The Foreign Service Journal, December 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2022 75 AFSA NEWS AFSA Connects with Job Search/Transition Program Participants On Oct. 12, AFSA President Eric Rubin, Retiree Vice President John Naland, and Counselor for Retirees Dolo- res Brown joined FSI’s Job Search/Transition Program virtually to discuss what the association can offer Foreign Service members as they transition into the next phase of their personal and profes- sional lives. After congratulating the class and thanking them for their years of service, Ambassador Rubin high- lighted AFSA’s ongoing work to advocate for current and retired FSOs. By remaining a part of AFSA, he said, members stay connected to their unique community, support the association’s advocacy work, and ensure that their voices are heard on criti- cal issues. They’ll also stay abreast of the diplomacy and development matters in which they’ve invested their careers. Naland reminded the class that a wealth of retirement- related resources can be found on the Retirement Services page of the AFSA website at https://afsa.org/ retirement-services. Switching from active- duty to retiree membership is not an automatic process; those approaching retirement should contact Member Ser- vices (member@afsa.org ) to let AFSA know of their retirement and to secure all the benefits of being an AFSA member. The October 2022 JSTP class consisted of 84 par- ticipants: 88 percent from the State Department, 7 percent from USAID, 4 percent from the Foreign Commercial Service, and 1 percent from the Foreign Agricultural Service. The majority of those enrolled hailed from the Foreign Service, with 11 percent from the Civil Service. n By remaining a part of AFSA, members stay connected to their unique community, support the association’s advocacy work, and ensure that their voices are heard on critical issues.