U.S. Agency for International Development
Randy Chester, Vice President
Welcome to the online home of the AFSA USAID Vice President - and, by extension, all USAID members.
I take seriously AFSA’s roles as the principal advocate for the long-term institutional well-being of the professional career Foreign Service and for safeguarding the interests of AFSA members. AFSA also seeks to increase understanding among the American people about the vital role of the U.S. Foreign Service in sustaining American global leadership.
The Foreign Service Act calls for a distinct framework for modern, constructive, and cooperative relationships between AFSA and USAID. In that spirit, I strive to collaborate with Agency counterparts, including the Office of Human Capital and Talent Management (HCTM), the Chief Diversity Officer’s team, Bureau and Independent Office leadership, and the Front Office to represent USAID’s Foreign Service and to achieve mutually beneficial solutions in the interest of our shared mission.
I am here on your behalf to listen to your opinions, answer your questions, and represent your positions and priorities. Additionally, my FSO colleague, Chris Saenger, serves as the USAID Representative to the AFSA Board. So, please feel free to contact us anytime via email or telephone. You may schedule a visit to the USAID AFSA office at RRB 3.09D, call me at (202) 712-5267 or email me at chester@afsa.org or member@afsa.org if you have questions or comments.
U.S. Agency for International Development website
Columns from The Foreign Service Journal
- AFSA Wins Grievance (Dec 2024)
- Thank You, Sue (Nov 2024)
- Prepping for Your Retirement (Oct 2024)
- Transition Anxiety (Sep 2024)
- Answers for Our Overworked Workforce (Jun 2024)
- Remembering Our Fallen USAID Colleagues (May 2024)
- Past Time to Stop the Bullying (Apr 2024)
- Promotion Evaluation Reforms (Mar 2024)
- What’s in Store for ’24 (Jan-Feb 2024)
- Time to Celebrate, Reflect, and Plan (Dec 2023)
- It’s Been a Minute—Time to Reorganize (Nov 2023)
- A Case for Unions (Oct 2023)
- Advancing the Best Interests of USAID FSOs (Sep 2023)
- (Best) Places to Work—Let’s Do Better (Jul-Aug 2023)
- A Complicated Question with No Clear Answer (Jun 2023)
- The Global Community Liaison Office (May 2023)
- OECD Peer Review: PEERing into the Future (Apr 2023)
- The Future of the Foreign Service at USAID: More Questions than Answers (Mar 2023)
- USAID’s Workforce Report to Congress (Jan-Feb 2023)
- Getting This Reorg Right (Dec 2022)
- USAID and a New Chief Human Capital Officer (Nov 2022)
- Promoting an Improved Process (Oct 2022)
- Collaboration Through Co-Creation—Putting Policy into Practice (Sep 2022)
- Rebuilding for the Long Term (Jul-Aug 2022)
- When Is a Presidential Priority Not a Priority? (June 2022)
- Now Is the Time to Think about Retirement (May 2022)
- FSO Scarcity: Stretching the Limits (Apr 2022)
- 365 Days of Reality vs. “First 100 Days” Recommendations (Mar 2022)
- High on Priorities, Short on Details (Jan-Feb 2022)
- USAID at the NSC Table (Dec 2021)
- Reflections on an Anniversary: USAID at 60 (Nov 2021)
- Empowering USAID (Oct 2021)
- The Future of USAID: Three Scenarios (Sep 2021)
- USAID and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Jul-Aug 2021)
- Words of Thanks (Jun 2021)
- What a Difference a Year Makes (May 2021)
- Schedule F(SL): Noncareer Hiring Takes a Toll (Apr 2021)
- A Clash of Bureaucracies: Looking Back to Look Ahead (Mar 2021)
- Refine, But Don’t Re-define, Development (Jan-Feb 2021)
- A Brief Reflection on Measuring Impact (Dec 2020)
- The More Things Change… (Nov 2020)
- Some Shining Stars Amid the COVID Dark (Oct 2020)
- The (GAO) Report Is In on Diversity at USAID (Sep 2020)
- Operating Expense Funds and Program Funds: A Division that Unites Us All (Jul-Aug 2020)
- Thoughts on USAID and the Coronavirus (Jun 2020)
- Achieving Transparent Promotions by Promoting Transparency (May 2020)
- Labor-Management Relations—A Critical Matter for All (Apr 2020)
- The FSA: It’s More Than Just an Act (Mar 2020)
- Get Ready ... Get Set ... Hire! (But Please Focus on the “Get Ready” Part) (Jan-Feb 2020)
- Never Let a Transformation Go to Waste (Dec 2019)
- Workforce Planning: The Horse That Should Pull the Reorganization Cart (Nov 2019)
- My Journey to ... AFSA VP (Sep 2019)
- The Future of USAID’s Foreign Service (May 2019)
- USAID’s Economic Diplomacy Makes a Difference for U.S. Economic Growth (Jan-Feb 2019)
- FSOs Need to Support Diversity and Inclusion (Oct 2018)
- We Have Urgent Work to Do (Jul-Aug 2018)
- USAID Senior Leadership Must Support Its Workforce (Mar 2018)
- Talking About Communication Gaps (Dec 2017)
- USAID’s AFSA Standing Committee (Oct 2017)
- Promoting USAID Interests (Sep 2017)