StateStateM A G A Z I N E

U . S . D E PA R T M E N T O F S TAT EFEBRUARY 2004

SERVINGwithDistinction

2003DEPAR TMENT

AWARDS

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

State Magazine (ISSN 1099–4165) is published monthly,except bimonthly in July and August, by the U.S. Departmentof State, 2201 C St., N.W., Washington, DC. Periodicals postagepaid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing locations.Send changes of address to State Magazine, HR/ER/SMG, SA-1,Room H-236, Washington, DC 20522-0108. You may also e-mail address changes to statemagazine@state.gov.

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Deadlines: Feb. 15 for April issue.Mar. 15 for May issue.

StateStateMAGAZINE

Carl GoodmanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Paul KoscakWRITER/EDITOR

Dave KreckeWRITER/EDITOR

David L. JohnstonART DIRECTOR

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Sylvia BazalaCHAIR

Jo Ellen PowellEXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Kelly Clements

Tom Gallo

Pam Holliday

Joe Johnson

Tom Krajeski

Jim Trommatter

The Flying TigersIN OUR NEXT ISSUE:

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10 POST OF THE MONTH: CHIANG MAIAsian city provides historic setting for consulate.

16 OFFICE OF THE MONTH:SAN FRANCISCO PASSPORT AGENCYThe agency has gone from ironing to digitizing.

20 DEPARTMENT AWARDSThirty employees receive awards for excellence.

37 GETTING IT RIGHTDepartment seeks to cut overseas costs.

38 STATE FUNDS CREATIVE RESEARCHUnconventional inventions combat terrorism.

40 TIES TO CONSULATE SPAN GENERATIONSSon continues legacy in Vancouver.

41 TAKING PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ON THE ROADAmbassador visits 138 cities in Slovakia.

42 CONFERENCE IN EGYPT FOCUSES ON CAREERSThey came to Cairo from Casablanca and Colombo.

10CHIANG MAIPOST OF THE MONTH

CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2004

Thailand is known for its profusionof orange—with monks taking tothe streets collecting alms andpraying at temples.

VOLUME 476

2 From the Secretary

3 Letters to the Editor

4 In the News

9 Direct From the D.G.

44 Medical Report

46 Our Town

47 People Like You

48 Obituaries

48 Personnel Actions

In 2004, in the finalyear of the presentA d m i n i s t r a t i o n ,President Bush is asresolved as ever topromote freedom,prosperity and peace.That is our agendafor the new year, andI look to the dedicat-ed men and womenof the Department of

State to advance it.2003 was a good year for freedom, and you can be

proud of the contributions that American diplomacymade on freedom’s frontlines. A free Afghanistan gath-ered its strength. The aspirations of a free Iraqi nationbegan to take wing. In this still new year, the StateDepartment will take the lead role in Iraq as theCoalition Provisional Authority closes its doors, and wewill advance further our goal of a free and democraticMiddle East.

We will continue to work for a free Cuba, and towarddemocratic reform in other countries whose people aredenied their rights. We will buttress new democracies inLatin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, for in doing sowe ensure that the 21st century will be a century of glob-al liberty.

In 2003, President Bush led the worldwide effort torestore personal freedom to many thousands of individ-uals by combatting trafficking in persons. In partnershipwith other nations, we will strive in 2004 to eradicate thismodern form of slavery. We will also launch thePresident’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS relief to freemillions from this terrible disease. In all such efforts, therole of the Department of State has been, and willremain, critical to success.

As to prosperity, a new international consensus is help-ing poorer countries develop through good governance,sound trade and environmental policies and wise invest-ments in their people. The new Millennium ChallengeAccount, a pathbreaking incentive system for economicfreedom, is the centerpiece of our effort. All of ourbureaus and posts can help make the MCA a success by

showing the world’s poorer nations the way to eligibilityfor MCA support.

We achieved in 2003 a freer trade and investment cli-mate, signing trade pacts with Chile, Singapore andCentral America. In 2004 the President will advance freetrade through the World Trade Organization as well asthrough regional and bilateral agreements. The StateDepartment has a crucial role to play in this effort alongwith the Office of the Trade Representative and otheragencies.

On the security front, Americans are safer today thanthey were a year ago. Afghanistan is no longer a devil’splayground for terrorists, nor Iraq an incubator forweapons of mass destruction. Thanks to the intensifiedinternational cooperation we have fostered, terrorists areincreasingly on the run, in hiding, in jail or dead, theirfinances and communications severely disrupted.

The war on terrorism remains our highest priority, butsuccess in that war—and more besides—depends on con-structive ties among the major powers. These ties we pur-sue without respite. Our relations with Russia, China andIndia all improved in 2003, and we will strive to improvethem further in 2004. Ties with our allies remain strong,despite the pains of adjustment to a new era. Both NATOand the European Union will expand this year, and that’sgood news for international security.

As our partnerships remain strong, so do the institu-tions of international cooperation that the StateDepartment has labored to develop over many decades.The United Nations will help Iraqis rebuild their country.NATO is supporting the Afghan people as they charttheir future. With China, Japan, Russia and South Koreawe will tackle North Korea’s dangerous nuclear weaponsprograms. With our Quartet partners we will seek anIsraeli-Palestinian peace. We will also share the burden ofbringing longstanding conflicts in Sudan, Liberia andNorthern Ireland to an end.

Freedom, prosperity and peace are not separable policygoals. Each reinforces the other. The same may be said forour diplomatic efforts. To succeed we must work togeth-er: with our allies, within our own government, and, ofcourse, within the Department of State. I look to each andevery one of you to help me advance the President’s agen-da of freedom, prosperity and security in 2004. ■

The 2004 Agenda

2 STATE MAGAZINE

FROM THE SECRETARYSECRETARY COLIN L. POWELL

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Watch Where You PointI’d be surprised if you haven’t

already received a tip or two regard-ing AK-47rifles andt h e i rp r o p e rhandling.Althoughhis hand isw r a p p e da r o u n dthe maga-zine, that“ y o u n grebel sol-dier” fromMonroviain yourDecember

article on “What a Difference a DRIMakes” should be told to kindlypoint the business end of theweapon downward and to the sidefor everyone’s safety.

Robert C. JenningsInformation SystemsU.S. Embassy Santiago

Whose Cafeteria?Whose cafeteria is pictured on

page 29 of the December issue? It’snot State’s.

Steven PikePA/PRS

It’s the cafeteria in SA-1,Columbia Plaza, where the maga-zine staff refuels regularly. Comevisit. The Editor

An Ambassador’s LegacyThe obituary of Ambassador

Robert J. Ryan Sr. in the Decemberissue gave the necessary facts butmissed some essentials.

For one thing, Ambassador Ryanwas an outstanding leader amongAmerican ambassadors in theAfrica of the 1960s. His staff, thegovernment of Niger, a passel ofPeace Corps volunteers and thecommunity of dependents admiredand respected him. The ambassadormade all of us feel like a close fami-ly, with few of the squabbles and

bickering often associated withneighboring missions.

For another, he stimulated highprofessional performance amongthe staff and was undoubtedly a sig-nificant role model for his twoForeign Service sons and for thenumerous young officers whoserved with him and went on tobecome ambassadors and seniorDepartment officials in their ownright.

His is a proud legacy, indeed.

Joseph C. Guardiano Retired FSOFort Myers, Fla.

A Good LaughKudos to cartoonist Brian

Aggeler for his hilarious and clever“New This Season on State TV” inthe October issue.

As a former Foreign Service offi-cer and television producer, I totallyenjoyed it. I look forward to more.

Alice F. La BrieNew York City

3FEBRUARY 2004

Ben Franklin has seen many award ceremonies inthe room named for him. The David Martin portraiton the room’s east wall gazed proudly once again onthe latest group of employees to be honored by theirpeers and the Department for their contributions tothe nation’s diplomatic mission. In this issue, we havedevoted 17 pages to the awardees so our readerseverywhere can share their stories and successes. Ourcoverage starts on page 20.

Obesity is at record levels in this country and else-where and the Office of Medical Services is activelypromoting behavior that embraces a healthy diet andappropriate exercise. Education is at the core of theinitiative. The goalposts that used to measure bloodpressure and cholesterol have been moved—much tothe surprise of employees at risk of heart disease. In

the final analysis, health promotion supports diplo-matic readiness. Check with the doctors on page 44.

Janice Whittingham has seen it all. The chief ofpassport processing at the San Francisco PassportAgency began her federal career there 32 years ago asa clerk-typist. During the three decades since, she hasused manual typewriters, cash registers and noisyflexowriters. What she remembers most vividly arethe irons. That’s right, irons. Throughout the 1970s,ordinary household irons were used to attach pass-port photos to booklets. Today, the photos are digi-tized. Meet Janice and her colleagues in our Office ofthe Month feature that starts on page 16.

FROM THE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A holiday package worth more than $3,000 was sent tostaff working in war-torn Iraq. The 80-box shipment con-tained products useful to those living in the harsh desertclimate. Disposable wipes, sunglasses, sunscreen, dried nuts

and fruits and beef jerky topped the donations.Crossword puzzles and paperback books were alsoincluded.

