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SPECIAL ELECTION EDITION

A M E R I C A N F O R E I G N S E R V I C E A S S O C I AT I O N A P R I L 2 0 1 5

AFSA Governing Board Election for the 2015 to 2017 Term

Officers: Position:

Representatives:

Barbara Stephenson *

President

Philip G. Laidlaw *

State Rep

Matthew K. Asada **

President

Steven M. Jones

State Rep

Tex Harris President

Margaret Hawthorne *

State Rep

Bill Haugh *

Secretary

Leah M. Pease *

State Rep

Charles A. Ford *

Treasurer

Josh Glazeroff *

State Rep

Angie Bryan *

State VP

Doug Morrow

State Rep

Kit Junge

State VP

Peter Neisuler *

State Rep

Sharon Wayne

USAID VP

Eric Geelan *

State Rep

Steve Morrison

FCS VP

Dan Spokojny **

State Rep

Larry Cohen

Retiree VP

Pat Kabra **

State Rep

Lawrence Casselle *

State Rep

Tricia Wingerter *

State Rep

John Dinkelman *

State Rep

Erin OConnor *

State Rep

Sam Thielman *

State Rep

* Member of the Strong Diplomacy slate

Homeyra Mokhtarzada **

State Rep

** Member of the Future Forward AFSA slate

Ronita Macklin **

State Rep

Ronnie S. Catipon

State Rep

Tom Boyatt Retiree VP

Charles A. Ray **

Retiree VP

Steve McCain **

State Rep

ELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Joel Wisner **

State Rep

Hon. Robert W. Farrand, Chair

Jenna Bucha
Mort Dworken
Russell Knight
Contact the Election Committee by email
at election@afsa.org

Brynn C. Bennett **

State Rep

Neeru Lal **

State Rep

Lorraine Sherman

USAID Rep

Jeff Cochrane

USAID Rep

William Kutson

FCS Rep

Dean Haas *

Retiree Rep

Alphonse F. La Porta *

Retiree Rep

Patricia Butenis *

Retiree Rep

John Limbert

Retiree Rep

Staff Members
Ian Houston, Executive Director
Sharon Papp, General Counsel
Janet Hedrick, Director, Member Services

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A FSA E L ECT I O N S 201 5 - 2017

2015-2017 AFSA Governing Board Election

Candidates Statements
Barbara Stephenson for President *
The Foreign Service is at a critical juncturein a moment
of institutional fragility that calls for strong leadership and
clear vision. That was the argument former AFSA Presidents
and some of the giants of American diplomacy made when
they approached me to run for AFSA President.
Deeply committed to our profession, still beaming with
pride to serve, yet acutely aware of the challenges that are
eating away at our institution, I realized this was not a call I
could ignore. I committed to run if and only if I could build a
first-rate slate united by a shared vision and determined to
make the most of AFSA, the voice of the Foreign Service.
AFSA members, I proudly present the Strong Diplomacy
slate, representing the best of the Foreign Service and drawn
from across cones and specialties. Many of the most rewarding moments in my Foreign Service career up to now have
come while leading Country Teams, with their rich mix of
agencies, FSOs and specialists pulling together to deliver
key foreign policy goals. With this remarkably qualified and
committed slate joining me in pursuit of another of my great
passionsunleashing the unmatched talent of the Foreign
Service through the best leadership and managementI
believe we can, with your help, turn this moment of fragility
into a great opportunity to strengthen the Foreign Service in
fact and in reputation--and better serve our country.
The Strong Diplomacy slate is committed to Building a
Strong Foreign Service to Lead Americas Foreign Policy. If
elected, we will be guided in our decisions by this central test:
Does it make the Foreign Service stronger? With so many
still new to our profession, we have committed as a slate to an
active program of member outreach and mentoring. We wont
just wait for you to come to AFSA when you have a problem
(though we will of course be there for you); we will actively
engage with you to determine key issues for advocacy support
and enhanced member services and benefits.
Armed with a nuanced understanding of the aspirations
and concerns of AFSAs 16,000 members, we will, after a comprehensive review of all current collective bargaining agreements, engage strategically with Department management to
ensure a healthy, fair, attractive career pathvital for a strong
professional Foreign Service. In this work, we will draw first on
core diplomatic skills of persuasion and the search for com2

mon ground, opening by assuming that management shares

our goal of a strong Foreign Service. We will seek to maximize
our influence by being an indispensable partner in shaping
decisions before they are made.
In order to achieve this ambitious agenda, I need your help.
I ask you to vote for me and for all the members of the Strong
Diplomacy slate so we can form a united AFSA Governing
Board. To those of you who have said you would like to do
more to support this effort, I invite you to visit our Facebook
page (Strong Diplomacy-AFSA 2015), where you will find
opportunities to sign up as an Associate or volunteer to mentor, serve on a working group, or help organize the volunteer
effort. Together we can build the strong Foreign Service our
nation needs.
Bio note: Barbara Stephenson is currently Dean of the
Leadership and Management School at FSI, where she
launched a Department-wide dialoguethe Leadership
Roundtableto improve leadership and management at
State. She served previously as Ambassador to Panama and
DCM/Charge in London. She won a Distinguished Honor
Award for delivering the civilian surge to Iraqwithout
breaking the back of the Foreign Service. She also served as
Consul General in Belfast and CG and COM in Curacao. With
nearly thirty years of service, she entered as a political officer
and has since served interfunctionally, meeting the needs of
the Service whenever and wherever called.

Matthew K. Asada for President **

For the past four years, I have represented State Department active-duty members, initially as an AFSA Representative, and more recently as their full-time Vice President.
Now, I am asking for the entire memberships support
as the Future Forward AFSA candidate for President (www.
futureforwardafsa.com).
I am running to build on the strong record of accomplishment of this Governing Board and to maintain AFSA as an
independent voice for the Foreign Service.
This Board has made tremendous progress on its strategic
plan (http://afsa.org/strategicplan) to improve governance,
benefits and quality of work/life, career and professional
development, security, and outreach. We have:
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AFSA EL ECT IO N S 2015- 20 17

Instituted an annual review process for the Executive

Director and approved a bylaw amendment to right size the
Governing Board;
Established an employee leave bank and gained access to
TSA Pre-Check;
Inaugurated an SA-3 shower facility and an FSI Capital
BikeShare station;
Launched a Chief of Mission initiative led by Retiree VPcandidate Charlie Ray that resulted in new COM guidelines
and online posting of nominees certificates of demonstrated
competence;
Focused the Departments attention on the problem of
career paths and the pig in the python;
Improved security awareness and language training for
employees;
Celebrated AFSAs 90th anniversary and contributed to the
groundbreaking of the new US Diplomacy Center.
For more see the 2014 and 2013 annual reports (http://
afsa.org/annualreport).
The President represents the entire Foreign Service, not
just the State Department. During the last four years I have
built strong relationships with USAID Vice President Sharon
Wayne and FCS Vice President Steve Morrison. Together we
have facilitated employees access to programs such as CBP
Global Entry and the Departments extended lodging program.
Drawing on my experience as a congressional fellow with
then Representative, now Senator, Gary Peters from Michigan,
I have strengthened AFSAs congressional relations. In the
last two years AFSA has hosted more Member of Congress,
more congressional receptions, and more advocacy days than
ever before. If elected, I will continue to lead congressional
engagement on AFSA priorities such as Overseas Comparability Pay and Foreign Service-relevant provisions of the Service
Members Civil Relief Act.
I am proud of this Boards record on diversity, particularly
its efforts to reform the Departments assignment restriction
and preclusion programs. As a fourth generation JapaneseAmerican, whose grandparents were interned during World
War II, my family shared with me what its like to have ones
loyalty questioned because of race or ethnicity.
The Foreign Service is more than a job, it is our profession
and calling. With your support I look forward to leading the
AFSA Governing Board as it tackles the tough challenges facing our union and professional association today.
Vote Future Forward AFSA when you cast your ballots (now
onlinethanks to the work of the previous Board!).
SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE | APRIL 2015

