AFSA Governing Board Election

Campaign Messages

The AFSA Committee on Elections is overseeing the regularly scheduled election of AFSA officers and representatives of its Governing Board and as such is responsible for ensuring that the election is conducted in accordance with the law.  

 

Use of union or employer funds or resources to promote or criticize the candidacy of any person in a union officer election is prohibited. For additional information, please see the election rules located at www.afsa.org/elections. Foreign affairs agency employees should use their personal computers and email accounts on their own time to communicate directly with candidates at the candidates’ personal email. The same rules should be followed to communicate amongst each other regarding the candidates for election. Employees found to have used government resources including .gov email accounts to promote or criticize candidates could be subject to discipline from their agency.  

 

While the use of government email to campaign is normally prohibited, the Department of State, United States Agency for International Development and the Foreign Commercial Service have agreed to permit the transmission of three (3) “blast” email messages to those AFSA members who have given AFSA email addresses ending in .gov. These are the only campaign emails permitted to be sent to a .gov email address and you are currently receiving the third and final of these blast emails. You may not use government resources to reproduce, forward or further transmit these emails in any way. Again, you have ample opportunity through personal email accounts and/or personal social media to express your opinions.  

 

The order of statements was determined by a drawing of lots. Not all candidates submitted a statement. Questions regarding the election should be sent to election@afsa.org. Note that only members in good standing as of March 3, 2023, are eligible to vote in the current election.

Christopher Saenger, Candidate for USAID Representative

I'm running to represent USAID FSOs on the AFSA Governing Board. I want to do my best for singles, families, tandems, new officers, wooly veterans, and even our pets. I'm ready to work on accreditation of same-sex partners, spouse employment, women’s health, mental health, further diversifying the Foreign Service, parity across agencies and hiring mechanisms, retaining our staff, and more.

I've been a Program Officer for 14 years, with a demonstrated record of service to USAID colleagues within and beyond my Mission. I have supervised and mentored Payne Fellows, volunteered as a trainer in the RISE program, and co-chaired my backstop's Field Advisory Council. I firmly believe we can lead with empathy for the many circumstances and identities of our FSOs without compromising USAID's commitment to advancing a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. I'm Chris Saenger and it would be my honor to represent you on the AFSA Governing Board.

 

Joshua Burke, Candidate for FCS Vice President

As we know, May is International Trade Month. May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. Like many of us, I have experienced bombings, screaming Ambassadors, abuse-tolerating management, violence and attempted suicides in the Embassy community. With mental health medevacs up 275%, let’s admit that surveys about this topic are more for organizational CYA than to improve Officer well-being. 

 

In recent years, out of necessity, I’ve studied with world-class experts to learn leading wellness practices, and wanted to offer some of what I have found effective: Smarter hydration; intentional breathing; deep rest; cold showers; screen-time boundaries; blue-blocking glasses; gut health; daily movement; fasting; caffeine reduction; sugar elimination; gratitude; community.      

 

To walk the talk, I’ll be taking time off to strengthen this area of my health. I’ll return in July with a stronger body, sharper mind, and deeper compassion to serve you better. 

 

Remember friends, ‘We’re all just walking each other home.’

 

Gregory Floyd, Candidate for Full-Time State Department Representative

I am asking for your vote for Full-Time State Department Representative. I am a former labor and employment lawyer with experience in collective bargaining, drafting public employee regulations, teaching labor and employment law at the university level, and training public agency administrators. I am uniquely qualified to serve in a full-time professional position, vigorously working to protect our members. If elected, I will first seek your input, then use my experience and professional background to reform the system to meet your needs. A focus of my tenure will be attention to specialists. With more than 5000 spread over 19 skill codes, I see different levels of bureau support, different rates of promotion, and different needs for professional development. Finding nuanced solutions to these challenges will require expertise, a representative willing to seek guidance from the membership, and a representative who will neutrally work for all, regardless of skill code.

 

John T. Cadieux, Candidate for Full-Time State Department Representative

I strongly believe in the importance of Specialist advocacy within our organization. I recognize the vital role that Foreign Service Specialists play in supporting our mission and ensuring the success of our diplomatic efforts around the world.

 

I understand that Specialist concerns can be unique and require specialized attention. That is why I am dedicated to ensuring that all Specialists within our organization feel heard and supported. I will make it a priority to stay up-to-date on the issues facing our Specialists and will work tirelessly to address any concerns that arise.

 

In addition to advocating for Specialists within our organization, I am committed to collaborating with the DoS Foreign Service Specialist Advocate, Tiffany Henderson, to ensure that our Specialists are well-represented and that their voices are heard. By working together, we can create a stronger and more effective organization that values the contributions of all its members.

 

Edward Stafford, Candidate for Retiree Representative

As mentioned in previous emails, I see service on the AFSA board as a retiree rep as a twofold mission: representing the interests of retired Foreign Service personnel and supporting efforts to maintain the merit-based professionalism of the Foreign Service. My residency outside the beltway provides me with a perspective shared with many retirees, which I believe broadens and enriches my ability to represent all retirees. Not dissimilarly, given that my spouse is a retired Foreign Service HRO, I have sympathy for the perspective of non-FSO retired Foreign Service personnel. Also, service on the AFSA board provides me an opportunity to support the career Foreign Service from which I so greatly benefitted personally.  