Dozens of volunteers raised funds or giftwrapped the merchandise that was accom-panied by a large banner filled with per-sonal greetings from employees.

Even the kids at the Department’s childcare center got into the act with acard-writing project.

Steve Seche, a senior adviser to theMinistry of Foreign Affairs inBaghdad, reports the package was abig hit and the banner became themain attraction “on the wall outsidethe cafeteria for all to see.”

Another Baghdad employee wrote,“I hope you will convey my thanks toall who had the idea and made it hap-

pen. Their thoughtfulness made a bigdifference to us here.”

4 STATE MAGAZINE

I N T H E N E W S

CheerH O L I D A Y

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Top: From left, Zita Meagher, Ellen Prespare and Bernadette Cole,who work in Human Resources, inspect the holiday banner beforeshipping it to Iraq. Left: Building Manager Barbara Martin helpspackage holiday gifts. Above: Maggie Morse, employee servicesspecialist, pitches in.

Cafeteria Adds Food StationsThe North Servery in the Harry S Truman

Building cafeteria reopened Nov. 3.There are now nine food stations. They include

the Crystal Bay Grill (oysters Rockefeller, clams casi-no, shrimp, mussels, calamari, perch, grouper,stuffed crab and crab cake and perch sandwiches);the Branding Iron (grilled burgers and chicken); theAmerican Smokehouse (sliced roast beef and ham);the Portabello (pasta); Noble Roman’s Pizza (pizzaand stromboli baked in a brick oven); the Farmer’s

Table (pot pies and oven-bakedcasseroles); Malibu Wraps (assorted folded sand-wiches); Stacker’s Deli (assorted sandwiches on spe-cialty breads); and the Mediterranean Terrace(gyros, souvlaki and Greek salads). Starbucks coffeeas well as cookies and desserts at the Baker’s Streetfood station are also available.

The North Servery is open weekdays from 11 a.m.until 2 p.m., with limited service to 3 p.m.

6 STATE MAGAZINE

I N T H E N E W S

Employees Give Toys to 2,100 TotsFor the third straight year, the Bureaus of

Administration and Diplomatic Security have spon-sored the Department’s Toys for Tots campaign, bring-ing happiness and toys to children who might otherwisego without both during the holiday season.

Chief campaign organizer Jonathon Myers, a specialprojects officer in the Bureau of Diplomatic Securityand a major in the Marine Corps Reserve, served on

active duty as aMarine Corpsmajor in Iraquntil October2003. So thisyear’s drive waslaunched a littlelater than usual.Nevertheless, itquickly gainedmomentum andraised as manytoys and half thecash of last year’scampaign.

At the end ofthe campaign on Dec. 19, Deputy Secretary RichardArmitage stood in the Treaty Room stacked from floorto ceiling with toys and presented more than 4,200 gifts

to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation on behalf ofState Department employees. “Thousands of childrenwho otherwise don’t have reasons to smile at Christmaswill... have a little warmth in their lives,” he said.

Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Matthew T. Cooper, MarineToys for Tots Foundation president and CEO, receivedthe gifts and thanked Department employees for theirgenerosity. “Anything we can do to have a positiveimpact on the development of those children is aninvestment in the future, and you are making an invest-ment in their future,” Gen. Cooper said.

The program reaches approximately one-third of the15 million children living in poverty in the UnitedStates. “I am happy to report that we’ve got the mostextensive coverage we’ve ever had,” Gen. Cooper said.“We have local campaigns this year in 456 communitiescovering all 50 states, the District of Columbia andPuerto Rico….We have more than doubled the reach ofthe campaign in the past 10 years.”

According to the organization’s CEO, two toys aretypically given every child. That means 2,100 children inthe Washington, D.C., area, who might otherwise havegone without, experienced the joy of Christmas becauseof generous Department employees.

“We are really indebted tothem and we appreciate theirsupport,” the official said.

More than 4,000 toys fill the Treaty Room in prepa-ration for the official donation ceremony.

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46 slices Amount of pizza the averageAmerican eats per year.

7FEBRUARY 2004

I N T H E N E W S

Motor Pool Hosts Iftar in CairoDeputy Secretary Richard Armitage and

Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs WilliamBurns attended an Iftar in Cairo, where they werewelcomed by Motor Pool Supervisor Tareq Nour.

Each year the Cairo motor pool employees hostan “Iftar,” or breaking of the Ramadan fast, for themission’s employees and their families. They erectlong communal tables in the embassy parking lotand decorate them with bunting and traditionalcolored-glass lanterns. Participants dine on soup,chicken, kabobs, salads, yogurt, hummus andbread.

The communal meal allowed the officials to relaxand thank the Foreign Service National employeesfor their long hours in the world’s most congestedtraffic. They also re-affirmed the U.S. government’srespect and admiration for one of the world’s greatreligions.

Ambassador David Welch, Deputy Chief ofMission Gordon Gray and their wives also attendedthe event.

Embassy employees donated more than $1,000 to theCommunity Liaison Office to purchase Ramadan meals

for the mission’s local guard force and for the poor, whooften eat at “sponsored” tables near mosques.

Zagreb OpensNew Embassy

Employees at the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb have a newembassy. The embassy, which replaces a 150-year-oldbuilding in the city’s center, is on a 6.5-acre site south ofthe city near the airport.

The official opening last June followed 18 months ofplanning and attracted Croatian President StjepanMesic, senior government and business officials andDirector of Overseas Buildings Operations CharlesWilliams.

The following day, the mission hosted an open housefor all employees and their families.

While employees no longer enjoy the convenience ofworking in the center of the city, they have an attractiveand secure facility surrounded by cornfields and farms.

Motor Pool Supervisor Tareq Nour, center, greets guests at the Iftar. They are,from left, Assistant Secretary William Burns, Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage,Ambassador David Welch and General Services Officer Tom Palmer.

´

“You have changed my life…I now have freedom andmobility,” said one grateful Afghan recipient. “It’s com-fortable. It’s easy to steer. My life will be much easiernow,” said another.

The statements came from disabled Afghans during aceremony in Kabul highlighting Project Afghanistan.More than 200 people attended the heavily coveredevent at Camp Watan, a secure counterterrorism train-

ing facility the Bureau of DiplomaticSecurity operates near Kabul. Many ofthe recipients were land mine victims,a leading cause of disability in devel-oping nations.

David Sedney, chargé d’affaires atthe U.S. Embassy in Kabul, describedthe project as part of the “Americanspirit of giving and sharing.” AbdullahWardak, Afghan minister of martyrsand disabled, and Kenneth E. Behring,founder of the Wheelchair Foun-dation, joined him at the ceremony.

The nonprofit organization seeks to provide a wheel-chair to anyone in the world who needs but cannotafford one.

The State- and Defense-supported initiative wasdeveloped, organized and implemented by the Bureausof Public Affairs and South Asian Affairs and the U.S.Embassy in Kabul. The U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment also provided support.

8 STATE MAGAZINE

I N T H E N E W S

ProjectAfghanistanProvidesWheelchairs

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Food Drive Meets Its GoalThe Department’s holiday season Food Drive for

2003 was judged an overwhelming success as generousWashington-area employees contributed a total of 8,629pounds of food and other household items to theCapital Area Food Bank of Washington, D.C., exceedingthe “pound per person” goal set for the drive.

Contributions more than doubled last year’s total,with donations of cash and gift cards adding another$881. Employees attending one holiday office partydonated $400 to purchase gift cards for the food bank.

The drive would not have succeeded without the helpof scores of utilities crew employees who, in addition totheir regular duties, volunteered to collect donationsfrom receptacles scattered throughout the Department’smany annexes.

The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest public,non-profit food and nutrition education resource in themetropolitan area. The network of more than 750member feeding programs distributes millions ofpounds of food and educates thousands of local resi-dents on hunger, poverty and nutrition.

Mark Mitchell, food resources coordinator at thefood bank, said, “You folks at the State Department pullmore than your share of the load. Your time and effortsare appreciated greatly.”

While officials look forward to the 2004 food drive,they remind employees that the Capital Area Food Bankand others across the country need donations year-round. To learn more about the organization’sprograms, visit www.capitalareafoodbank.org.

Afghan girl uses donated wheelchair.

9FEBRUARY 2004

One of the thingsthat struck me mostwhen I came into thisjob is that 400 Bureauof Human Resourcesemployees support40,000 Department of

State employees with a broad range of services. Thevolume of transactions HR processes is remarkable. In2003, for example, the bureau processed 103,866 per-sonnel actions. Serving you is what we do and our goalis to do it better each time.