--Future Forward AFSA is a group of ten independent,

diverse, and innovative Foreign Service professionals running
for the positions of President, Retiree Vice President, and
State Representative with considerable Foreign Service, AFSA,
and congressional experience. Half are currently serving on
the Governing Board and half are new faces; all look forward
to building on the work of the current Board. They believe
strongly in AFSA's dual role as the Foreign Services professional association and union representing all skill codes and
specialties from active duty through retirement. Respectful
always, but willing to dissent when necessary, Future Forward
AFSA is ready and willing to hold agency management to
account.
With Future Forward AFSA you can rest assured that the
union will continue to make strategic use of the tools provided for in the Foreign Service Act. We will continue to fight
for the employees that never received their 2013 and 2014
Meritorious Service Increases and those from whom Overseas
Comparability Pay was inappropriately deducted. Future Forward AFSA is ideally placed to continue AFSAs advocacy with
management of our foreign affairs agencies and our congressional partners.
www.futureforwardafsa.comLets Go!

Tex Harris for President

The Foreign Services advantage of institutional speed
and flexibility to put the right person, in the right place, at
the right time makes it highly vulnerable to incursions by
Politicals, Securocrats and Civil Servants. This flexible
design lacks institutional protections against the job ousting
of career FS professionals. In the past, the Service was stoutly
defended by the DG, senior active FSOs, Congress, and AFSA.
All absent today.
As the most junior Young Turk," former AFSA Prexy and
dissenter, I stand to warn that AFSA is neither trying, nor able
to protect the Foreign Service profession.
As a drafter of the grievance procedures, I applaud that
AFSAs work for individual members is working well. But AFSA
is not using its union rights and professional tools to protect
the Service as an institution. The relentless attack continues.
In our now compartmentalized Service, no active members
or institutions are fighting against the system wide erosion.
The systems experts are HR Civil Servants and short term
Politicals intent on exploiting the systems weaknesses for
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their immediate benefit.

The slates divide on the strategy AFSA needs to advance
its members interestssofter or harder. AFSA today is well
funded, staffed; but not organized to protect its members
collective interests. AFSA lacks direction and effective governance procedures. It needs an OIG inspection.
AFSAs current top mandates are to protect individual
members and to grow AFSA as a business. It spends lavishly
on representational gesturesceremonies, cocktails and
dinners to impress Management and Congress; but almost
nothing on key monitoring and advocacy work to defend our
profession.
AFSA counts on the American Academy of Diplomacy
(AAD) and former AFSA Presidents to engage on the Services major professional battles, while it turns inwardmass
mailings to sell its FS coins and grave markers; treats ninety
Senior management officials to a $125/plate dinner at its
90th Anniversary celebration; but AFSA launches no major
studies on the challenges to the Service. Its costly big data
computer system designed to enlist members support for
major political efforts stands underused. AFSA has become an
organization of gesture; not action.
Case studies of AFSA silence tell the story:
FS leadership jobs are taken for political appointees,
Securocrats from party aligned think tanks, and Civil Servants. This greatly diminishes US diplomacy now and in the
future. Every Senior FS position lost costs five promotions
yearly and increases early outs.
40% record high of Political Ambassadorships is reached a number to patently unqualified mega donors. AFSA is silent,
as it would be inappropriate to speak out given its relationship with the WH Office of Presidential Personnel.
DG candidates are reportedly asked if they will agree to set
aside three Ambassadorships to reward career GSers. AFSAs
unquestioning. Every Ambassadorship lost is five fewer promotions every year.
Senate fight against unqualified Pay-to-Play Ambassadors a national issueis carried forth by former AFSA
Presidents; not AFSA.
AFSAs President meets alone with DS head and, in effect,
waives the Vance Memorandums strict protection against
State employees being recorded w/o their permission; he fails
to inform Board for 10 weeks, until challenged.
AFSA President sets up ad hoc Committee, with former
head of WH Presidential Personnel, to write modern qualifications for American Ambassadors that dramatically under4

cut the FS Acts high standards. AFSA staff spends months

selling it. Later, President cannot tell press whether weak
Pay-to-Play Ambassadors meet this low bar standard. Result
is waste of hundreds of staff hours, a self-inflicted wound to
our profession, but plaudits from the WH and 7th floor.
Check YOUTUBE presentations at http://tinyurl.com/
texdiplomacy-matters and BLOG at https://tex-harris.squarespace.com/blog.
The FS strength of a flexible, rank-in-person personnel
system is its weakness, making it highly vulnerable to political
abuses. AFSA is the key institution to defend our profession.
AFSA has failed and must do better for the nation, as well
as for our Service. Elections are about issues. Your vote will
decide.

Bill Haugh for Secretary *

I am running for AFSA Board Secretary on the Strong
Diplomacy slate, supporting Barbara Stephenson for AFSA
President and Angie Bryan for State Vice President. Im proud
to join Chuck Ford, our slates candidate for Treasurer.
A career-long AFSA member, I share Barbara and Angies
view that AFSA members interest will be advanced by reestablishing the Foreign Service as a leading voice in foreign
policy formulation and execution. Asserting our bargaining
rights is importantbe assured the Strong Diplomacy slate
has the experience, focus, and negotiating skill to do so. We
are convinced, however, that real advances come when the
Foreign Service shows clearly the value-added that our unique
competency and capability bring in service to the nation.
That is why our slate agreed on a simple, powerful litmus test
to judge any initiative or proposal: does it make the Foreign
Service stronger?
The AFSA Secretary facilitates the Boards work and
promotes due process by chairing the governance committee and leading staff evaluations. Enabling and supporting
the work of the Foreign Service communityseeking out and
hearing others viewsare what I have done for almost 35
years. As a Management Officer overseas, I learned to welcome a wide range of views. I engaged post AFSA representatives constructively and transparently to make life better for
the community. In Washington, Ive been on the management
side of the table as we negotiated with AFSA to implement
changes to regulations. As Chair of the Washington ICASS
Executive Board, I helped achieve consensus among the foreign affairs agencies on initiatives like the world-wide furniture
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AFSA EL ECT IO N S 2015- 20 17

pool. I served in three regional bureaus, on the Seventh Floor,

in hardship posts and European capitals, in the M Family, and
a functional bureau. Dean of the School of Language Studies 2012-14, I championed foreign language skills, a strategic
asset for the Foreign Service and the nation.
As Barbara Stephenson says, we are at a crossroads. Barbara has brought together a diverse slate from all cones and
many specialties, wizened veterans and energetic mid-levels,
active duty and retired, from across the foreign affairs agencies. We are eager to work on behalf of you, your colleagues,
and your family and household members. With your support
the Strong Diplomacy slate will lead AFSA on the right path.
William Haugh Bio note: I joined the Foreign Service in
1980. A Senior Foreign Service Management Officer, I was
until recently Executive Director at FSI. I retire in April 2015. I
am married to Kathryn; we have two daughters who grew up
at posts around the world and in Washington.