 

Logan Wheeler, Candidate for State Department Representative

I hope to become an AFSA State Representative to help the Department build better leadership. As a State FSO for almost 15 years, I have worked with countless varieties of leaders, from terrific to toxic. I am convinced that leadership is a learned skill, not an innate gift, and the Department’s current approach is weak on training, practice, and accountability. As a result, the Department is failing to cultivate our best future leaders while also allowing our worst current leaders to drive out essential staff. 

 

Working with AFSA, I hope to advance three efforts to address these shortcomings: the expansion of leadership training, the inclusion of subordinates’ feedback into the EER process, and the modification of 360s to include perspectives that are not hand-picked. The Department’s “kick-down” culture is all too common, and reforms are therefore needed to replace a formal “kiss-up” system.

 

David Josar, Candidate for State Department Representative

Respect. Accountability. Transparency. These would be my guiding principles in representing Foreign Service Officers if elected as an AFSA representative for the State Department.

 

Being an FSO is immensely rewarding, but the job can also be unnecessarily difficult, especially for our family members. We are losing too many excellent colleagues who are tired of battling the Department over bungled paychecks, drawn-out security clearances, mental health support, and arbitrarily-applied regulations. And the frustration over the lack of diversity across the Department is very real. AFSA can be a force for change to help members navigate State’s many challenges. In a previous career as a reporter, I was a bargaining unit member of the Newspaper Guild of Detroit Communications Workers of America Local 34022. I know and believe in the power of organized labor.  

 

I’d be humbled by this opportunity to be your advocate.

 

Randy Chester, Candidate for USAID Vice President

COVID-19 and technology changed how we work, communicate, share, and interact. During the pandemic, we met the remote work challenge and demonstrated our continued commitment to achieving our development mission. The pandemic highlighted the need to strengthen our resolve to promote work-life balance; support colleagues, inclusive of all family types; and support staff, regardless of mechanism and position, to reach their professional and personal goals. These important gains in our work-life balance are not assured and will be threatened as calls to return to pre-pandemic work status increase. We must work with management to institutionalize workplace flexibilities; promote effective technology use; enhance our positive workplace and family-friendly environment while demonstrating their productivity, development outcome gains and cost savings, and increases in staff morale. I will work with you and management to continue promoting and protecting balance between career and personal lives while demonstrating that we are the best development professionals.

 

Lisa Ahramjian, Candidate for FAS Vice President

As FAS Vice President, I have cherished being a strong advocate for FAS’ Foreign Service and AFSA members and am now seeking reelection in hopes of finishing what we started on several critical fronts. 

 

My top areas of focus would be renegotiating the FAS-AFSA collective bargaining agreement, last substantively renegotiated in 1995, and significantly improving HR support. More broadly, I would advocate for a thoughtful rebuilding of our Foreign Service, address Senior Foreign Service pay issues, and encourage Congress to increase its appropriation to FAS, which would help expand and provide better resources to overseas offices.

 

This strategic engagement with USDA, FAS, and Congress would help me respond to key FSO concerns and bolster morale and retention across our service. If reelected, I would be honored to continue being a fierce advocate for FAS, its Foreign Service, and its FSOs. Thank you! 

 

Hui Jun Tina Wong, Candidate for State Department Vice President

Current AFSA board and I achieved key 2021-2023 priorities: DEIA core precept; bidding standards; DETO overseas comparability pay; paid internships, and Assignment Restrictions reform. But we are now stopping there. As State Vice President, I will address barriers and work environments that keep groups behind. This includes advocating for policies supporting families with special needs children, tandem bidding and nontraditional tandem opportunities, use of breast pumps and other medical devices in our CAAs, and transparency and appeals for assignment reviews and other security clearance issues. I will also build allies in Congress, foreign affairs agencies, and Employee Organizations that break down these institutional barriers impeding our foreign policy mission. I will work with our AFSA team to innovate work-place flexibilities and offer career development incentives bringing up and retaining multigenerational FSO cohorts. I ask for your support as we leverage disaggregated data and take calculated risks for a better State Department.  

 

Eric Wolff, Candidate for FCS Vice President

Hi, my name is Eric Wolff, I’m running for the position of AFSA VP for FCS and ask for your vote.

 

Given that I’m in my 20th year serving overseas with FCS, I already know many of you. For those whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, I look forward to working with you, too. 

 

If elected, my goal – pure and simple – is to be accessible to you. My engagement with our beginning and mid-level officers will be a priority for me, as well as meeting the needs of our more senior staff. Within FCS, we are facing several critical issues and as a member of the SFS I pledge to engage at senior levels to ensure resolution.

This will be my last active-duty tour, so serving you and being accessible to you can be my total focus.

 

Thank you, I would very much appreciate your vote!