Here are some highlights:Staffing. With support from the Secretary and

Congress, the Diplomatic Readiness Initiative allowedus to hire 759 Foreign Service and Civil Service employ-ees above attrition. This translates roughly into a 10percent plus up and the staffing of hundreds of posi-tions in every bureau. As a result, we are expandingtraining, particularly language training for newemployees, addressing staffing gaps and meeting ourcritical new requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Training. By now, 1,690 employees have benefitedfrom the mandatory leadership and management train-ing offered at FSI. Junior employees are benefitingfrom this training at the outset of their careers and thattraining will be updated as they move into the mid- andsenior-levels. The goal is for us all to become moreaware of how we work with one another. As theSecretary has said, we are all leaders regardless of ourposition or our rank. Leadership is about a mindsetand the Department as a whole stands to benefit as ouremployees become more proficient in leadership.

Employee programs. To help ensure that the StateDepartment remains an employer of choice (State wasnamed a Top-20 employer by college students in anannual survey that included multi-national firms andFortune 500 companies) we are making sure we haveprograms that qualitatively affect the lives of our

employees. Last year, we made child care available tolow-income employees through subsidies benefiting111 children. We have the federal government’s largestand most successful student loan repayment programand provided payments averaging $4,700 to 660 quali-fying employees. With more than 165 fellows, we alsohave a fair claim to the government’s largestPresidential Management Fellows program. These col-leagues bring us their energy and enthusiasm. We, inturn, have the responsibility to mentor them andensure meaningful professional opportunities and rota-tions.

But mentoring is something we can all do. Anyonewho’s been a mentor or protégé can vouch for howrewarding the experience is. While the relationshipdoesn’t have to be formal, our new Civil Service men-toring program already has involved 188 employees atall levels. In distinguished U.S. law firms, senior part-ners devote significant time to recruiting and mentor-ing young associates. Why? They represent the firm’sfuture. Those who come after us are the Department’sfuture and your participation in their professionaldevelopment only makes our firm stronger.

Everyone has benefited from the Secretary’s commit-ment to improving the Department’s use of technology.We now have access to the Internet on our desktops. Inkeeping with technological advancements and HR’sefforts to improve services for all employees, we aremaking basic documents and services available toemployees online. Examples include eBid, eOPF, earn-ing and leave statements, employee profiles and a retire-ment estimator. We hope you will find these helpful aswe work towards our goal of making your personnelinformation available to you securely and directly.

This is just a snapshot of some of the things weare doing to serve you better. Why not take a minuteto let us know what you think? You can do thatthrough the Customer Service Survey athttp://hrweb.hr.state.gov/cf/CSsurvey/survey.cfm. ■

Our Service to You

DIRECT FROM THE D.G.AMBASSADOR W. ROBERT PEARSON

Buddhist monks enter a templein Chiang Mai

11FEBRUARY 2004

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ChiangMai By Linda Santitharangkul

and Henry V. Jardine

The visually jarringmix of ornate templesand palaces sharingspace with severemodern office build-ings and hotels offersan always interestingand challenging envi-ronment for the con-sulate communityliving and working in Chiang Mai. With 28 U.S.employees and 45 local employees, the U.S. Consulate isa big, little post that, like the city at large, finds its ownbalance in having a close, tight-knit community withdiverse offices and different responsibilities.

At the consulate office compound, once the home ofthe last prince of Northern Thailand, officers deal withthe typical consular matters, visas and needs ofAmerican citizens. Others track issues important to a

consular district one-third the size of Thailand and bor-dering Burma and Laos. Issues include Burmeserefugees, trade in illicit narcotics, trafficking in personsand international terrorism.

Situated on a historic compound, the consulate isready to share its scenic grounds and buildings with thelocal public by opening its doors to the community forspecial events. A Chinese-style pavilion, or sala, usuallyserves as the waiting room for visa applicants and con-

12 STATE MAGAZINE

Ahistoric royal residence

surrounded by the

exotic bustle of a 700-year-old Asian city is the

unique setting for the U.S. Consulate General in

Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

13FEBRUARY 2004

A T A G L A N C E

SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2002

Country name: Thailand

Capital: Bangkok

Government: Constitutional monarchy

Year founded: 1238

Population: 64.3 million

Religions: Buddhism, Islam, Christianityand Hinduism

Land mass: Over 319,000 square miles

Approximate size: More than twice thesize of Wyoming

Languages: Thai and English

Currency: baht (THB)

Per capita income: $6,900

Population below poverty line: 12.5%

Natural resources: Tin, rubber, naturalgas, tungsten and tantalum

Exports: Computers, transistors, seafood,clothing and rice

Television stations: 5 (all in Bangkok)

verts easily to a stage for an a cappella singing troupefrom Yale, an Elvis impersonator from NorthernThailand and a visit from Princess Maha ChakriSirindhorn Thepa Rattanasuda.

Across town, Drug Enforcement Agency agents assistThai law officers in curbing the rampant drug smug-gling that makes the district’s Golden Triangle border soinfamous. Last August, Thai and U.S. authorities locat-ed more than one million methamphetamine tabletsburied in six underground caches near the Thai-Burmese border.

In another part of town, and at the foot of ChiangMai’s grand temple mountain, Doi Suthep, are theoffices of U.S. Air Force Detachment 415. The detach-ment is located on a local Thai Navy installation. Theidea that a navy post would be so far from the oceancertainly raises eyebrows, but so does the detachment’smission of monitoring seismic activity from nucleartests. The detachment’s 600 miles of cables and sensorshelp monitor compliance with the Comprehensive TestBan Treaty.

Air Force personnel can see the golden spires of theancient temple Wat Doi Suthep on the mountain andChiang Mai in the valley below. Housing developments,shopping centers and malls surround the ancient city ofcrumbling walls and moat. Starbucks coffee and AuntAnnie’s pretzels are readily available. Growth and change,however, have come gradually and the city’s small lanesstrain to accommodate the increasing number of sportutility vehicles. One consulate couple copes by means ofan adapted three-wheeled scooter, or tuk-tuk.

The region’s attractions and growing convenienceshave been drawing more Americans. At present some5,000 registered Americans live in the consular district,mostly near Chiang Mai but also scattered throughoutthe North. Historically, many Americans have beeninvolved in missionary work. The first missionariescame in the 1850s, but as businesses grow and servicesimprove, more Americans have been coming to workand retire.

Attractions include a thriving furniture and homedécor industry. This area is home to the most prolifichandicraft trade in the country. As luck would have it,the new housing compound is convenient to the sourceof woodcarvings and furniture that makes Thailand sofamous.

The hills north of Chiang Mai stood in for those ofCambodia in the recently released film Beyond Borders.Indeed, Thailand represents many Asian countriesbecause it’s relatively film friendly. People also head for

14 STATE MAGAZINE

the hills on weekends, sincepockets of diverse cultures canbe found all over the North.Six major hill tribes can be vis-ited in a half-day tour and alltheir crafts can seemingly befound in one place—the city’sbustling Night Bazaar, openyear-round.

Considered a breath of fresh air when compared toBangkok, Chiang Mai has more than its share of detrac-tors who comment on the growing traffic and pollution.The consulate—wedged among bustling markets andovershadowed by a high-rise condominium—is con-fronted daily by the surrounding clash of the new and

old. Yet within the consulate, a balance is found amongthe classic teak buildings, standing testaments to thespectacular history of Thai royalty. ■

Ms. Santitharangkul is the assistant community liaisonofficer and Mr. Jardine the management officer at theU.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai.

Top left: The new housing com-pound south of town offers a

country-like atmosphere. DuringEaster 2003, the kids on the com-

pound hunted for eggs. ChiangMai children affected by HIV/AIDS

were invited to the party. Topright: A city of dichotomies of allshapes and flavors, Chiang Mai

has new hotels that dwarf ancienttemples and modern office build-ings built along the ancient city’s

moat. Bottom: A bullock cart,some oxen and one consul gener-al make a great photo opportunity.

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The U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai isamong a diminishing number of historic propertiesserving as U.S. diplomatic posts. In an era of non-descript office blocks, the consulate evokes an earli-er time of overhead ceiling fans and arbors drapedin bougainvillea and frangipani. Once the royal res-idence of the last prince of Northern Thailand, ChaoKaew Nawarat, the history of the consulate givesstaff the right to saythey work in a specialplace.

Previously knownas the Chedi Ngarm,or Beautiful PagodaPalace, the consulatecompound encom-passes many historicbuildings, some morethan 100 years old.The first notableroyal to reside herewas Chao DaraRasmi, princess con-sort of KingC h u l a l o n g k o r n ,Rama V. In 1914,four years after the death of Rama V, the princessreturned to her family home of Chiang Mai andlived in a teak house on the compound. When shemoved to the nearby village of Mae Rim, her broth-er Maj. Gen. Chao Kaew Nawarat, the ninth and lastprince of the Northern Thai Lanna Chuen Jet Tondynasty, moved into the royal compound, where hebuilt a house in 1923 as a wedding gift to his daugh-ter, Chao Siriprakai Na Chiengmai. In 1926,Princess Siriprakai hosted the visit of the ill-fatedKing Prapoklao, who was deposed in 1934, andQueen Ram Pai Panni. Today, the consulate’s com-munications staff occupies the former royal resi-dence.