Charles A. Ford for Treasurer *

It has been my privilege to serve since 2013 as your
Treasurer. As an enthusiastic member of the Strong Diplomacy Slate led by Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, I write
to request your vote for re-election. Our Foreign Service is at
a critical juncturein a moment of institutional fragility that
calls for the strong leadership and clear vision that Barbara
will provide.
As Treasurer I will focus on undertaking additional investments in modernizing AFSA operations and enhancing the
professionalism of our already strong AFSA staff. As together
we take advantage of future opportunities while overcoming
current obstacles, I am pleased to report that the financial
state of our union is strong! This is not an accident but the
result of the firm leadership of past Treasurers and Governing
Boards. We face our new future standing on a solid foundation.
With over 16,000 members, AFSA has grown together with
the Foreign Service. We have a professional staff of 40 and
an annual operating budget of $4.5million. Our investments
are almost $10 million. We own our headquarters building.
In 2014 we innovated and created a new annual capital and
maintenance budget allowing us to anticipate capital expenditures, thus minimizing risk and exposure in our operating
budget. A third party survey of our membership to determine
their interests, priority concerns and level of engagement was
another innovation. One result of the survey was in the 2014
SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE | APRIL 2015

and 2015 budgets to direct even more resources (including

staff) to support member priorities: our Advocacy, Professionalism and Ethics, and Legal Services programs.
With your vote, I look forward to leading our effort to
allocate our human and financial resources to attain strategic
goals that we establish together. Under Barbara Stephensons
leadership, together we will define our new future and engage
forcefully but constructively with all of our stakeholders to
strengthen the Foreign Service in fact and in reputationand
better serve our country. We have the resources to achieve
our goals if we employ them strategically.
During my 30 year career in the Foreign Commercial Service I served for over five years as our Acting Director General
with a focus on strategic planning, performance management,
program evaluation and budget formulation and execution.
As Ambassador to Honduras, I led a mission with over 400
employees working together to resource and achieve national
interest goals. It will be an honor to work under Ambassador
Stephensons leadership. Given our resources, with vision
and leadership, I have no doubt we can achieve our goal of a
stronger Foreign Service.

Angie Bryan for State VP *

When Barbara Stephenson asked me to run for State VP
as part of her Strong Diplomacy slate, I hesitated, unsure
whether AFSA could make a difference on issues that concerned me. As she outlined her vision of a stronger Foreign
Service, taking the lead in foreign policy, I began to envision
what AFSA could be, given the right leadership and energy.
I now picture AFSA as an organization with the potential to
represent the Foreign Service to Congress, the media, and the
American people; uphold the provisions of the Foreign Service
Act; hold our leadership accountable; and help our lessexperienced colleagues develop the skills to build the Foreign
Service of the future. In order for them to do so, however, a
full career path must be available to them. Consequently, one
of our slates top priorities will be to advocate for such a path
as part of establishing a stronger Foreign Service.
We believe that all of the above can be done in a professional and collegial manner, with AFSA serving as a source of
constructive tension in labor-management discussions. We
will continue to advocate on issues such as employee benefits, professionalism and ethics, and working conditions, but
will do so in a manner that emphasizes pre-decisional consultation as the first path to achieving results.
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We dont yet have all the answers. Thats why we plan to

engage heavily not only with management, but also with all of
you, reaching out to involve you in the solutions. Weve heard
people say that AFSA isnt relevant; many have left. We call
on those people to rejoin and help make our vision a reality.
AFSA has the money and the staff to do soit just needs the
right leadership.
Im asking you to vote not only for Barbara Stephenson
and me, but also for the other members of the Strong Diplomacy slate. Our slate has experience in multiple cones and
specialties, and is a mix of retirees, Senior Foreign Service
personnel, mid-level employees, and entry-level professionals. I am a strong proponent of work-life balance who has
served in Kuwait, Damascus, Algiers, Lahore, Islamabad, Lyon,
Sanaa, and Stockholm, with extended TDYs in Kabul and
Peshawar. Ive been a Principal Officer and a DCM, and am
currently an Assessor with the Board of Examiners, giving me
a firsthand look at the impressive people who will form the
next generation of Foreign Service professionals. Lets work
together to ensure that the Foreign Service is somewhere they
want to stay.

Kit Junge for State VP

In 15 years overseas as a manager, EEO counsellor, colleague and member of embassy communities in both large
and small posts, I have helped my colleagues address difficulties and obstacles faced at home and in the office. Whether
it is getting through the unwritten rules of assignment and
promotion, reducing the isolation one feels in hardship or
ISMA posts; trying to care for children or elder parents as a
single officer, or simply finding some balance between work
and a private life, an overseas career produces stress and
conflicts in financial and emotional realms for everyone. I
have worked within the framework of the existing rules and
regulations so I am aware of where a few changes could make
big differences in our lives. And I will listen to your concerns.
As a trained negotiator I have been very successful in moving the marker forward by finding agreement and insisting on
shared interests. Here are some of mine: Assignments should
be about what you know, not who you know. If elected, I will
fight for more objective criteria and greater fairness in assignments and push for reforms in the performance appraisal
process. Training should advance careers, not hinder promotions. I will work with management to find ways to provide
and recognize training that makes us more skilled profession6

als, better leaders, and better managers. I also believe that

AFSA needs to widen its focus in Congress. Having qualified
ambassadors is important. But getting promotions approved
is also important. Most important is ensuring that we are not
penalized for serving overseas. I will push for greater AFSA
advocacy at the state and local level and will urge Congress to
approve a Foreign Service Civil Relief Act to help FS members
address such issues of residency as in-state tuition and relief
from penalties when contracts must be cancelled due to
assignments. We need permanent enactment of an overseas
comparability pay, and, in an unsafe world, amendment of
the Foreign Service Act to allow partial disability retirement.
We must also bridge the gap between the current mandatory
retirement age and the minimum age for Social Security. We
need to advocate for rules or amendments to the FS Act that
provide better balance between work and a private life, to
include greater flexibility in home leave and R&R rules, more
comprehensive family and parental leave benefits, greater use
of telecommuting, and greater recognition of the fact that FS
households can include parents, siblings, children, and unmarried partners of either sex.
My name is Kit Jung and I want to be your advocate on
the diverse issues that impact your daily lives as generalists, specialists, tandems, families and singles while serving
overseas.

Sharon Wayne for USAID VP

For the last two years, I have served as the AFSA USAID
Vice President. During this time, it has become crystal clear
that AFSA plays an indispensable role in providing the necessary checks and balances and professionalism that protect
and enhance our Foreign Service, both individually and collectively. I remain strongly committed to ensuring that our professionals are fully supported in recognition and appreciation
of their sacrifices and service. Foreign Service Officers have a
unique role with unique needs and concerns which, often not
properly understood, are easily ignored or discounted. AFSA
is a strong and necessary advocate for the Foreign Service
and it would be an honor to continue to serve you on its board.
We have come a long way these last two years in elevating
the inequalities in benefits among Foreign Service Agencies
and we are at a crucial point to keep the momentum going.
Major inequalities have existed for years and together we
have made great strides toward correcting these anomalies.
For example, thanks to the AFSA USAID member survey, a
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AFSA EL ECT IO N S 2015- 20 17

robust working group has been formed for the first time to
resolve the inequalities in lodging options while in training.
Another area being focused on addresses member concerns
for spousal employment. USAID is looking at this issue from
many angles including more utilization of a hiring mechanism
that will allow EFMs at USAID non-competitive eligibility when
bidding on Government jobs. Although made up of separate
Agencies, we are the Foreign Service. In championing USAIDs
concerns, I intend to collaborate with AFSA at-large for the
betterment of us all. Pride in our unique mandates as well
as in our collective calling as Foreign Service Officers speaks
louder and stronger as a unified front. The current elected
officials have worked well across agencies in bringing this
message home and if elected I look forward to continued collaboration with the new board.
Jeffrey Cochrane and Jeri Dible (current USAID AFSA board
representatives) and I, along with AFSA staff, are working diligently on your behalf. If elected, I plan to continue focusing
on areas dear to my heart, including equity of benefits among
foreign service agencies, transparency in personnel policy
development (e.g. upcoming performance management
revision), assignments and promotion, improving managerial
training, improving support to employees serving in CPCs,
work/ life balance issues, retiree concerns such as protecting our pension, health care and other benefits, recognition
for service outside of ones backstop or in Washington, and
improving the image of the Foreign Service. I am committed
to representing you and am proud of what we do.

