State 2010-01: Iss 541

15.8 MB·English

January 2010
Issue Number 54]
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Sees JOVETIEY
Offera me ae Tools Post of the Month
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Political 1dAVISOFS INCI
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Campus Connection Team Eff ort
De partment offers studet
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Making It Real Office of the Month
about diplomacy.
From the DG. Safety Scene
In the News Appointments
Diversity Notes Retirements
Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon
Education & Training Obituaries gl| ows in the early snorning light.
Photograph by Corbis
After Hours The Last Word
010 is here. For those of you who are still considering yout service Specialists and 36 percent of Civil Service employees hay
resolutions for the new year, let me offer a few that can help further ing less than five years of experience¢ ite, your participation in
your—and your staff’s—career development in the months ahead. mentoring is a meaningful way to give back to the Department and to
vour colleagues.
Resolution #1: Learn New Skills
We are fortunate to have access to the Foreign Service Institute, Resolution #3:2 Take Work Requirements and Evaluations Seriously
a premier training center for members of the U.S. foreign affairs Fair, accurate and timely work requirement statements and perfot
community. FSI offers 700 classroom courses, more than 180 custom mance evaluationasr e critical management tools for both supervisors
developed distance learning products and and employees in the Civil Service, Foreign
more than 3,000 commercial distance learning Service and Locally Employed Staff. Late
courses that are available worldwide through evaluations convey the impression that an
the Internet for those with a job-related need employee's work is not valued. They also
for such training. delay often well-deserved promotions and
Resolve this year to take advantage of within-grade increases, undermining em
this unique resource. Lifelong learning is an oyee motivation. The e-Performance system
excellent way to 1pdate and expand yout we rolled out last vear should ultimately make
skills, meet new people and establish valuable he process of preparing evaluations easier
relation ships. sut do allow more time and take advantage
One great way tt o stay fresh and current on of training tools available online and through
technology is to resolve to master one new he HR Help Desk, to familiarize yourself
I'l application this year. Learn SharePoint o1 with how e-Performance works.
expand your ability to use Excel. Of course, if throughout the year, it is imperative
you are a mid-level or senior-level employee hat we provide meaningful counseling to
you also will want to keep up with your man et employees know how well their work
datory leadership and management training. requirements are being met and address areas
For the latest course information, please or improvement. The sessions are also a good
visit http://fsi.state.gov/admin/reg/default. ime to discuss specific training and career
asp Cx Course 206 atalog& lop Yo 20 development opportunities.
Course%20Listings. You can also request a
catalog of FSSI] courses about language, leader Resolution #4: Encourage Civil Service
ship, area studieso r information technology by contactintgh e FS] Employees to Use Individual Development Plans
Office of the Registraart (703) 302-7144/713; Phe Individual Development Plan, DS Form 1922, provides a
Che Department of State also participates in a range of leadership systematic approach for employee development. It provides an
development and fellowship programs, and advanced academic opportunity for an employee and his/her supervisor to focus on the
training opportunities. I look forward to telling you more about thos employee's career goals and to identify collaboratively the devel
opportunities in future columns. In the meantime, you can learn more opmental assignments and training that will help the employee to
by accessing the following site: http://hrweb.hr.state.gov/prd/hrweb achieve those goals. You can find out more about IDPs by visiting the
cda/upload/fs_cs-longterm-training.pdf. areer Development Resource Center and exploring its numerous
esources. The CDRC is located in Room L321, SA-] (Columbia
Resoluth 2: Participate in a Mentoring Program iza). fo make an appointment for one-on-one carec: counseling,
\sk senior officials in the Department about their career progres 02) 663-3042.
sion and they likely will tell you that a mentor(s) played a key role. Thank you for making 2009 such « productive year for the Depart
Certainly throughout my own career as an educator and as a Foreign ment—and let me wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and
Service Officer, | have personally benefited from mentoring—as both successful 2010.
a protegce and a mentor. HR has a formal mentoring program, as
well as a situational mentoring program, to help you build mentoring
relationships (see http://hrweb.hr.state.gov/prd/hrweb/mentoring
but you also can set up your own more informal arrangements. With
Nancy J. Powell
) percent of Foreign Service Generalists, 30 percent of Foreign Director General
Ambassador Donald S.
