F OCUS - American Foreign Service Association

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A F S A N E W S MILESTONES: TEN YEARS AT AFSA A Renaissance Man: Steven Alan Honley Steve Honley never expected to go into journalism. However, his love of foreign affairs and his innate talent for writing and criticism have come together fortuitously in his position as editor of the Foreign Service Journal. Steve grew up in Shreveport, La., where he attended Centenary College. After earning a master’s degree in international affairs from The George Washington University, Steve entered the Foreign Service’s 25th A-100 class in January 1985. He first served in Mexico City, thrust to the front lines of consular duty after one of the worst earthquakes in Mexican history. Then it was off to Wellington, from which he was able to travel to the South Pole. He spent the next nine years in Washington, first in political-military affairs, then in the Africa Bureau and finally, after a year of BY FRANCESCA KELLY Russian-language training, in the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center. He resigned in 1997 after burnout caused him to search for a different career. Shortly thereafter, a friend who was on the Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board asked Steve to write an article on short notice to fill in for an ailing author. He happily complied, enjoying the experience so much that he started writing regularly for the magazine, while continuing to work at the NRRC as a contractor. When AFSA created a part-time FSJ associate editor position in April 1999, he applied for and got the job. And in July 2001, Steve moved up to the editor’s chair of the Journal, a position he has held ever since. HONORING THE STUDY OF HARD LANGUAGES AFSA Announces Sinclaire Language Award Winners BY BARBARA BERGER, COORDINATOR FOR PROFESSIONAL ISSUES Proficiency in foreign languages is one of the most valuable and important skills in today’s Foreign Service. AFSA’s Sinclaire Language Awards program honors language students for outstanding accomplishment in the study of a“hard”language and its associated culture. AFSA established this language-award program based on a bequest from Matilda W. Sinclaire, a former Foreign Service officer. Candidates for the award are nominated by the language-training supervisors at the Foreign Service Institute School of Languages or by the language instructors at the field schools. They are selected by a committee composed of volunteer AFSA members, a member of the Governing Board who serves as chairman and the AFSA coordinator for professional issues. Each of the winners receives a check for $1,000 and a certificate of recognition signed by the AFSA president and the chair of the AFSA Awards Committee. AFSA congratulates the 11 winners of this year’s Sinclaire Language Award, and commends the School of Language Studies at FSI for its dedication in preparing students of hard languages for the intense challenges of modern diplomacy. This year’s winners are: Anthony Baird Albanian Brooke Spelman Mandarin Chinese Lindsey Rothenberg Arabic Candace Faber Polish Patrick McNeil Estonian Gary Westfall Tagalog Timothy Kraemer Korean Rachel Mueller Vietnamese Dewey Moore Korean Monica Boduszynski Vietnamese ❒ Sandrine Goffard Mandarin Chinese Steve sees the Journal “as a vehicle for fostering debate and raising public awareness of how the Foreign Service works.” He explains further, “I try to draw on my own experience and what I, as an FSO,would have liked the public to know about the Foreign Service.” But,he hastens to add, “that doesn’t necessarily translate to being a cheerleader. There are things that need reform,and the Journal has a role in giving the FS community a forum in which to air different points of view and ultimately improve the institution.” Steve is well-known for his eagle eye when proofreading documents. “Steve is an amazing editor,”says FSJ Senior Editor Susan Maitra. “A conscientious wordsmith with an acute ear and mastery of pith, he is responsible for the Journal’s consistently high standard,while balancing its professional and general foreign policy content.” Editorial Board Chairman Ted Wilkinson comments, “His ability to get the best out of fractious authors, to ask just the right questions in his own informative VIP interviews, and to build and manage a skilled staff have elevated the magazine into the top ranks of professional publications.” As if that were not enough, Steve devotes much of his free time to performing, conducting and composing. He plays both piano and organ, and possesses an astonishing vocal range,switching from bass to tenor to