The joy of the king and queen’s visit would besoon forgotten in 1933 because of the death ofPrincess Dara Rasmi. Her coffin lay in state at the

Chedi Ngarm Palace from December 1933 to April1934. Later that same year, Prince Kaew Nawaratwould replace the old teak residence with a newhome, now the consul general’s residence. Thehouse, designed by an Italian architect, was built inthe then-popular Anglo-Burmese style. A Chinese-style sala, or pavilion, was also built at that time.The sala now serves as the consular section’s waiting

room and offices.Prince Kaew Nawarat

enjoyed his new homefor only five years. Hedied in June 1939. Hisbody lay in state in thesala from June to July1939 in the same placewhere today’s visaapplicants and citizenservices customers wait.

The death of PrinceKaew Nawarat closed achapter on the historyof the royal residence.The government ofSiam no longer recog-nized the semiau-

tonomous principality of Northern Thailand, oncepart of the great kingdom of Lanna founded in 1269by King Mengrai. The central government estab-lished direct control from Bangkok and the ChediNgarm property was sold to the Office of the RoyalCrown Properties.

On Sept. 1, 1950, a new chapter in the history ofthe property opened when U.S. Ambassador EdwinF. Stanton and the Thai deputy minister of financesigned a lease for the palace and grounds. The con-sulate still maintains that lease with the Office ofRoyal Crown Properties.

The compound became a U.S. Consulate Generalin 1986 and it continued its close association withthe Thai royal family. In January 2003, the consulatehosted the visit of Her Royal Highness PrincessSirindhorn. —Henry V. Jardine

U.S. Consulate General Is Richin Royal History

Chao Kaew Nawarat, the ruling prince of Chiang Mai, built the pres-ent consul general’s residence around 1934. This is the residenceas it stands today.

O F F I C E O F T H E M O N T H

San FranciscoPassport

Agency

San FranciscoPassport

AgencyStory by Kate Styrsky

Photographs by Wah Tom

San Francisco is a city that looms large in the publicimagination. It’s where Mark Twain reported spendingthe coldest winter of his life one August evening. It’swhere visitors are encouraged to wear flowers in theirhair. It’s where Tony Bennett left his heart and the clas-sic local treat Rice-a-Roni was born.

It’s also home to several State Department entities,including the San Francisco Passport Agency.

17FEBRUARY 2004

San Francisco has had a federal presence since the1840s. The State Department arrived around World WarI. Yellowing old telephone directories document that aSan Francisco Passport Agency has existed atleast since 1956. Old-timers reminisce abouttwo earlier homes: a narrow basement officein the city’s Federal Building and a sleekmodern office in the heart of the MarketStreet financial district. Since February 1997,the agency has occupied a five-story concretebuilding it shares with the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, the asylum office of theCitizenship and Immigration Services andseveral nonfederal entities.

Currently, 49 employees work in theagency, each trained to handle a variety oftasks to meet the agency’s mission of provid-ing travel documents, information and assis-tance to the American public. Like the griz-zled `49ers who panned for ore during theGold Rush, the staff spends long hours inpatient, sometimes intensive labor—thoughtheir “golden” goal is exceptional customerservice. The agency’s automated appoint-ment system focuses its frontline interview-ers on serving U.S. citizens who plan to travel in twoweeks or sooner. As a result, essentially every counterinterview presents a need for expedited service. A typi-cal interview begins: “Ah, you have airline tickets for

overseas travel tonight. We’ll have to work fast!”Passport specialists and processors, with their managersand supervisors’ support, meet their customers’ needs.In fiscal year 2003 alone they issued 294,749 passports.

An ever-expanding network of outside acceptancefacilities—including U.S. Post Offices, county clerks’offices, colleges and libraries in Northern California,Nevada, Arizona and Utah—also provide customerservice. There are now close to 400 such convenientfacilities, 120 of them in the Bay area. In 2003, approx-imately 500 outside acceptance agents attended trainingclasses the agency conducted. Volunteer passport spe-cialists also attend local naturalization ceremonies andthose in San José. As hundreds of eager, newly natural-ized citizens surge forward, volunteers accept applica-tion packages hand over fist. The applications are for-warded to passport processing centers immediatelyafterwards. The naturalization outreach program bringsin more than 11,000 applications annually.

The staff also supports the agency’s fraud preventionprogram and security procedures. “Eternal vigilance” isthe watchword among passport specialists and proces-sors: all are alert to security issues regarding applica-tions, documents and supplies. Monthly training ses-

sions provide up-to-date information on fraud con-cerns. The agency maintains a steady flow of fraudreferrals to Diplomatic Security’s field offices in SanFrancisco and Los Angeles.

Left: Public entrance to the San Francisco Passport Agency. Below:Cashier Elsa Laoeng rings up passport fees and begins the issuanceprocess by assigning each application to a numbered batch box.

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18 STATE MAGAZINE

The passport agency takes pride indemonstrating an adventurous approach tochange and to new ideas. The agency hasintegrated major technological upgradessuch as a photodigitization system that scansthe applicant’s photograph, prints the imagedirectly onto the passport book and seals itwith a silkscreen process. Most recently, theadjudication and processing teams havetackled the new Passport Records ImagingManagement System that prepares an elec-tronic image of each completed passportapplication. By making complete visual datareadily available throughout the global pass-port system, PRISM has enhanced bothsecurity and customer service.

A fresh developmental activity or distanttour of duty always draws a healthy list ofenthusiastic volunteers. San Francisco’sadjudicators have taken their expertise tothe clearance office in Washington, D.C.,and to consulates in Dubai, the Bahamasand Rio de Janeiro. Three specialists haveparticipated in the U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s Executive Leadership Programand two in USDA’s New Leader Program.Closer to home, specialists traveled to near-by Oakland to participate in a newly insti-tuted outreach program for grammar schoolchildren. Two specialists and one adjudica-tion supervisor have served as loaned execu-tives to support the Combined FederalCampaign.

The agency has experimented successfullywith a number of on-site developmental ses-sions for the entire staff, fostering esprit decorps as well as individual development. Toenhance quality of life, the agency offersalternative work schedules such as com-pressed work schedules and flexitour.

With the San Francisco Museum ofModern Art, the Yerba Buena CulturalCenter, the Comic Art Museum and a pri-vate art academy nearby, the agency natural-ly partakes of a spirit of creativity. On their

Top: Regional Director James Griffin at his desk.Center: Processor Sandy Bedford captures animage of an application in the database. Bottom:Passport Specialist Jeff Doyle reviews applicationsto determine eligibility.

19FEBRUARY 2004

FromIroning toDigitizing,She’s SeenIt All

“I’m glad that I like change!” says JaniceWhittingham of the San Francisco Passport Agency.During her 32 years of service as clerk-typist, teamleader, cashier, computer operator and processingchief, she has experienced enough changes to satisfythe most relentless thrill seeker.

The deaths of her parents in the early 1970srushed Janice into the working world to supportthree adolescent siblings. Eager for regular, full-timework, she aced her typing test. The passport agencyhired her as a clerk-typist soon after her interview.

Recalling her most vivid memories of those earlydays, Janice exclaims, “The irons!” Throughout the1970s, an ordinary household iron was part of the“technology” for gluing the passport photo on theidentifying page. Janice recalls mastering data entryon the noisy flexowriter and learning to decipher itstickertape-like strips. She painstakingly processedpassport amendments on the bulky special type-writer. As cashier, Janice handled yet another piece of

now-extinct equipment—the manual cashregister.

Among the career changes she most appre-ciates are the personal ones. “Before I workedhere, I was a really shy, really quiet kid,” she

says. Becoming a team leader demanded a lot from ashy and quiet person, but Janice is grateful that shehad supportive supervisors who urged her beyondher comfort zone. She soon enjoyed her new respon-sibilities.

In 1983, computerization brought more changes.Good-bye, flexowriter. Hello, mainframe. The hugecomputer, roughly the size of a toolshed, wasenclosed within a chilly, climate-controlled room ofits own. As a computer operator, Janice diligentlytended to all its needs.

In 1990, Janice was promoted to processing chief,managing all passport processing functions. Whileshe enjoys her independence, she believes a managermust be part of a team, too. “It’s important to beinvolved in the daily work, not separate from otherpeople.”

Her goal for employees: Work independently andlove what you do. —Kate Styrsky

own time, employees engage in a variety of activities—from playing the saxophone, acting and pastry-bakingto writing and attending theatrical productions andsports events. Some collect books, antique political but-tons or model airplanes. The conservatively groomedindividual who greets the public at the information deskmay have just spent the previous weekend at a Star Trekconvention.

San Francisco well deserves its reputation as a scenic,creative city with a personality of its own. It’s “The CityThat Knows How.” With or without flowers in theirhair, the San Francisco Passport Agency and its staff fitright in. ■

The author is a supervisory passport specialist at the SanFrancisco Passport Agency.

20 STATE MAGAZINE

2 0 0 3 D E P A R T M E N T

S t o r y b yD a v e

K r e c k e

P h o t o s b yM i c h a e l

G r o s s

SERVINGDistinction

with

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Distinction

21FEBRUARY 2004

It was a ceremony befitting the honorees’

distinctive service. While the Air Force Brass

Quintet played the music of Bach and other

baroque composers, more than 30 awardees,

their families and co-workers gathered

beneath the chandeliers of the ornate

Benjamin Franklin Room. The nation’s

preeminent 18th-century diplomat seemed

to peer approvingly from the David Martin

portrait on the room’s east wall.

