AFSA's SPEAKERS BUREAU

Examples of possible topics relating to the key role of the Foreign Service in defending critical U.S. global interests:

Geographic Focus
-The Middle East
-Latin America
-Africa
-Southeast Asia
-East Asia
-Eastern Europe
-Western Europe
-China
-Russia

Functional Focus
-Terrorism
-Islam
-The War in Iraq
-Global Trade and Economics
-Human Rights
-Refugees and Immigration
-Development Aid
-Public Diplomacy
-Multilateral Diplomacy

Speaker Request Form
-To print out
-Online form

Sample Speaker Biographies:

(These sample bios are provided solely as an example of speakers who have appeared at AFSA events in recent months. Their inclusion does not indicate availability or official affiliation with AFSA.)

Welcome to AFSA's Speakers Bureau information page. AFSA offers a speaker placement service free of charge for anyone interested in hosting a retired Foreign Service diplomat to speak to their group. We place no restrictions on the size of groups, as our speakers have in the past presented to groups as small as book clubs and as large as universities and World Affairs Councils.

AFSA does not charge for this service; however, the speaker may accept modest honorariums if offered, and assistance with travel or overnight lodging expenses. If you live in an area where there are few available retired Foreign Service speakers, it is recommended that you arrange if possible 2-3 events in your area to defray costs.

The speakers bureau is very active, so please don't hesitate to contact us. In 2007 alone, we placed 505 speakers nationwide (in 44 states and the District of Columbia), to a cumulative audience of 31,500.

Requesting a speaker

If you are interested in requesting a speaker through AFSA's speaker bureau, please contact Director of Communications Thomas Switzer at switzer@afsa.org or 202-338-4045, ext. 501. He will gladly provide contact information for Foreign Service speakers who reside in your area. It is also helpful to fill out the speaker request form in the left-hand column, so we can have a summary of the necessary information when assisting you.

Interested in AFSA?

If you are interested in the American Foreign Service Association, U.S. diplomacy, and foreign affairs in general, please consider becoming an Associate Member. As benefits of membership, you will receive a subscription to the Foreign Service Journal, additional magazine discounts, low insurance rates, and an extensive online member area. You may also want to consider signing up for our regular e-mail news messages. Our weekly AFSANET messages can keep you up to date on the Foreign Service.