Beyer Jr.and Megan Beyer
stand in the embassy
vegetable garden.
faking her inspiration from First |
inauguration of a vegetable garden at the Whit
wife of U.S. Ambassad © Switzerland Donald $
likewise at post
In April, Mrs. Beyer attended the firs
luncheons hosted by the First Lady at the White Hi
where the salad greens came from the Obama gard
“From the congressional spouse to the corporat
the human rights advocate, everyone {at the lunch
growing local fresh food makes rood CNS not to mentiol
salad,” she said.
On arrival in Switzerland, she said, her thoughts turned to
“ground-level diplomacy,’ and the chef at the ambassador’s 1
dence, David Lindsay, was thinking likewise. Lindsay had been t food «
at Chez Panisse, organic food guru Alice Waters’ San Francisco res right ume.
taurant that uses all locally grown ingredients. Shortly thereafter, the she noted that those
home’s flower garden Wasa plac ew here carrots and kale flouri she d through carefully protected row , oF1
Embassy officer Dara C@
left, responds to questiq
Georgetown University)
ie
\merican high school students often attend 16,000 student or exchange visitor visas all English-language secondary schools in
college fairs, but Foreign Service youths of of the highest numbers in Europe. \nkara, including those attended by embass\
the same age often miss out when they are Phe volunteer alumni came from nearl dependents. A representative of the College
overseas. Parents of students at Ankara High every U.S. mission section and agency and Board, whose visit was sponsored by the Of
School, formerly known as the George ¢ from among the Turkish and U.S. graduates fice of Overseas Schools, gave a presentation
Marshall School, filled that void in October living in Ankara. One parent expressed on the college admissions process.
with a college fair based on volunteer college surprise at the number of representatives Phe fair included the Fulbright Program’s
representatives from the Ankara community from first-rate institutions, given the city’s student advisor and representatives from the
\t the fair, 40 alumni of 67 North Amer! relatively small expatriate community. Each Education USA program and the embass\
can colleges and universities represented the representative researched the latest develop consular section. Each outlined their organi
institutions where they had studied. Then ments at his or her school and handed out zation’s services regarding U.S. educational
involvement also gave Turkish students infor admissions materials. Brochures, items with opportunities, including the new Opportunity
mation about schools that are not representec schools’ logos and even laptops with links to Grants program. The fair also publicized such
among the institutions typically found at the schools’ Web sites were featured at the services as the Turkish-American Association’s
Ankara college fairs. In fiscal year 2008, the representatives’ tables. esting Center and its courses in SAT prepara
U.S. Mission in Turkey issued more than Phe event drew high school students from tion and language instruction.
Since 2005, the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs has offered Lo
cally Employed Staff at posts worldwide the opportunity to serve
temporary duty tours in Iraq. In the past year, 11 LE Staff from the
.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, answered that call, and U.S.
\mbassador to Venezuela Patrick Duddy recently thanked them.
Returning staff member Italo Maltese called his experience in
raq “an unforgettable way to serve the United States.” During
heir tours, Maltese and other LE Staff from Embassy Caracas
conducted warehouse inventories within the U.S. Embassy in
Jaghdad’s property section. The financial management, general
services and human resources offices also benefitted from the
mbassy Caracas team. In Baghdad, Venezuelan LE Staff worked
ilongside their counterparts from more than 45 countries.
“It was a great opportunity to share my knowledge with my
raqi colleagues,’ said Maikol Genovese, who served nine months
in human resources.
Displaying a panoramic photo of Baghdad are, from left, Ramiro Guerrero,
Ricardo Wildman, Bruzual Amyr, Italo Maltese, Ambassador Duddy, Rodolfo
Valentinez, Alejandro Duque, Julio Gil and Hector DeSosa. Not shown are Carlos
Amaya, Maikol Genovese and Carlos Ramirez.
