Goodbye, and Please Vote for the iAFSA Coalition

As you know, the AFSA elections are underway. I am returning overseas, and will not be running again. However, as one might expect, I hope to leave my position in the best possible hands. I am very strongly endorsing Greg Hicks as State VP, Tim Corso, and all of the members of the iAFSA Coalition, led by AFSA President candidate Bob Silverman.

I strongly believe that Greg Hicks is the only candidate running for AFSA State VP who has the breadth and depth of experience to be able to credibly speak to the issues affecting the majority of our members.

I am voting for Greg Hicks because I believe that the State VP should represent the Foreign Service in both definitions of that word. He or she should be similar enough to you, or have shared enough experiences, to understand what is important to you. That includes your personal experiences as well as professional ones. AFSA members are concerned about more than their careers. Many have, or aspire to having, spouses or families, and care about issues like EFM employment, overseas education, tandem issues, EEO issues, and the health and safety of the ones they care most about.

Greg has served in hardship posts and danger posts, including several of the highest risk posts in our Service. He has raised a family overseas, served on school boards and housing boards, and experienced separation from his family during service in unaccompanied assignments. He has served as a senior manager, as a supervisor and as a rated employee. He is the only candidate who has the experience to credibly discuss issues like benefits, promotion precepts and assignments, QDDR and other program implementation, security, health, performance evaluation, training, EFM issues, discipline, and the wording of rules, regulations, program plans and SOPs, affecting every Foreign Service member in every cone and specialist skill code.

The State VP must also have the experience and credibility to represent the Foreign Service to interlocutors in the most senior ranks of the State Department and in Congress. The most senior members of the State Department and the heads of the substantive Bureaus are, for the most part, among the most experienced members of our service. To be credible to them, the State VP must have a level of experience and professional knowledge that compares with their own. Greg has that experience, and knows many of the AFSA VPs primary interlocutors personally. He has the experience necessary to represent Foreign Service members to the most senior officials in the State Department and to Congress.

Members of Congress and the media tend, in addition, to be more impressed by someone who has considerable personal experience than they are by other factors. They have staffers who can give them the numbers and statistics. They want to hear about the issues from someone who has actually been there. Greg Hicks and Bob Silverman have, unquestionably, been there.

Bob and Greg both share a very deep and broad understanding of the diverse and multifaceted organization that is today's Foreign Service. They share a deep appreciation for the fact that the Foreign Service is a team, and that there is no single "point of the spear" in the conduct of our mission. They share my view that the expertise of the experts must be respected, and that every member of the service, of every skill code, must have the opportunity to rise through the ranks and the freedom to chart their own career path. They are committed to a diverse AFSA Board that represents the Foreign Service, and to a diverse Foreign Service that truly represents America. They see the Foreign Service as a noble calling. And they are deeply devoted to ensuring fair treatment of employees.

The current AFSA Board members running with the iAFSA coalition represent the very best of the current Board, and many in iAFSA have supported their Foreign Service colleagues in other ways as well. Lily Wahl-Tuco co-founded "Balancing Act," a new employee affinity group dedicated to promoting work-life balance. Steven Keats co-founded - and served as treasurer of - the Disability Action Group, which has helped dozens of FS members navigate employment issues affecting those with disabilities and limited medical clearances. David Zwach, on his own initiative, pioneered the effort that led to the creation of a Tenure Certificate, signed by the Secretary, for all tenured Specialists. Ken Kero-Mentz is the President of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies. The iAFSA team members did not wait for the AFSA elections to start working for you! They are serving you now! Together with Alex Copher (who has expertly brought an IM perspective to the Board) and Tim Corso (who has superbly represented the Special-Agent perspective), they are the group that has already been most influential in guiding AFSA's work for State members. I credit them with many of our best initiatives during the past term. They are serving you well, and deserve to be re-elected. I will be voting for the entire iAFSA coalition, for Greg Hicks and for Tim Corso in this election. I hope you will join me in bringing this excellent team into office.

The iAFSA Coalition is also on Facebook, and they now have a blog as well. I hope you will check them out, and find them as impressive as I do. Most importantly, vote for them. Your future and your careers are at stake.

All the best, Daniel Hirsch