A W A R D S

22 STATE MAGAZINE

23FEBRUARY 2004

After the Armed Forces Color Guardpresented the colors, Director General ofthe Foreign Service and Director of theBureau of Human Resources W. RobertPearson congratulated the recipients andwelcomed their guests and families. Heexpressed thanks to the many donors whohave sponsored the Department’s mostprestigious awards, including the lateAmbassador Luther I. Replogle, theVincent Astor Foundation, AmbassadorCharles E. Cobb Jr., the late AmbassadorHerbert Salzman, Ambassador SwaneeHunt and former Under Secretary forGlobal Affairs Frank E. Loy.

The director general recognized GraceWatson, sister of the late Barbara Watson,former assistant secretary for ConsularAffairs, for whom the highest consularaward is named. He also introduced Mrs.Katharine Frasure, wife of the late RobertFrasure. “Bob was a very dear friend,” thedirector general said, “and one of thegiants of his Foreign Service generation. It

is an honor to present the award, in hisname, that represents the highest ideals ofservice for which he stood.” He thenintroduced Secretary Colin Powell.

The Secretary noted that the awardeeswere selected from each of theDepartment’s employee groups—ForeignService, Civil Service and Foreign ServiceNational—from all levels and job special-ties, and shared a deep commitment toexcellence in service to the United States,each making a major contribution to thenation’s diplomatic relations.

Turning to the awardees’ families, hesaid the country owed them a debt ofgratitude as well for their sacrifices —missed soccer games, holidays andanniversaries—while family membersserved in faraway places, often in danger-ous assignments. The Secretary sat for aphoto with the gathered awardees, andthen Under Secretary for ManagementGrant Green presented their plaques asthe director general read their citations.

Left: Awardees and their invited guests smile at an amusing remark by Secretary Powellduring the Department’s 2003 awards ceremony in the Benjamin Franklin Room. Above:The Secretary joins award winners for a photo beneath the portrait of Benjamin Franklinin the 8th floor reception room named for the 18th century diplomat.

24 STATE MAGAZINE

Foreign Service NationalEmployee of the YearGhulam Sakhi Ahmadzai,building maintenance super-visor at the U.S. Embassy inKabul, is the Foreign ServiceNational Employee of the Yearfor 2003. He is recognized forhis exceptional efforts inAfghanistan during the 13-

year absence of American employees and following thereopening of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul in December2001. His loyalty to the U.S. government and to main-taining the integrity of the embassy during that absence,despite personal risk, cannot be repaid. He providedleadership, continuity and the expertise to help theUnited States achieve its goals.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Foreign Service NationalEmployee of the YearBureau of African Affairs Tabotu Woldemichael, infor-mation assistant at the U.S.Embassy in Addis Ababa,earned the award for hertremendous efforts and dedi-cation to the public diploma-cy unit in Addis Ababa. She

proved indispensable in promoting U.S. objectivesthrough the press and broadcast media, especially inEthiopia’s growing Islamic press. The mission hasextensively relied on her advice and counsel on how toadapt its message to the Ethiopian cultural context. Hercontacts are outstanding and have opened doors previ-ously closed to the embassy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Foreign Service NationalEmployee of the YearBureau of East Asian andPacific AffairsRachma A. Jaurinata, politi-cal/administrative assistant inMedan, is recognized for heroutstanding performance,demonstrated initiative, com-passion and dedication to the

highest levels of service on behalf of U.S. in Sumatra,Indonesia, in the finest tradition of the Foreign Service.

Foreign Service NationalEmployee of the YearBureau of European andEurasian AffairsEdmond Hajrullaaga, a finan-cial assistant in the U.S. Officein Pristina, earned his awardfor developing ViewROLLS, afinancial management soft-ware application that has

resulted in multiple benefits to the Department. His con-cept and design work led to the implementation of a newfinancial reporting mechanism that is less cumbersomeand more user-friendly. The new program has increasedproductivity by substantially reducing the time involvedin reconciling accounts and determining the status offunds. He is commended for his outstanding initiativeand dedication to improving financial services.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Foreign Service NationalEmployee of the YearBureau of Near EasternAffairsSamir M. Jarandogha, securi-ty investigator at the U.S.Embassy in Amman, is recog-nized for his outstandingdedication, loyalty andextraordinary contribution to

the security and well-being of mission employees andtheir families. At great personal sacrifice, he has main-tained the highest performance standards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Foreign Service NationalEmployee of the YearBureau of WesternHemisphere AffairsNaveed Iqbal, informationmanager at the U.S. Embassyin Ottawa, earned his awardwith his innovative contribu-tions to the U.S. Mission inCanada’s information systems

and the Department’s enforcement of homeland securi-ty. His exceptional contributions and advancement ofthe Department’s strategic information technology tocombat terrorism have had a significant impact on themission’s ability to meet its goals and objectives.

25FEBRUARY 2004

Chief Financial Officer’sAward for Distinction inPublic FinanceJanis Cook, budget specialistin the executive office of theBureau of African Affairs, wasrecognized for exceptionalperformance in public financethat greatly benefited theentire Department. She was

commended for her significant contributions andaccomplishments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Human Resource Officerof the YearRobert R. West, chief of thedivision of human resourcesmanagement in the Office ofOverseas Employment, isHuman Resource Officer ofthe Year for 2003. He earnedthe award for his energetic andinnovative management and

implementation of new human resources programs suchas Computer-Aided Job Evaluation and PersonnelServices Agreement Plus, programs that have significant-ly improved the Department’s management of ForeignService National employees, locally employed Americansand family members at Foreign Service posts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Award for Excellence inLabor DiplomacyJohn W. Chamberlin, laborattaché in the U.S. Mission tothe United Nations in Geneva,earned the award while serv-ing as labor officer in Beijing.He was recognized for his cre-ativity and dedication inadvancing the cause of worker

rights in China. He developed wide and warm relation-ships and launched cooperative programs that built astrong fabric of mutual understanding and contributedto the development of a more multifaceted, mature andstable U.S. –China relationship.

James A. Baker III—C. Howard Wilkins Jr.Award for OutstandingDeputy Chief of MissionFrank C. Urbancic, deputychief of mission at the U.S.Embassy in Kuwait, is recog-nized for his extraordinaryleadership in putting theembassy on a war footing on

the eve of Operation Iraqi Freedom by expanding andprotecting the physical plant and staff of the missionwhile closely coordinating with military units and hostcountry officials. He has demonstrated dedication tomentoring junior officers, improving the morale of themission family and sensitively orchestrating the ordereddeparture of dependents, all in an exemplary fashion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Charles E. Cobb Jr.Award for Initiative andSuccess in TradeDevelopmentMichael E. Guest, U.S.Ambassador to Romania,earned the award for his out-standing work in establishingthe U.S. Embassy in Bucharestas a proactive platform for

U.S. businesses in Romania.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Charles E. Cobb Jr.Award for Initiative andSuccess in TradeDevelopmentRamin Asgard, former eco-nomic officer at the U.S.Embassy in Kuwait, is recog-nized for promoting com-mercial opportunities for U.S.firms and enhancing bilateral

trade and investment levels in post-conflictAfghanistan.

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26 STATE MAGAZINE

Warren ChristopherAward for OutstandingAchievement in GlobalAffairsAndrew T. Wyllie, a programofficer in the Bureau ofPopulation, Refugee andMigration Affairs, earned theaward for his outstanding cre-ativity and resourcefulness in

responding to humanitarian challenges in Iraq andAfghanistan. His determination, leadership and team-work were key factors contributing to U.S. success inminimizing injury to the peoples of both countries.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

James Clement DunnAward for ExcellenceJeffrey D. Feltman, actingprincipal officer in the U.S.Consulate General inJerusalem, earned the awardfor finding creative ways,under extremely difficult con-ditions, to advance thePresident’s two-state solution

to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while meeting criticalmanagement and security needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Director General’sAward for Impact andOriginality in Reporting Leslie M. Tsou, former Libyadesk officer, earned the awardfor the exceptional candorand clarity of her reportingand analysis of developmentsand trends in Libya. In theabsence of a U.S. Mission in

Libya, she developed unique contacts and sources fromher Washington position and drew upon them in pre-senting persuasive proposals to policymakers. Herresearch and writing exemplified the highest standardsof reporting and analysis.

Diplomatic SecurityEmployee of the YearMichael T. Evanoff, formerregional security officer inIslamabad, is recognized forhis superlative performanceand many accomplishmentsduring a period of dauntingsecurity challenges after theSept. 11 attacks. He effectively

protected a busy, high-threat embassy and improved theefficiency and effectiveness of the regional securityoffice, providing security to more than 7,000 temporaryduty visitors and preparing for the war in Iraq. His per-formance throughout this extraordinary period is acredit to the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and to theDepartment of State.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Equal EmploymentOpportunity AwardMae R. Whitehead, a manage-ment analyst in the Bureau ofAdministration, earned theaward for her exemplary lead-ership as president of theDepartment’s Foreign AffairsChapter of Blacks in Gov-ernment employee organiza-

tion; her commitment to developing an organizationdedicated to enhancing awareness of and valuing cul-tural diversity in all employees; and her service as a col-lateral duty senior mediator.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Robert C. FrasureMemorial AwardChristopher W. Dell, U.S.Ambassador to Angola, is rec-ognized for his personalintervention, extraordinaryability and hard work in thenegotiations between theAngolan government andUNITA, which brought an

end to one of Africa’s longest civil conflicts. He was thedriving force in a long and complex process, demon-strating exceptional negotiation skills, broad under-standing of conflict resolution and commitment todemocracy and national reconciliation in Angola.

27FEBRUARY 2004

Leamon R. Hunt Awardfor AdministrativeExcellenceWilliam H. Moser, formermanagement officer at theU.S. Embassy in Kiev, earnedthe award for his outstandingskill, judgment and dedica-tion. His comprehensive planto improve working condi-

tions and his direction of the pilot program for an off-shore pension plan and new health insurance contractfor local employees have strengthened morale,enhanced customer service and improved life and workat the embassy in Kiev.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Swanee Hunt Award forOutstanding Achieve-ment in Improving theStatus of WomenGlobally (Foreign Serviceemployee recipient)Donald K. Steinberg is recog-nized for his strong commit-ment to incorporatingwomen’s issues into U.S. for-

eign policy deliberations by ensuring that women wereinvolved as implementers and beneficiaries of recon-struction and governance programs in Africa,Afghanistan, Iraq and beyond; for encouraging the par-ticipation of women in post-conflict deliberations; andfor aggressively recruiting women for key positions inthe Office of Policy Planning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Swanee Hunt Award(locally employed spouserecipient)Sarah M. Jackson, a locallyemployed spouse, earned theaward for her outstandingwork in organizing programsand securing financial sup-port for Omani women’sorganizations while serving as

the democracy programs coordinator at the U.S.Embassy in Muscat. Through her efforts, creativity andperseverance, she identified strategies to promote thevisibility and voice of Omani women at all levels.

Innovation in the Use ofTechnology Award Thomas D. Smitham, formereconomic officer at the U.S.Embassy in London, is recog-nized for creating the pio-neering London classifiedweb site. As a result of his ini-tiative and creativity, the“CONSULATEVIRTUAL”

will serve as a model for other posts worldwide as theymake their reporting available to millions on SIPRNet.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Linguist of the YearAwardMichael Gfoeller, currently ontemporary duty in Iraq,earned the award for superbuse of his unique linguisticabilities and area expertise inthe promotion of U.S. nation-al interests while serving onthe front lines of diplomacy

in Iraq.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Frank E. Loy Award forEnvironmentalDiplomacy Jonathan A. Margolis is rec-ognized for his exceptionalleadership, diplomaticaccomplishments and dedica-tion in crafting and pursuingU.S. goals in a series of meet-ings, culminating in the

World Summit on Sustainable Development. As theDepartment’s special representative on sustainabledevelopment, he consistently displayed innovativethinking, keen political judgment and good humor inhis efforts to build domestic and international consen-sus for a shared and forward-leaning vision on sustain-able development.

2 0 0 3 D E P A R T M E N T A W A R D S

28 STATE MAGAZINE

Thomas MorrisonInformationManagement Award Barry R. Peterson, informa-tion management officer atthe U.S. Embassy in Jakarta,earned the award for his sus-tained exemplary perform-ance and lasting contributionsdespite a challenging local

infrastructure, chronic understaffing and dangeroussecurity environment. His proactive approach resultedin the creation of embassy off-site command and con-trol centers to establish and maintain mission commu-nication and computer support in emergency situa-tions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Edward R. MurrowAward for Excellence inPublic DiplomacyPhilip T. Reeker, formerdeputy spokesman in theBureau of Public Affairs, isrecognized for serving in thebest tradition of the ForeignService and upholding thehigh journalistic principles of

Edward R. Murrow. He personifies integrity of charac-ter and adherence to firm standards of truth and princi-ple, outstanding performance, good judgment understress and commitment to resourcefulness and courageboth as a leader and manager. As the first public diplo-macy officer to serve as deputy spokesman, he broughta wealth of overseas experience—from Budapest toRambouillet—to communicating directly, sensitivelyand honestly with foreign audiences.

Arnold L. RaphelMemorial AwardNancy J. Powell, U.S.Ambassador to the Republicof Pakistan, earned the awardfor her unique ability to bal-ance employee developmentand morale issues with anintense policy and programagenda so that all members of

the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad feel they are making adifference. Through her dedication, concern, compas-sion and competence, she has inspired a new generationto be more effective professionals and more compas-sionate human beings.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Luther I. ReplogleAward for ManagementImprovementKathleen T. Austin-Ferguson,executive director of theBureaus of Near Eastern andSouth Asian Affairs, is recog-nized for her extraordinarypreparation and managementof three key presidential ini-

tiatives—reestablishing the U.S. diplomatic presence inBaghdad, establishing the Middle East PartnershipInitiative and supporting the President’s new envoy tothe region—while providing exceptional leadership inmanaging support for U.S. embassies and consulates intwo crisis- and war-torn regions, the Near East andSouth Asia.

29FEBRUARY 2004

Herbert Salzman Awardfor Excellence inInternational EconomicPerformanceThomas P. Kelly, former eco-nomic officer at the U.S.Embassy in Quito, earned theaward for his exceptional con-tributions in advancing U.S.international objectives and,

specifically, for helping the United States become aninfluential, effective advocate of positive economicchange in Ecuador.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Civil Service Secretary ofthe Year Award Colleen A. Greer, a secretaryin the Bureau of InternationalOrganization Affairs, earnedthe award for the flexibility,calmness and good humor shedemonstrated in maintaininghigh morale in an office thathandled an array of complex

issues at the top of the foreign policy agenda, from Iraqto North Korea and Liberia. Her extraordinary dedica-tion and professional achievements reflect the highestideals and traditions of the Civil Service.

Office ManagementSpecialist of the YearAwardLaura E. Craynon, officemanagement specialist at theU.S. Consulate General inJerusalem, is recognized forher tireless efforts and initia-tive to help achieve criticalconsulate goals and enhance

morale, overcoming understaffing, cramped quartersand constant and random acts of violence. Her extraor-dinary dedication and professional achievements reflectthe highest ideals and traditions of the Foreign Service.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Barbara M. WatsonAward for ConsularExcellenceRonald J. Kramer, ConsulGeneral in Lagos, earned theaward for his outstandingleadership, guidance to localand more junior staff andcommitment to public serviceat the U.S. Consulate General

in Lagos.

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30 STATE MAGAZINE

2003

FSNs of the Year

Foreign Service National Employees of the Year gather for a group photo following the awards ceremony. They are, from left, front row:Rachma Jaurinata, Medan, Indonesia; Ghulam Ahmadzai, from Kabul, Afghanistan; Naveed Iqbal, from Ottawa, Canada; TabotuWoldemichael, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and, left, back row: Samir Jarandogha, from Amman, Jordan; and Edmond Hajrullaaga fromPristina, Kosovo.

Story By Dave Krecke

The Foreign Service National Employee of the Yearfor 2003 is Ghulam Sakhi Ahmadzai, who, in theabsence of American staff, supervised 60 others in pro-tecting the U.S. Embassy in Kabul for almost 13 years.Mr. Ahmadzai’s efforts and those of his stalwart col-leagues ensured that the embassy’s buildings and con-tents were undamaged throughout the difficult periodof Taliban rule.

Once U.S. forces had ousted the Taliban from powerin the fall of 2001, Mr. Ahmadzai and his FSN colleaguesmiraculously readied the abandoned embassy to reopenbefore Christmas. They assisted a Marine antiterrorismunit in securing the embassy grounds, renovated andequipped a “bunker” on the grounds to house theDepartment’s advance team and organized a flag-raising ceremony. U.S. Special Envoy James Dobbinspresided over the ceremony, attended by high-levelAfghan officials and flag-waving FSN family members.Mr. Ahmadzai simultaneously translated the specialenvoy’s remarks at the event.

He accompanied CENTCOM Commander in ChiefGeneral Tommy Franks to the inauguration of theinterim Afghan administration and briefed the U.S.delegation on the complex relationships within the newgovernment. He served as an effective adviser and trans-lator for the chargé during early meetings with Afghancabinet members.

Mr. Ahmadzai, a graduate of the Afghan Institute ofTechnology in building construction and vocationaltraining, oversaw and coordinated the renovation of thechancery. Unused for more than a decade, the building’splumbing, electrical and heating systems desperatelyneeded overhauling. Working closely with Americanfacilities managers and with skilled Afghan staff, hemade the building usable for 150 employees.

International journalists and network correspon-dents sought out the Lincolnesque Mr. Ahmadzai, withhis neatly trimmed post-Taliban beard and his fluentEnglish. They wanted to hear the story of loyal FSNssteadfastly standing watch at the abandoned embassyand his own story of 10 years of imprisonment by theSoviet puppet regime on trumped-up charges of smug-gling explosives through the embassy pouch.

Mr. Ahmadzai assisted with the crushing load of VIPvisitors during the early months of the reopened mis-

sion: one-third of the U.S. Senate, dozens of Housemembers, military top brass and the Secretaries of Stateand Defense. These visits were important in sealing thebilateral relationship during the first weeks of theAfghan transitional administration, and Mr. Ahmadzaiplayed a central role in each of them.

“I’m a jack-of-all-trades and master of none,” Mr.Ahmadzai proclaims with a modest grin. It’s the samegrin that lights up his face when he shyly informs a lis-tener that he and his wife have 10 children: three boysand seven girls. “Just think how many we’d have if Ihadn’t spent 10 years in prison,” he says.

The nominating cable credits Mr. Ahmadzai withproviding vital continuity to a mission staffed mainlywith Americans on temporary duty during 2002. Hesupported dozens of projects: providing security for theAfghan president, arranging housing for 150 Americanemployees, hiring nearly 70 new FSNs, upgrading secu-rity and electricity and constructing the new $120 mil-lion embassy. The cable sums up the continuing contri-bution of this extraordinary employee with these words:“Today, Ahmadzai remains an essential leader andadviser of the U.S. Mission.”

31FEBRUARY 2004

“Today, Ahmadzai remains

an essential leader and adviser

of the U.S. Mission.”

Ghulam Sakhi Ahmadzia

U.S. Embassy in Kabul

Tabotu Woldemichael is an information specialist atthe U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa and the FSN of theYear for the Bureau of African Affairs.

For more than 10 years, this experienced and respect-ed former journalist has given the embassy’s publicaffairs section complete and comfortable access to theEthiopian government and private media. “Over thepast decade,” the nominating cable states, “she has beenthe single most important reason that our public diplo-macy efforts have been successful.”

When Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld trav-eled to Ethiopia, the accompanying American pressneeded extraordinary access to the Prime Minister’soffice, access seldom granted to non-Ethiopian press.After exhaustive negotiations with the Prime Minister’sprotocol and security officials, Ms. Tabotu succeeded ingaining permission for the traveling press to enter.When the press arrived at the special entrance, however,security guards—all former guerrilla fighters—appeared not to have been informed of the agreementand barred the press from entering. Tempers flared onboth sides. Ms. Tabotu’s intervention by mobile phonewith the chiefs of protocol and security quickly resolvedthe situation.

Ethiopia’s food crisis has resulted in a steady streamof high-level, official U.S. visitors, including the secre-tary of the Treasury, the administrator of the U.S.Agency for International Development, the deputy sec-retary of Health and Human Services and several con-gressional delegations. Ms. Tabotu’s wise counsel inbriefing these visitors was important in shaping theirmessage and helping them avoid potentially embarrass-ing pitfalls with the press.

Fluent in English and Amharic and with some knowl-edge of Tigrinya, Ms. Tabotu has reached out success-fully to Ethiopian journalists and earned their trustthrough office visits, discussion groups and representa-tional events. She is a gifted teacher who enjoysstrengthening the professional skills of press colleagues

by conducting seminars on journalistic tech-niques and ethics. Over the years, Ms.Tabotu has also mentored a number first-tour information officers, explaining theEthiopian cultural environment and coach-ing them in how to approach the nation’smedia.

“Her range of contacts is outstanding,” thecable asserts. “She is on a first-name basiswith the minister of information, his deputyand all decisionmakers in the governmentmedia.” When the ambassador wanted todiscuss U.S. misgivings about the draft presslaw, Ms. Tabotu arranged an appointmentwith the minister. Because she is respectedinside and outside of the Ethiopian govern-ment, the embassy continues its dialogue onthe importance of a free press in a democra-cy. She has also built bridges to the Islamicpress, gaining an unprecedented hearing forU.S.-Iraq policy in the Muslim community.

Born in Addis Ababa, the daughter of a businessman,Ms. Tabotu was educated during the Hailie Selassie erain one of the capital’s premier private schools. She grad-uated from Hailie Selassie I University with a major inEnglish and taught for a year of national service in theeastern province of Harrar. Ms. Tabotu worked forRadio Ethiopia from 1970 to 1991. She resigned tobecome a freelance journalist. When her husband TafariWossen left his job in the embassy’s public affairs sec-tion a year later to found his own media consultancyfirm, Ms. Tabotu applied for his position and was hired.The couple has two children. Their son, Sawrawork, 27,lives and works in Addis Ababa and their daughter,Winta, 25, is a junior at the University of Maryland.

32 STATE MAGAZINE

“She has been the single most important reason that

our public diplomacy efforts have been successful.”

Tabotu Woldemichael

U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa

“My job,” says Edmond Hajrullaaga, Foreign ServiceNational Employee of the Year for the Bureau ofEuropean and Eurasian Affairs, “is to make things easi-er for others.” Guided by that credo, the financial assis-tant and skilled software designer at the U.S. Office inPristina designed a user-friendly computer applicationthat has found universal acceptance throughout theDepartment and saved financial managers worldwidecountless hours by producing faster, more accuratereports.

Though he had an advanced degree in computer soft-ware design, Mr. Hajrullaaga struggled to reconcile thepost’s financial accounts using electronic reports calledROLLS, sent from the Financial Service Center in Paris.It took weeks to produce the required reports and by thetime they were submitted, the tardy reports no longerreflected the true status of the post’s accounts.

Convinced that there must be a better way, he exam-ined the computer code behind ROLLS and discoveredthat all the information he needed to produce more effi-cient reports was in the 20-year-old system waiting to berevealed. So he designed a tool called ViewROLLS thatenabled financial managers to view in a matter of min-utes what had previously taken days or weeks to see.

Once he worked out the wrinkles, Mr. Hajrullaagabegan sharing the tool with other posts. He was anxiousto learn what other financial managers in the regionthought of his new tool. “This is great,” was the unani-mous response. Soon, ViewROLLS was accepted atevery one of the bureau’s nearly 40 posts.

But, at the same time, the Department’s global finan-cial management system was being consolidated.Financial services were phasing out in Paris and movingto Charleston, S.C., and Bangkok. Each of these centersused different software. Mr. Hajrullaaga’s useful toolappeared destined for the electronic dumpster.

Fortunately, in the spring of 2002, the Bureau ofAdministration’s Center for Administrative Innovationscheduled a Good Ideas Workshop in Hong Kong on thetopic of the electronic financial management center.The workshop organizers invited Mr. Hajrullaaga topresent ViewROLLS to the 25 workshop attendees. Afterreviewing copies of the files from the FSCs in Bangkokand Charleston, he discovered that with a little “tweak-ing” they, too, would work with ViewROLLS.

Followingthe HongKong work-shop, seniormanagers inthe Bureau ofR e s o u r c eManagementasked a teamof softwaredevelopers toincorporateViewROLLSinto the newDepartment-wide finan-cial reportings y s t e m ,resulting inhuge laborsavings andincreases in productivity, accuracy and timeliness.

Edmond Hajrullaaga has come a long way from theday in the early spring of 1999 when former PresidentMilosevic’s ethnic cleansing forcibly expelled him, hisphysician wife and their two young children from anapartment in their hometown of Pristina and shippedthem by freight car to the Macedonian border. In onefrightful moment shortly after their arrival at the col-lecting point, as they and thousands of other displacedand disoriented people were looking for someplace togo, their tiny family was separated. Fortunately,Edmond and his wife had agreed that if anything hap-pened they would meet at the home of a cousin inKumanovo, near the Macedonian capital of Skopje. Twodays later, the four were happily reunited.

The Hajrullaagas returned to Pristina in the summerof 1999, when hostilities ended. Edmond heard from acolleague working there that the U.S. Office in Pristinawas looking for an accountant with computer skills. Hehas been working there ever since and his wife has beenpracticing medicine in Pristina as well.

Mr. Hajrullaaga has contributed more thanViewROLLS to the U.S. Mission in the interveningyears. The nominating cable credits him with arrangingto replenish euros directly via electronic funds transfer,saving the office more than $10,000 monthly. It is justanother example of how this productive employee hasbeen making things easier for others, including the U.S.taxpayer.

33FEBRUARY 2004

“My job is to make things

easier for others.”

Edmond Hajrullaaga

Bureau of European & Eursian Affairs

“I love my job,” says Samir Jarandogha, the Bureau ofNear Eastern Affairs’ choice for FSN of the Year for2003, “because it’s not routine.”

The embassy in Amman admits in its nominatingcable, “Perhaps it simply took an extraordinary year forthe mission to fully appreciate the talent and dedica-tion” of this security investigator, who “...distinguishedhimself during this difficult period.”

The principal link between the embassy and theJordanian police, Mr. Jarandogha disseminated relevantand timely security information when a Jordanianpolice intervention resulted in hostilities in southernJordan. During the height of street unrest, Mr.