Secretary of State Hillar
Defense Secretary Robert G
public life at a ceremony in th
memorating the 50th anni
secretary of State George ¢
Marshall Award of the Geot
Clinton lauded Gat
his “Marshal
Marshall is perhaps be
to rebuild postwar Europ
effort that today would cost m
Gates said Marshall was
unshakable loyalty an
Berlin from collapse, ac
Atlantic Treaty Organization
State and Defense to work tog
Under Secretary for Manag
noted that Marshall, besides the departments of
Defense and State, was also Army chietl taff durin
World War I. Marshall “embodied all t lements of
national power, he said.
Tee
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a fae
eet
ind the bure
\ifan
At the Operations Center's ribbon-cutting, Secretary
of State Clinton stands alongside Hank Aldag, branch
chief of the Assignment and Utilization Division of the
Real Property Management Office
In Algeria, which is 99 percent Mus children. The volunteers provided mo
lim, the month of Ramadan is especially torized cars for the boys, toy cell ]t NONE
important. To recognize the month’s and purses for the girls and stor) }{ 00ksS
spirit of giving, the consular section for all. The mothers received gift bags
of the U.S. Embassy in Algiers bought containing perfumed soaps, deodorants, Deputy Editor
small gifts for women and children washcloths and other amenities unavail
Bill Palmer
undergoing treatment at cancer clinics able at the hospital. Writer/Editor
ind school supplies for children at a Next, the volunteers visited the
local orphanage, where the visitors also vyomen’s and children’s cancer wards David L. Johnston
donated books proy ided by the publi at Hopital Salim Zmirli El-Harrach Art Director
diplomacy section. During Ramadan, and again distributed toys to the
the section devoted a morning each children and gift bags of toiletries to the Background
veek for three weeks to these visits women. Lastly, they visited SOS Villages State Magazine (ISSN 1099-4165)i s published monthly,
Nabila Mouterfi, one of the five Lo d’Enfants, which replaces institutional except bimonthly in July and August, by the U.S.
Department of State, 2201 C St., N.W., Washington, DC.
ally Employed Staff involved, took the care for orphans with a family structure
Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C
lead in finding possible locations. Thre« here children live in houses with a
and at additional mailing locations.
other staff members selected gifts. full-time “house mother,’ and siblings
Besides being a post outreach effort, are kept together. The consular team
the project helped the consular section gave the supplies and books to the Change of Address
promote team building, showed LE Stafl directoorf the village for distribution to Send changes of address to State Magazine
301 4th Street, S.W., SA-44,
that their religious and cultural beliets -ach household.
Room 348, Washington, DC 20547
vere respected by their American \ll told, the volunteers distributed You may also e-mail address changes to
co-workers and cave the LE Staff a about 70 toys, 50 toiletry gift bags and [email protected].
chance to incorporate their feelings about seven large boxes of notebooks,
into their embassy work. pencils, crayons, drawing pads and
Subscriptions
Che first visit was to the Centre Pierre \rabic storybooks. The consular section
State Magazine is available by paid subscription
et Marie Curie d’Alger,a government has since bought two new pedal cars to through the U.S. Government Printing Office
funded institute that offers free replace the worn ones in the toy room at by telephone at [phone] or on
treatment to cancer patients, including the Centre Pierre et Marie Curie d’Alger. the Web at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.
Submissions
staff members show off one of the pedal
For details on submitting articles to State Magazine
cars they purchased for the Centre Pierre et
request our guidelines, “Getting Your Story Told,’
Marie Curie d’Alger children’s cancer ward
by e-mail at [email protected]; download
them from our Web site at www.state.gov;
or send your request in writing to State Magazine
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Deadlines
The submission deadline for the March 2010
issue is January 15. The deadlinfeor
the April issue is February 15.
Environmental Notes
State Magazine is printed in the USA using
soy-based inks on recycled paper that contains
10% post-consumer waste and is SFI-certified.
SUSTAINABLE
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