Europe, for instance), we speak up and put a stop to it.

The next two years pose several interesting challenges and
opportunities. We will have a new AFSA Governing Board. The
Commerce IGs 18-month report on ITA Consolidation will be
out by the time you read this. AFSA has weighed in on the
report and will continue to do so to make sure Consolidation
accomplishes its original, lofty goals of better serving ITA
customers, increasing operational effectiveness, enhancing management focus on new priorities, and improving ITA
employees connection with its mission. There is a new Congress and new House and Senate Appropriations Committee
leadership to educate and inform regarding the critical work
of the Commercial Service. Finally, there is some unfinished
business coming out of the 2013 Consolidation agreement
with Management that I plan to work on and hope and expect
to complete this term.
Longer term, I look forward to working with you and CS
Management as we reimagine, re-engineer, and realign our
management structure as a result of Consolidation. There
is talk within the Administration of a possible doubling of
the Commercial Service which I hope to work on as your
employee representative. Finally, the one thing I promise to
fight strenuously against is a return to the Good Old (Bad
Old) Days of 228 Foreign Commercial Service officers (2008)
when many of us didnt have money to hire, travel, train,
or entertainkey aspects of our job-the absence of which
ties the hands of our fellow officers, hollows out overseas
offices, and depresses promotion opportunities as well as
U.S. exports.

Steve Morrison for FCS VP

With the help of others, AFSA has accomplished a great
deal these past two years: new Chief of Mission Guidelines;
increased funding for the Commercial Service; a new, revitalized WAE (Reemployed Annuitant) program; a new, former-CS
officer now Ambassador; and revised FCS language training
guidelines. Yet, there is more to be done and that is why I am
running for a second term.
The job of FCS Vice President is part advocate, part traffic
cop. We advocate strongly for member rights as contained
in our Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Commercial
Service but we also work to improve working conditions (help
secure new resources) and opportunities for advancement
(due process/level playing field). When we see something
wrong or headed down a dark or dangerous path (reorganizing overseas positions adversely impacting officers, say, in
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Larry Cohen for Retiree VP

In July 2013 I became your constituency vice president. To
continue for two more years as your representative on AFSAs
executive committee, I again seek your vote.
During my short tenure, AFSA sought to protect and, when
possible, enhance retiree benefits and not just for those of
us already retired. For active duty contemplating retirement,
defined pension benefits remain a priority target of Congressional cost cutting. In fighting for our colleagues still on active
duty, AFSA emphasizes the linkage between current and
future retirees and the unifying nature of the Foreign Service
over generations. In conjunction with other federal employee
associations, AFSA stands firm on the front lines to assure the
current, and the next, generation of Foreign Service retirees
are not blithely treated by congress or the administration as a
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cost-cutting piata.
While acknowledging the success of the Career Transition
Centers Job Search Program at FSI, I believe retirement planning ought to begin at career entry, not upon retirement. For
active duty, AFSA stresses early retirement preparation, such
as taking FSIs Retirement Planning Seminar (RV 101) at the
first opportunity. AFSA also urges the promotion of retirement
preparation during the career orientation phase and throughout ones career.
For current retirees, life-altering decision-making does not
end. With my strong backing, AFSA helps members address
practical questions such as Medicare, FEGLI, clearances, and
reemployment rights. This year AFSA will roll out its webbased on-line community, a service to members I wholeheartedly support. Meanwhile, I receive messages directly
from retirees and will continue to be personally available to
members who have questions, grievances, or other issues to
address.
Many retirees return to work under the State Departments
When Actually Employed (WAE) program. Unfortunately,
even with the new centralized registry, the bureau-run WAE
systems often do not fully or efficiently serve the needs of the
Department or annuitants seeking employment opportunities.
Many talented retirees get lost in the maze. I urge greater
transparency in the WAE system, especially creation of an
Internet accessible CV database maintained by HR.
Occasionally, AFSA members relate stories of disrespectful treatment when they seek access to State Department
facilities. AFSA does not prejudge building access security
procedures and supports an appropriate security posture for
all facilities. But retirees deserve dignity and respect earned
through decades of loyal and meritorious service. Retirees
who maintain active clearances and possess chipped retiree
badges ought to be able, upon request, to have the chip activated. Foreign Service retirees should not be automatically
treated as security threats.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Retiree Vice
President. And allow me to thank you in advance for your vote
of confidence for another two-year term.

Tom Boyatt for Retiree VP

At a time in life when I should be concentrating on gardens
and grand-children, I feel compelled to return to the fray as
a candidate for Retiree VP. The Foreign Service (and AFSA)
faces an existential threat. The American Academy of Diplo8

macy agrees and in March will publish a Report exposing the

dangers and proposing recommendations to counter them.
In the Department political appointees multiply rapidly and
penetrate ever deeper into traditional working levels. There
are now some 57 Special envoys who, together with their
staffs, are virtually all political appointees.
Concurrently, the Management (M) side of State has
declared a requirement to break-down the Foreign Service
Act of 1980 by homogenizing the Foreign and Civil Services
(CS). To this end M and HR are converting ever more Foreign
Service positions to CS; expanding programs to convert Civil
Servants to Foreign Service Officers and Specialists and
creating programs to assign CS to overseas positions. Today
about 40% of country director/deputy/desk officer jobs in the
regional bureaus are filled by GS personnel. In the functional
bureaus the percentage is 80%. Compare that, colleagues, to
the numbers when you were on active duty.
In addition to the above mega-problem, there are several
perennial retiree issues which demand attention. Annuity
protection, maintenance of health benefits, building access,
timely payment of survivor benefits to Foreign Service widows
and widowers, and improvement of the WAE system all remain
on the docket and require creative attention.
AFSA faces enormous challenges. It is imperative that we
elect a Board composed of battle-hardened and experienced
members. Accordingly, I urge you to vote for Matthew Asada
as the next President. During four years on the Board and two
as State Vice President Matt has defended the FS against
management efforts to break-down the Congressionally
mandated independence of the Foreign Service and its merit
principles. He has shown the skill and courage that will be
vital over the next two years if efforts to restore the Foreign
Service are to be successful.
As for myself, I have had the pleasure of working with many
of you on foreign policy or AFSA issues. For those who do not
know me, I entered the Service as an FSO-8 and retired as a
Career Minister. I served in all of the cones and four of the
five regional bureaus of my era. Over the years AFSA members elected me as President, Vice President, and Treasurer
(twice). I humbly ask you to give me one more chance to
serve at this critical juncture. I promise you an all-in fight for
an independent and merit-based Foreign Service.

