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PRES I DENT ’ S REPORT
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson
I am pleased to report that 2016 was a very productive year for the American Foreign Service Association. AFSA
reached new records for membership as we increasingly aligned AFSA’s professional staff behind the strategic vision
of the Governing Board and made important strides in improving the Association’s governance.
The Governing Board’s strategic vision provides the organizing principle for this annual report, which describes the
Association’s work through the lens of the three pillars, or work streams, that structure AFSA’s efforts on behalf of
the Foreign Service:
I remain convinced, a year and a half into my two-year
tenure as president, that a strong professional career
Foreign Service is in the national interest. Like nine in
ten Americans, I support strong American global leader-
ship, and I know, as a career Foreign Service officer my-
self, that such leadership rests largely on the shoulders
of a strong professional career Foreign Service. And I
believe that AFSA plays an indispensable role as the
principal advocate for the long-term wellbeing of the
Foreign Service as an institution.
A few highlights from our work this year:
Improving governance. Working under the guidance of
a professional registered Parliamentarian and AFSA’s
Governance Committee, and building on the work of the
previous Governing Board, the Governing Board system-
atically reviewed AFSA’s committee structure to bring it
more closely into line with AFSA’s bylaws and with
established best practices, which call for close align-
ment between committees and the Governing Board.
Outreach to create a constituency for the Foreign
Service by telling our proud story to the American
people.
Workforce planning to ensure a healthy, attractive
career path that guarantees a steady stream of
top-flight new members and a deep bench of
experienced senior leaders 20 years later.
Inreach to develop a nuanced understanding of
members’ aspirations and concerns so that AFSA
can best serve our members’ interests.
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