alto (sometimes within a single composition) as needed. Many State Department employees have probably heard and seen Steve in action with the T-Tones, State’s resident choral group,for which he is both assistant conductor and accompanist. In addition, he has served for nearly 15 years as music director of the Beverley Hills Community United Methodist Church, and has performed with such Washington-area choral groups as the Friday Morning Music Club Chorale, Carmina, the Ron Freeman Chorale, Cantate and Chantry. Though Steve self-deprecatingly says that he is “a jack-of-all-trades and master of none,” his colleagues and friends know better. He is a true Renaissance man. ❒ 48 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 9
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E-mail: attorneys@kcnlaw.com LEGAL SERVICES ATTORNEY WITH 28 years’ successful experience SPECIALIZING FULL-TIME IN FS GRIEVANCES will more than double your chance of winning: 30% of grievants win before the Grievance Board; 85% of my clients win. Only a private attorney can adequately develop and present your case, including necessary regs, arcane legal doctrines, precedents and rules. Call Bridget R. Mugane at Tel: (301) 596-0175 or (202) 387-4383. E-mail: fsatty@comcast.net Free initial telephone consultation. TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES ATTORNEY, FORMER FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER: Extensive experience with tax problems unique to the Foreign Service. Available for consultation, tax planning and preparation of returns: M. Bruce Hirshorn, Boring & Pilger, P.C. 307 Maple Ave. W, Suite D, Vienna, VA 22180. Tel: (703) 281-2161. Fax: (703) 281-9464. E-mail: mbhirshorn@boringandpilger.com PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD: $1.40/ word (10-word minimum). First 3 words bolded free, additional bold text 85¢/ word. Header or box-shading $12 each. Deadline for text: 5 weeks ahead of publication date. Adv. Mgr. Tel: (202) 577-3588. Fax: (202) 647-0265. E-mail: classifieds@afsa.org TAX & FINANCIAL SERVICES FREE TAX CONSULTATION for overseas personnel. We process returns as received, without delay. Preparation and representation by Enrolled Agents. Federal and all states prepared. Includes “TAX TRAX” unique minifinancial planning review with recommendations. Full planning available. Get the most from your financial dollar! Financial Forecasts Inc., Barry B. De Marr, CFP, EA, 3918 Prosperity Ave. #230, Fairfax, VA 22031 Tel: (703) 289-1167. Fax: (703) 289-1178. E-mail: finfore@aol.com PROFESSIONAL TAX RETURN PREP- ARATION: Forty years in public tax practice. Arthur A. Granberg, EA, ATA, ATP. Our charges are $95 per hour. Most FS returns take 3 to 4 hours. Our office is 100 feet from Virginia Square Metro Station. 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TBT Property Management. A P R I L 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 49
Page 1: PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT ■ COMING
Page 6 and 7: F OREIGN J O U R N A L SERVICE Edit
Page 8 and 9: LETTERS Progress on Contact Reporti
Page 10 and 11: L E T T E R S gressional authority
Page 12 and 13: CYBERNOTES New Focus on Public Dipl
Page 14 and 15: C Y B E R N O T E S This is not ju
Page 16 and 17: S P E A K I N G O U T guage-design
Page 18 and 19: F O C U S and its continued influen
Page 20 and 21: F O C U S Lisbon Treaty remains unr
Page 22 and 23: F O C U S Many Americans might reca
Page 24 and 25: F O C U S O N N AT O A T 6 0 ANSWER
Page 26 and 27: F O C U S NATO’s International Se
Page 28 and 29: F O C U S bership. But none of the
Page 30 and 31: F O C U S O N N AT O A T 6 0 THE RU
Page 32 and 33: F O C U S “transformation agenda
Page 34 and 35: F O C U S 2003 Iraq War, and would
Page 36 and 37: They may also not expect changes in
Page 38 and 39: who are younger, married for shorte
Page 41 and 42: AFSANEWS American Foreign Service A
Page 43 and 44: V.P. VOICE: STATE ■ BY STEVE KASH
Page 45 and 46: ing restrictions on rehiring annuit
Page 47 and 48: FS VOICE: FAMILY MEMBER MATTERS ■
Page 49: 2009 Foreign Service Youth Contests
Page 53 and 54: BOOKS The Importance of Religious F
Page 55: B O O K S nates, though several le
Page 58 and 59: I N M E M O R Y ernment and the Ja
Page 60 and 61: I N M E M O R Y mation Agency in 1
Page 62 and 63: I N M E M O R Y the Food and Drug
Page 64 and 65: I N M E M O R Y of adventure, her
Page 66 and 67: u COORDINATE MAINTENANCE u OVER 24
Page 68 and 69: REAL ESTATE ADVERTISING INDEX When
Page 70: REFLECTIONS Recalling Lockerbie BY

F OCUS - American Foreign Service Association

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