Charles A. Ray for Retiree VP **

Retirement from the Foreign Service should not mean our
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AFSA EL ECT IO N S 2015- 20 17

connection with the service we served long and honorably

should end.
For 90 years AFSA has been the voice of the Foreign
Service, first as a professional association, and now as both
a professional association and a union. We who have retired
from active service can not only continue to benefit from both
of these roles, we have an integral role to play in ensuring that
AFSA continues to function on behalf of a professional Foreign
Service that plays an essential role in carrying out American
foreign policy at home and abroad.
As retirees, we can play a role in AFSAs advocacy efforts on
behalf of all of our Foreign Service colleagues through communication with Congress and the American public about the
need for a strong, professional American diplomatic service.
We also have an important role in supporting AFSAs professional association activities, through public speaking and writingfor the Foreign Service Journal, blogs, and other media
outletsand through our support of the important work of
AFSA committees, such as the Committee on the Foreign
Service Profession and Ethics (PEC).
Some of the key issues of interest to retirees that should
be addressed in 2015 and beyond:
-Preservation of retiree pension and benefits.
-Revision of facility access rules for retirees, including
activation of chip in retiree ID cards to facilitate entry to Main
State, SA-1, and FSI in particular.
-Establishment of more clarity in the WAE program, including the following: require Bureaus to post requirements on
RNET and make them available in the HR Service Center so
that all retirees have access to them.
-More active solicitation of retirees, recent and older alike,
to join AFSA.
-A revitalized AFSA speakers program with a focus on retirees located outside the DC area.
If I am elected VP for Retirees, these issues will be my
priorities during my tenure.
I am a member of the Future Forward AFSA Slate in this
years election.
Bio: I entered the Foreign Service in August 1982, after
serving 20 years in the U.S. Army. My assignments included
consular posts in Guangzhou and Shenyang, China; Admin
Officer, Chiang Mai, Thailand; Special Assistant, PM/Office
of Defense Trade Controls; DCM, Freetown, Sierra Leone;
Consul General, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Ambassador,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Diplomat-in-residence, University
of Houston; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, POW/
SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE | APRIL 2015

Missing Personnel Affairs; and Ambassador, Harare, Zimbabwe. I retired from the Foreign Service in September 2012,
and served as chair of AFSAs Committee on Foreign Service
Profession and Ethics (PEC) until July 2014. I also chaired the
AFSA Chief of Mission Guidelines Working Group.

Phil G. Laidlaw for State Rep *

Ive had the privilege of serving my country as a Foreign
Service Officer for over 22 years. What we do matters, so its
important to make sure the Foreign Service is prepared for
the future. As part of the Strong Diplomacy Slate, my goal is
to make AFSA into a strong advocate for the men and women
of the Foreign Service, framing every decision, every engagement with Department management, with one question: Does
it make the Foreign Service stronger? Well push for administrative and IT systems that enablenot hinderour officers
in the field to advance the nations interests. Well work to
ensure assignments policies build the strong cadre of FSOs
needed to lead in coming decades. And we will put renewed
emphasis on the word service in FSO, expecting service in
hard jobs in tough places as part of a full career.
Phil Laidlaw is currently the director of WHAs Policy Planning and Coordination office. Previously, he served as charg
in Caracas, deputy director of WHAs Andean Affairs office,
and graduated from the National War College in 2011 following
tours in San Salvador, La Paz, Madrid, Sarajevo, and Tirana. He
is a graduate of Wake Forest University and hails from Florida.

Margaret Hawthorne for State Rep *

When I joined the Foreign Service, I thought if I dont like
it, I can always go back to my previous career. Well, 23 years
later, Im still here, because this is the most interesting, meaningful, and rewarding work Ive ever done. None of us joined
the Foreign Service to get rich or become famous. We joined
because we believed we could make a difference. And we do,
every day. Im running for the AFSA Board because I believe
in Ambassador Stephensons vision for a renewed, revitalized and stronger Foreign Service to lead Americas foreign
policy. As a former DCM/Charg, I know the importance of
good leadership and of ensuring that we are empowering our
people while recognizing the need for a strong work-life balance. My Strong Diplomacy slate colleagues and I will work to
help all of you realize the full potential of your careers.
Bio Note: Margaret Nini Hawthorne is the Director of
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A FSA E L ECT I O N S 201 5 - 2017

Crisis Management Training at FSI. Previously, she was DCM/

Charg in Belize, Political External chief in Moscow, Pearson
Fellow on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and a 2011
graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. She
has also served in Santo Domingo, Madrid, USUN, and Washington.

Leah M. Pease for State Rep *

Why am I running for AFSA? To be perfectly honest, the
thought had never crossed my mind until I was approached
by a respected colleague about the idea. After listening
to Ambassador Barbara Stephensons visionary ideas on
leadership, mentoring, and her plans to actively engage and
mobilize AFSA members to build a strong Foreign Service,
to lead Americas foreign policy, I decided to join her Strong
Diplomacy slate, so that I could make a positive impact on the
future of the FS.
I believe the Strong Diplomacy slate represents an opportunity to address some of the profound issues that threaten
the future of the FS and the Department. As a proud, midlevel FSO who just spent three years as a PD instructor at FSI,
I heard too-often, many smart and talented mid- and entrylevel officers express in frustration, that despite their strong
desire to serve their country, they felt worn down by the
system and questioned their future in the Department.
Join us in our #StrongDiplomacy campaign as we seek to
address these core issues! Were eager to hear from you as we
develop our platform. You can find us on Facebook at Strong
Diplomacy AFSA 2015.
I joined the FS in 2001. I have served at USNATO, Belfast,
Caracas, and in Washington as the Eagleburger Fellow, a PD
instructor, and the UK/Ireland Desk Officer.

Josh Glazeroff for State Rep *

As a member of the Strong Diplomacy slate, I am committed to strong leadership and clear vision. Our team is united
by a shared program and determined to make a real difference by making the most of AFSA, the voice of the Foreign
Service. If elected, we will be guided in our decisions by this
central test: Does it make the Foreign Service stronger? I
have 18 years of experience, much of it as a Consular officer.
Through my time in the Service, I have come to believe that
we can do more to be better leaders and managers. I have
seen improvements in how we think about both leadership
10

and management initiated by Consular personnel who cared

deeply about making positive change real. Through their
commitment, we have learned to do more to inspire, to communicate, to implement sustainably and plan strategically.
AFSA has a role to play in encouraging and coordinating such
efforts at a Departmental level. Such initiatives will make
AFSA members and the Department as a whole more resilient
and better prepared. Voting for the Strong Diplomacy slate is
a great opportunity to strengthen the Foreign Service in fact
and in reputation.

Doug Morrow for State Rep

My name is Doug Morrow, and I am running to be your
State Department Representative on the AFSA Board. I joined
the Foreign Service in 2008 and immediately joined AFSA. I
believe that AFSA is a vital part of the State Department, and I
welcome the opportunity to help make it even more effective.
There are three areas where I believe we can improve.
First, we can do a better job reaching out to Post to see
what challenges they face, to be better advocates for all of our
employees, even those we dont hear from every day.
Second, we should redouble efforts to catalogue and communicate the State Departments successes to Capitol Hill to
increase funding when possible.
Last, as a proud GLIFAA member, I am excited to see the
positive changes in the Department under Secretaries Clinton
and Kerry, but we have more work to do for our transgender
employees. We could also do a better job of supporting single
parents, families with health concerns, specialists interested
in career advancement, and others.
I will ensure that the Department remains a welcoming
workplace for all, by speaking my mind, choosing battles
wisely, and working hard for those who need assistance. AFSA
is your advocate and ally in Washington, and I promise to
bring my energy and enthusiasm to the organization to serve
you better.

Peter Neisuler for State Rep *

This past year, I have participated in writing the 2015 Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), where
I have placed particular emphasis on leadership development
and professionalization of the Foreign Service. Working with
Barbara Stephenson and supporting her efforts to transform
the Departments leadership training, I got to see her passion
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AFSA EL ECT IO N S 2015- 20 17

for strengthening this organization, which I know she will bring

to AFSA if elected.
I am an FS-02 political officer who has served in four cones
in two regional bureaus and the DGHR family as part of a
tandem. If given the chance to serve on the AFSA board, I will
focus on Barbaras criterion: Does it make the FS stronger?
This will mean staunchly defending our members interests, as
AFSA always has. But it will also mean promoting policies that
bolster our work and support the health of our organization, a
shared goal of the entire FS, both management and rank-andfile alike. Management is not them; it is us as well. We will
not always see eye-to-eye, but I believe we accomplish more
through seeking common ground than through an adversarial
relationship. With the publication of the Secretarys Leadership and Management Principles in 2014, and their elevation
in the QDDR, we have an unprecedented opportunity to link
individual leadership, leadership by the FS in foreign affairs,
and Americas continued leadership globally.

Eric Geelan for State Rep *

I am running for the AFSA Board in support of Ambassador
Stephensons vision of AFSA as the vehicle through which our
members can actively engage in strengthening the Foreign
Service. The members of the Strong Diplomacy slate appreciate AFSAs many achievements over the years, but are united
in the belief that AFSA can and should be more. Through
AFSA, the voice of the Foreign Service, we can engage directly
on the issues that affect our future. We all work every day to
improve the lives of people around the world and tell the story
of our country, yet we have not fully mobilized our talents to
tell our own story to the American people and Congress; to
negotiate with management to find ways to improve work-life
balance; and to create mechanisms that promote mentorship
and collaboration among our members. Having served with
Ambassador Stephenson, I believe that she is just the person
to inspire and lead such a movement.
I am an 02 political-coned officer, and have been in the FS
for 12 years. I am currently serving in my first Washington tour
as Deputy Director of PM/ISO. Prior to that I served political
tours in London and Panama, was ACAO in Jerusalem, and
did a Con/Pol rotation in Caracas. I am married and have two
boys.

SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE | APRIL 2015

Dan Spokojny for State Rep **

Most Foreign Service officers agree on what needs to
be done to make our institution stronger: better training,
smarter security, and access to the best technology. We also
need improved compensation and better support for Foreign
Service families in order to attract and retain the best talent.
The question is, how do we accomplish these objectives?
Heres an idea: AFSA will spearhead an effort to improve
the Foreign Services image on Capitol Hill. Congressional
relations training should be encouraged for all officers, and
AFSA will work with the Department to improve communication channels between officers and Congress. We should
showcase the incredible talent, subject matter expertise, and
dedication of our officers. By improving our image on Capitol
Hill, we will strengthen our institution and restore diplomacy
to its rightful place as a tool of foreign policy.
This is work I have already begun as a current member of
the Governing Board. Drawing on my experience working in
Congress prior to joining the Department, I will continue to
make AFSAs outreach to Capitol Hill my priority.
I am running as a member of the Future Forward AFSA
slate (www.futureforwardafsa.com) to build on the strong
record of accomplishment of this Governing Board and to
maintain AFSA as an independent, diverse, and innovative
voice for the Foreign Service.

Pat Kabra for State Rep **

Running for the AFSA Board is a chance to make a difference. I want to work with all of you (FSOs and Specialists) to
build an independent, diverse and innovative Foreign Service
for the future. As a senior FSO, I have benefitted from many
who have defended the integrity of the Foreign Service. I
have served as post AFSA representative, EEO counselor and
mentor. Now, I am running on the Future Forward AFSA slate
(www.futureforwardafsa.com) which is dedicated to supporting a professional, diverse and respected corps. I am proud to
join Matthew Asada and my fellow team members. We promise to represent your interests.
As a Public Diplomacy Officer, I served under challenging
circumstances at embassies in the Middle East: Cairo, Jerusalem, Damascus, Tunis and Doha. Our work has changed as
more officers serve expeditionary or unaccompanied tours.
Multiple evacuations and upheavals at posts have affected
families and staff. We need to work together on debates
regarding tours, training, work conditions and assignments.
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A FSA E L ECT I O N S 201 5 - 2017

Currently, I am a Diplomatic Fellow at George Washington

University, teaching a new generation of potential officers. The
students are focused, talented and creative. But to keep them
interested in us we need to have something of value to offer.
Please take a look at the Future Forward AFSA slate. Join
us by Voting. Lets go!

Lawrence Casselle for State Rep *

My name is Lawrence W. K. Casselle and I am running as
a candidate for State representative on the AFSA Governing
Board. As a member of Ambassador Barbara Stephensons
Strong Diplomacy slate, I am committed to Building a Strong
Foreign Service to Lead Americas Foreign Policy!
I have had the distinct pleasure to serve with outstanding
Diplomatic Security (DS) and Foreign Service Officers as a
DS Supervisory Special Agent for the past 12 years. I have
served in a variety of domestic and overseas assignments
including State Operations, Secretary Rices Protective Detail,
Abu Dhabi, Kabul and Belize. During these assignments, I
have learned that the Foreign Service is most influential and
effective when generalists and specialists of all cones and
specialties work together in a collaborative fashion toward the
common goal of making our service stronger.
As a DS law enforcement and security professional who
has served in challenging posts abroad, I understand the
delicate balance between securing our overseas posts while
allowing our colleagues to complete their missions. I also
firmly believe that DS and other specialties should be represented on this governing board.
If I am elected on the Strong Diplomacy slate, I will humbly
and faithfully represent all members of our diverse Foreign
Service family as we tirelessly work to build a stronger Foreign
Service.

Patricia Tricia Wingerter for State Rep *

I am an Office Management Specialist with extensive
experience at over nine posts across three bureaus. During my
postings, I have served on numerous Employee Associations,
Post Employment Committees and EER review boards. I have
been a member of AFSA since joining the Department and,
through the years, have utilized the terrific AFSA resources. I
am running as one of the State Representatives and am especially honored to join Ambassador Barbara Stephenson on the
Strong Diplomacy slate. I know first-hand Ambassador Ste12

phensons ability to inspire greatness in those around her. The

Strong Diplomacy slates draws from across cones and specialties. As a State Representative, I would aim to bring a specialist perspective. AFSA is a solid organization, but with fresh,
inspiring, energetic leadership, I know AFSA can be a more
robust association and do so much more for all members. I
believe in the vision of a stronger Foreign Serviceespecially
for the next generation of Foreign Service professionals.
Bio Note: Tricia Wingerter is currently serving as Executive Assistant to the DCM in London. She will transfer at the
end of the summer to take up her duties as the FSI Logistical
Coordinator for the Ambassadorial Seminar in the Leadership
and Management School.

John Dinkelman for State Rep *

I joined AFSA as a new hire in 1988 and have been the
grateful, albeit silent, beneficiary of AFSA membership ever
since. I promised that when given the chance, I would pay
back the organization. Now is that time.
So I ask for your vote, not because I more qualified than the
other candidateseither on the Strong Diplomacy slate or
otherwise. The truth is I am overwhelmed by the enthusiasm,
intelligence, and caliber of every one of them. I can only promise that Ill do my best to build upon AFSAs past successes.
Simply put: I care!
Bio Note: John (Dink) Dinkelman works in the Office of
Caribbean Affairs. He has served in Belgrade, London, Majuro,
The Hague, Ankara, Nogales, and Nassau. Dink also worked at
FSI from 2002 2007 on the A-100 training where he helped
trained over 2,700 FS ELOsfor which he was awarded the
2006 Arnold L. Raphel Memorial Award. An army brat, Dink
was raised in many placesnone of which he calls home. His
heart is tugged, however, toward Provo, Utah, where he barely
graduated from BYU. Although FSI maintains that he speaks
Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, Dutch, and Turkish, Dink knows better than to claim proficiency in anything but English. Dink and
his wife Liz are the VERY tired parents of three children ages
18, 16 and 10.

Erin OConnor for State Rep *

Six years into my Foreign Service career, and I have never
given much thought to AFSA. So why did I join Ambassador
Barbara Stephensons Strong Diplomacy slate? Because of
her vision for a stronger organization committed to mobilizAPRIL 2015 | SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE

AFSA EL ECT IO N S 2015- 20 17

ing its talented members to strengthen the Foreign Services

institutions and reputation.
Growing up in a small Texas town, I know how lucky I am
to be a diplomat; we truly have the coolest jobs. The Foreign
Service is a calling for many, but it takes dedication and good
humor to persevere in this careerthrough the ups and downs,
and every place in between. I think I can speak for many of
my colleagues still relatively early in their careers when I say
that we need strong leadership and robust mentoring in order
to become States next generation of leaders. When we think
of AFSA, we should think of an organization that makes the
Foreign Service a stronger institution. When we think of AFSA,
we should think it is that type of organization. Under Ambassador Stephensons leadership, I believe AFSA will help build a
stronger Foreign Service to lead Americas foreign policy.
Join us in our #StrongDiplomacy campaign. You can find
us on Facebook at Strong Diplomacy -- AFSA 2015.

Sam Theilman for State Rep *

As a member of the Strong Diplomacy slate, I will work for
an AFSA that supports work-life balance and pushes familyfriendly policies. I will promote workforce retention by bringing the importance of pay and promotion issues for specialists
to AFSAs attention.
As a physician, I want AFSA to support a Foreign Service
healthcare system that responds creatively to the challenges
of the modern Foreign Service and that offers a variety of
options for care. Issues of quality and confidentiality should
be paramount. The Foreign Service Act of 1980 (http://www.
gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-94/pdf/STATUTE-94-Pg2071.
pdf#page=58) allows great latitude in arrangements for the
health care of the Foreign Service. AFSA should support a
health system that assures patients, providers, and Department
stakeholders of a reliable, flexible, and stable system of care.
I joined the Foreign Service in 1999, serving as the State
Department psychiatrist for Nairobi, Kenya and East Africa
during the aftermath of the 1998 bombings. I received a Presidential Meritorious Service Award for my time as Director
of Mental Health Services in the mid-2000s. Recently, I have
done tours in Western Europe, where I supported returnees
from high-threat assignments and saw first-hand the effects
of good and bad leadership on the foreign affairs community.
I will work to make AFSA an organization that supports our
good leadership and helps us remove the bad.

SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE | APRIL 2015

Homeyra Mokhtarzada for State Rep **

I am running as a member of the Future Forward AFSA slate
(www.futureforwardafsa.com) to build on the strong record
of accomplishment of this Governing Board and to maintain
AFSA as an independent, diverse, and innovative voice for the
Foreign Service.
I joined the AFSA Governing Board in 2014 because I am
deeply commitment to our profession and its future.
Strengthening our Post Representative program has been
one of my key initiatives. Post Representatives are our front
lines. AFSA and the Foreign Service benefit when we empower
them with tools and ideas to engage robustly with membership and post management, proactively increase the visibility
and impact of AFSA, and advance AFSAs strategic vision. In
recent months weve increased post coverage and are rolling
out great ideas that will lead to more visibility and member
involvement in AFSAs work. To ensure great Post Representatives get the recognition they deserve we have a new AFSA
Post Representative of the Year Award. Work-life issues are
also important to me and in October I helped bring together
experts, HR reps and AFSA members to discuss the challenges
of 24/7 emails. If elected, I will continue advancing these
initiatives.
As part of the Diplomacy 3.0 hiring surge, my cohort of
officers and specialists face unique career challenges and Im
committed to representing our voices and priorities with the
Department.
Lets go!

Ronnie S. Catipon for State Rep

My name is Ronnie Catipon and I am a DS special agent.
I have served in the Foreign Service since July 1997. I am
seeking election as a State Department representative to the
2015-2017 AFSA Governing Board and I ask for your support.
I am currently a Governing Board member, appointed in
June 2014. Prior assignments include the Secretarys Detail,
Manila, Tbilisi, Kyiv, Afghanistan, and The Hague. I am currently assigned to DS headquarters as the Regional Director
for Iraq and Afghanistan. For a majority of my FS career, I was
part of a tandem couple and prior to joining the FS, I was an
eligible family member in Almaty, my spouses first overseas
assignment. My spouse and I are the proud parents of four
wonderful children.
I bring a diverse set of experiences given my 18-year FS
career. I am a DS agent; served at traditional embassies and
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A FSA E L ECT I O N S 201 5 - 2017

at a high threat post; and been an EFM, half of a tandem couple, and a parent raising FS children abroad. I believe I can
well represent my FS colleagues as a State Department AFSA
representative. I want to help make the State Department a
better place for us all as employees and members of the FS
community. Again, I ask for your vote of support. Thank you.

Steve McCain for State Rep **

Im honored to stand with Future Forward AFSA (www.
futureforwardafsa.com) as a candidate for State Representative. As a Foreign Service IMS with 15 years of overseas
experience, I am familiar with many of the unique challenges
we face.
Ive served at a diverse mix of locations and jobs that have
given me a broad view of our organization. Im currently
on my first domestic assignment, contributing an overseas
perspective to IRMs Office of the Chief Architect. I strongly
support the Departments strategic direction to increase
information security while, at the same time, adapting
quickly to changing technology. Our aim is to provide secure
and versatile tools targeted directly to the requirements of
diplomats and their staffs.
Throughout the years I engaged with AFSA and others
to address issues that concerned me such as Overseas
Comparability Pay, MSI fairness, airport security, and airline
seating standards. With fair compensation and a reasonable
work/life balance, we are better able to focus on our work to
advance diplomacy and make a difference in peoples lives.
I look forward to the opportunity to represent my colleagues and advocate on their behalf, and Im excited to join
the energy of Future Forward AFSA. Lets go!

Joel Wisner for State Rep **

I am a 15 year member of the Foreign Service running
on the Future Forward AFSA slate for the position of State
Representative. Future Forward AFSA represent specialists and generalists who demand an independent, diverse,
innovative, and professional Foreign Service. Five overseas
and two domestic tours have convinced me that we are the
most dedicated workforce in the world. We are a workforce
that deserves the best technology, including smarter apps
and internet everywhere. We are a workforce that protects
the national security, including in cyberspace. We are best
represented by the Future Forward AFSA slate of candidates
14

for the AFSA Governing Board.

The Foreign Service principles of constructive dissent and
advocacy are enshrined in law in the Foreign Service Act of
1980. Though it takes people to turn principles into action
and to challenge Department management, respectful of our
traditions, but without equivocation. Whatever your cone, skill
code or background, you can count on me to fight for you and
your interests.
This is OUR Foreign Service and youll find no stronger
advocate for our cause. Together, we can build on recent
AFSA Governing Board progress to keep improving the
Foreign Service as an independent, diverse, innovative and
professional service today, and for the generations that follow.
Learn more about our dynamic slate at www.futureforwardafsa.com. Lets go!

Brynn Bennett for State Rep **

I believe that our organizations most valuable tool is
our employeesthey are kept sharp by treating them with
respect, compensating fairly, providing opportunities for
professional growth and education, equipping them properly,
recognizing their sacrifices, giving them a voice, and including their families. These are the values that I bring to public
service.
I began my career as a public servant in 2004 as a local
police officer. I pursued a law enforcement profession
because I believe it is important to protect those who cannot protect themselves. In 2013, I had the privilege of joining
the Foreign Service family as a Diplomatic Security Special
Agent. I bring with me the same desire to protect and defend
others. As government employees, it is essential that we have
a strong voice to defend our personal interests so that we can
remain focused on our professional responsibilities.
Vote for me to represent you as a State Representative on
the AFSA Governing Board so I can defend your interests as
dedicated members of the Foreign Service. I am running as
a member of the Future Forward AFSA slate (www.futureforwardafsa.com) to work with others who share my belief that
we should maintain AFSA as an independent, diverse, and
innovative voice for the Foreign Service. Lets Go!

