa.