AFSA USAID Vice President Update: January 25, 2008
Here is your update from USAID Vice President Francisco Zamora. Please send any comments and questions to <fzamora@usaid.gov>.

1. A New Year Begins: We here at AFSA/USAID wish all our members a Happy New Year. We hope to do our best to serve your interests in the upcoming year, and encourage you to seek us out for any and all questions or problems that may arise.

2. The New Vanguard Is Out: The January issue of The Vanguard is now available. This month, we devote most of the issue to a detailed look at the recent USAID member survey. We think you will find a lot of the results quite interesting, and many will confirm what most of us seem to have suspected for quite some time. To read the January Vanguard, please click on this link.

3. Good News: We are very happy to report that the Senior Foreign Service promotions were finalized earlier this month, which is unusually early for USAID. We hope this is the start of a new, positive trend, and we congratulate all of our newly promoted colleagues. (The names were published in the October issue of the Vanguard; to see them all please visit http://www.afsa.org/usaid/102607vanguard.pdf and scroll to page 5.)

4. The Cycle Continues: Please be aware that the AEF cycle comes to a close in just about two months. At this point, you should be requesting 360° input and should already have had your mid-cycle review. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with AFSA for any assistance with this process.

5. AFSA Awards: AFSA has issued the annual call for nominations for its constructive dissent and exemplary performance awards. We give out these awards every year to deserving nominees, and we encourage you to suggest a colleague – or even yourself. All the necessary information can be found at www.afsa.org/awards, or by contacting Professional Issues Coordinator Barbara Berger at berger@afsa.org. The deadline for nominations is February 29, 2008.

6. Scholarship Information: The deadline for applications for the AFSA scholarships is fast approaching; all materials must be submitted by February 6, 2008. All information on the scholarship and submission procedures may be found at www.afsa.org/scholar. For further information, please contact Scholarship Administrator Lori Dec at dec@afsa.org.

7. Come Visit Us: The AFSA staff is always happy to receive visitors, so we encourage you to drop by. We are located in suite 2.10-C, which is just off the 13½ Street elevator lobby on the second floor. You can also get in touch with me via e-mail (fzamora@usaid.gov) or phone (202-712-1631). For labor-management advice and assistance, you may contact Senior Labor Management Advisor Doug Broome at dbroome@usaid.gov or 202-712-0947. The main AFSA/USAID number is 202-712-1941, while the AFSA HQ number is 202-338-4045.