Neeru Lal for State Rep **

AFSA is listening! It was not until I joined the AFSA Governing Board in the Summer of 2014 that I fully understood
APRIL 2015 | SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE

AFSA EL ECT IO N S 2015- 20 17

AFSAs value to our membership. As a State Representative,

I am committed to bringing forward the voice of our people.
Last fall I organized a well-attended, interactive webinar to
promote discussion between AFSA leadership and IRM specialists worldwide. We listened to IT workforce concerns and
AFSA leadership engaged with IRM management in support of
our unique issues.
In case you missed it, I am an Information Technology Manager. I served 12 years overseas before returning to participate
in IRMs Executive Development Program. Im Indian-American and my husband and I raised our 2 kids (now adults)
overseas, in true Foreign Service lifestyle: from Ouagadougou
to New Delhi, Brussels, and finally, Rome. Im currently serving
domestically in IRMs Public Affairs and Communications unit.
I ask for your vote and trust as State Representative. Im a
member of the Future Forward AFSA (www.futureforwardafsa.
com) slate and we are dedicated to maintaining an independent, diverse, and innovative voice for the Foreign Service. We
are enthusiastic, motivated, and will serve you well. Lets go!

Judge, seeing first-hand the talents of the incredibly gifted

applicants. I have served overseas, in a U.S. Export Assistance
Center (USEAC), in a variety of roles in FCS Headquarters,
and am currently serving as a Brookings Legislative Fellow. I
believe that this experience, along with my AFSA experience,
has provided me with a unique perspective on FCSs needs
and role vis--vis the Foreign Service as a whole.
I have had the good fortune of working alongside my
colleague FCS VP to AFSA Steve Morrison on a variety of
initiatives, both when we were posted in the Baltimore USEAC,
and on AFSA-related issues. Steve and I work extremely well
together, meeting and communicating regularly with each
other, FCS management and our fellow Commercial Officers.
While much has been accomplished, there is much more to
do including addressing the outcomes of our recent consolidation. I respectfully request re-election to this position to
not only serve my FCS colleagues, but the entire U.S. Foreign
Service and the important work that it does. Thank you.

Dean J. Haas for Retiree Rep *

Jeff Cochrane for USAID Rep
Jeff is a strong believer in collective bargaining, and in
the professionalization of U.S. foreign assistance. A union
member since the mid-1980s, he believes that the Foreign
Service can raise its voice even more forcefully in the current
debate over foreign assistance reforms. Jeff has been with
USAID in one form or another for nearly 20 yearsPeace
Corps Volunteer, researcher, and contractor on USAID-funded
projects, Civil Servant with both management and technical
bureaus, and (for nearly 10 years) Foreign Service Officer.
Jeff has directed economic growth offices in West Africa and
Iraq, was ICT Division Chief in the Office of Infrastructure, and
now serves as USAID desk officer for Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo,
and non-presence Europe. He has a bachelors from Brown in
Rhode Island, and a doctorate in applied economics from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, focusing on the economics
of institutions, applied to the study of what makes economic
systems grow or fail. Jeffs husband is the TV critic with USA
Today.

William Kutson for FCS Rep

Last year I assumed the role of FCS Representative to
AFSA. I also had the honor and privilege to serve as FCS
Scholarship Committee representative, and as a Merit Award
SPECIAL ELECTION ISSUE | APRIL 2015

I am running on the Strong Diplomacy slate because I

believe that Ambassador Barbara Stephenson will be an
outstanding AFSA President. I want to take part in implementing her agenda to build a stronger Foreign Service to lead
Americas foreign policy. She is the leader we need at this
moment in our history.
Having retired as an FE-MC in 2011 at age 50, I remain connected to the State Department as a WAE Training Consultant and Leadership Coach at FSI. I currently work with new
senior FS and CS personnel, as well as first-time DCMs and
Principal Officers, in course work designed to prepare them
for the opportunities and challenges inherent in senior leadership. I also serve as an instructor in the Fundamentals of
Supervision and Intermediate Leadership courses developing
States next generation of leaders. In addition, I am an executive coach on the Departments Leadership Coaching team.
The Strong Diplomacy slate will strengthen the Foreign Service, promote its importance as fundamental to US interests,
and advocate persuasively to advance FS interests across constituencies. I will look to serve retiree members as a strong
voice for their interests and concerns. I am committed to
open and frequent communication with the retiree community.
Your vote for the entire Strong Diplomacy slate will allow
us to engage constructively at all levels to make the Foreign
Service stronger!
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Alphonse F. La Porta for Retiree Rep *

I was State vice president and AFSA president in 1995-97
before my transfer to Mongolia as chief of mission. I have
served in Management and participated in several management reform efforts. My purpose in standing for election as
Retiree Representative is to assist AFSA in restoring the role
of the Foreign Service in foreign affairs decision-making and
policy implementation, uplifting Foreign Service professionalism, and strengthening AFSAs critical labor-management
role.
The record of the past twenty years clearly has shown that
Foreign Service leadership in the Department has declined,
our personnel strength is precipitously low, our skills base
has eroded, and professionalism has been compromised by
increased politicization. The identity of the Foreign Service, as
provided in the Foreign Service Act of 1980, is being disregarded and diminished through management actions, political
expediency, and favoritism.
A strong Foreign Service is required to meet the challenges
facing this and future generations, thus the special character
and role of the Foreign Service must be restored as provided
in law. I support the Strong Diplomacy slate, rebuilding the
integrity and professional capabilities of the Foreign Service,
and helping to create a unified and determined governing
board. A strong labor-management posture is needed to
advance the interests of active duty members and to ensure
that Foreign Service retirees receive equitable benefits, recognition and respect.

Patricia Butenis for Retiree Rep *

advocate for, but retirees can also continue to contribute to

a Foreign Service that respects our experience and builds on
our accomplishments. I would work to draw on the incredible
resource that is the Foreign Service retiree community for our
own brand of strong public diplomacy.

John Limbert for Retiree Rep

Let no cheap shot go unanswered was AFSAs mantra
when I served as its president in 2003-05. It still should be.
As retirees who have served our country with honor we
need a Foreign Service that represents the best of our people
and our values. When a media pundit or a politician takes a
cheap shot at our colleagues, when a president selects obviously unqualified people as ambassadors, they attack us all by
denigrating the worlds proudest (if not oldest) profession.
For 34 years it was an honor for me to serve with Foreign
Service colleagues in places like Conakry, Tehran, Khartoum,
Baghdad, and Nouakchott. Whenever our service is disparaged we need to answer with one voice: Nonsense.
I look forward to keeping AFSA the active voice of our
Foreign Service professionalsall of them.
John Limbert is Class of 1955 Professor of Middle Eastern
Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy. During a 34-year diplomatic career, he served mostly in the Middle East and Islamic
Africa (including two tours in Iraq) and was Ambassador to
the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Before the 1979 Revolution he worked in Iran as a university and high school teacher,
and served at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where he was held
hostage in 1979-81. He was president of AFSA from 2003-05
and is currently chairperson of AFSAs awards committee.

I discovered a new mission when I retired last year, after

34 years in the Foreign Servicetelling my story, our story
to Americans who were unaware of what we do to promote
their interests and values overseas. My description of service
in Pakistan, El Salvador, Iraq, Colombia, India, and Poland
and as ambassador to Bangladesh and to Sri Lanka and
Maldives were a revelation to people. Our work overseas is
what defines us and increasingly, that service is in high threat
posts, where we continue to serve with distinction. The retiree
communities are uniquely positioned to be a major force for
outreachto our home communities, so they know what
we do on their behalf, to elected officials, so they support
the Foreign Service, and to students, so they will follow in
our footsteps. Our retirees of course have concerns which
our Strong Diplomacy slate will consistently address and
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