Jarandogha relocated his office to the police operationscenter so he could provide timely reports on thedemonstrations and the violence.

He was at the forefront of an embassy investigationthat caused two FSN employees to be fired for visamalfeasance.

When a group of West Bank Palestinians, traveling toJordan on a public diplomacy section program, arrivedat the Jordanian border unannounced, Mr. Jarandoghatook the after-hours call and “worked his magic” withborder security forces to gain entry for them withoutincident.

He made arrangements with Jordanian officials toensure that consular officers get quicker and more reg-ular access to incarcerated U.S. citizens. He intervenedwith immigration officials to legitimize a work permitfor an American family.

But Mr. Jarandogha’s most significant and tangiblecontribution was his tireless effort in the aftermath ofthe assassination of an embassy employee. Workingaround the clock, he mobilized Jordanian police to pro-vide 24-hour police protection at every embassy resi-dence. He advised the police in overcoming the logisti-cal and operational challenges of deploying more than250 police officers on this security detail. His immediateand effective response to these challenges was the singlemost important factor in reassuring the American com-munity that measures were being taken to ensure theirsafety. While the mission was ultimately approved forauthorized departure, not a single employee opted toparticipate, a powerful tribute to Mr. Jarandogha’s workas the architect of that security plan. He was also instru-mental in helping the Jordanian government search forthe assassins. Thirteen suspected Al Qaeda operativeshave been arrested.

Modest and respectful, he establishes comfortablerelations with people at all levels, from the royal house-hold to Bedouin desert police. “He is an easy person tolike,” the nominating cable says, “and ultimately a hardperson to say no to.”

Samir Jarandogha is a professional accountant whoworked for the American construction firm Bechtelafter completing his mandatory four years of militaryservice. He was a supervisor on the construction site ofthe King Khalid Airport in Riyadh when all non-Saudiworkers were released from the project. Samir returnedto Jordan and worked at a bank for a year.

A cousin, who was operations manager of the privatesecurity firm that handled the embassy guard force con-tract, told Samir there was an opening for a securityguard. He worked as a guard for six months and waspromoted to supervisor. He took another step up theladder six months later when he became the reception-ist in the embassy’s security section. Soon, the regionalsecurity officer asked Samir to be a backup bodyguardfor the ambassador and later the backup to the securityinvestigator. When the chief security investigatorresigned in 1996, Mr. Jarandogha stepped into the posi-tion and has held it ever since.

He and his wife Suad have five children, three girlsand two boys.

34 STATE MAGAZINE

“I love my job because

it’s not routine.”

Samir Jarandogha

Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Rachma A. Jaurinata, an administrative-politicalassistant at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, is the Bureau ofEast Asian and Pacific Affairs FSN of the Year for 2003.The nominating cable calls her the mission’s “eyes andears” in Sumatra, the second most populous island inIndonesia. For months, she single-handedly managed aportfolio that had belonged to the former U.S.Consulate General in Medan.

The ordered departure of October 2002 left theembassy with half its American employees, strainingresources and leaving Ms. Jaurinata more on her ownthan ever.

She is intimately familiar with the separatist move-ment in Aceh province that has long threatenedIndonesian unity. Her political reporting has con-tributed to many of Jakarta’s cables on the issue. Shearranged a number of visits to the province, includingtwo ambassadorial trips, and scheduled critical meet-ings in some of the region’s most remote areas. With lit-tle advance notice and no more guidance than, “Pleaseput together three days of appointments in Aceh,” sheplans sessions with key leaders.

A professional architect, Ms. Jaurinata skillfully over-saw five renovation projects worth more than $60,000and managed the renovation of the last remaining U.S.government-owned property in Medan.

So broad and deep are Ms. Jaurinata’s contacts with-in the Indonesian community that she is able to matchthe interests of the ambassador, embassy officers or vis-iting dignitaries with guests who can discuss key issuesin great depth. Almost on her own, she handled everyaspect of the visits of two congressional delegations.

In the consular sphere, the nominating cable says Ms.Jaurinata provides “compassionate, caring services toU.S. citizens and people of general interest to the gov-ernment, be they citizens or not.” Her expertise andcontacts were critical in the case of a high-profile arrestof an American citizen in Aceh province. “When thedetainee’s whereabouts were unknown for five days,Rachma put in 15-hour days working the phones totrack her down.” When the consul general needed tomeet the detainee and needed a doctor to assess hercondition, Ms. Jaurinata made all the arrangements forthe meeting and the medical examination.

The close professional relationship she has developedwith police officials has resulted in rapid responses byIndonesian police to increased threat levels and securityconcerns of the embassy. The police now alert theembassy in advance to demonstrations and, if necessary,provide protective details for visitors.

Ms. Jaurinata’s broad contacts within Acehnese socie-ty keep her well informed about human rights abusesand other significant events there, greatly extending theembassy’s reporting reach in this crucial region of thecountry.

Born and raised in Medan, Rachma Jaurinata spenther high school years in the Pittsburgh area, where herdoctor father and dentist mother were on academic fel-lowships. She speaks unaccented American English.After graduating, she won a scholarship to pursue a pre-medicine course in the United States but turned it downbecause, she says, “I hate needles.” She returned toIndonesia, earned a degree in architecture, met herfuture husband, fellow architect Julesta Putra, andjoined a state-owned construction firm. The Indonesianeconomy and government construction were booming.In 1998, Southeast Asia’s economic bubble burst andconstruction came to a near standstill. Laid off, Ms.Jaurinata became a freelance architect.

About a year later, she saw a newspaper advertisementfor a position at an unidentified embassy and appliedfor the job. She was hired by the U.S. Embassy a weekbefore her wedding in Medan and received a call fromlocal police the next day saying that a U.S. citizen haddied. Ms. Jaurinata spent the day after her wedding vis-iting the local morgue and arranging for the shipmentof the body back to the United States. It was on-the-jobtraining at its most intense, and Ms. Jaurinata definitelypassed the test. She, her husband and their two-year-olddaughter, Dasha, divide their time between Medan andJakarta.

“She is the eyes and ears of the

U.S. Mission in Sumatra.”

Rachma A. Jaurinata

U.S. Embassy in Jakarta

“If you’re not interested in a project,” says NaveedIqbal, 2003 FSN of the Year for the Bureau of WesternHemisphere Affairs, “don’t agree to take it on. But ifyou’re interested, give it 110 percent.”

Clearly, Mr. Iqbal, an information technology manag-er, has been interested in most of the projects he’sundertaken since he began working at the U.S. Embassyin Ottawa in 1997. The savvy computer expert has risento the post-9/11 challenge of balancing visa issuancewith national security by developing a visa fraud pre-vention database to help stop suspected terrorists andorganized criminals in their tracks.

The post’s nominating cable calls Mr. Iqbal’s Intranetapplication “a vital resource for protecting the 5,500-mile Canada-U.S. border.” The application gives themission’s eight consular offices the capability of sharingdetailed information on businesses and individuals sus-pected of engaging in visa fraud. It also detects visafraud trends, visa shopping, fraudulent businesses andimmigrant smuggling through a sophisticated databasethat incorporates photo capture and information searchtechnology.

The database has already yielded dividends, docu-menting and detecting many possible fraud cases. Mr.Iqbal’s database was used to identify the names of truck-ing companies suspected of having terrorist connec-tions. This information could be the critical element inthwarting the issuance of visas to terrorists and addedsignificant and unprecedented capabilities to the mis-sion in Canada’s homeland security efforts.

When Secretary Powell announced his ambitious goalto put the Internet on every desktop, the mission inOttawa turned to Mr. Iqbal to develop an implementa-tion strategy. As Mr. Iqbal discovered, the challenge oftransforming the concept into reality was daunting. Hemethodically documented more than 800 pages of tech-nical, operational and security standards. His work onthe sensitive but unclassified contingency plan, aDiplomatic Security-mandated document, now servesas the standard throughout Canada and has become aninvaluable tool for more than 63 posts worldwide. The

Bureau of Diplomatic Security was so impressed withMr. Iqbal’s work that it incorporated his contingencyplan as a sample into its information systems trainingcurriculum. He also developed other basic documentsessential to OpenNet Plus connectivity.

Another morale-boosting project Mr. Iqbal tackledwas improving the distribution of the mission’s weeklynewsletter. He streamlined distribution of the newslet-ter by creating an electronic PDF version that is distrib-uted to its 500 readers with a couple of computer clicks,eliminating the cumbersome and costly printing anddistribution of hard copies. Now, the CommunityLiaison Office in Ottawa can concentrate on thenewsletter’s content instead of its production and distri-bution.

Largely because of Mr. Iqbal’s expertise, the missionin Ottawa has become an important testing ground formany of the Department’s new information technologyinitiatives. Recognized for his technological contribu-tions beyond Canada’s borders, he routinely receivesrequests for assistance from other posts and praise fromusers of the Ottawa Intranet site.

Mr. Iqbal has the somewhat rare experience of havingworked as an FSN at two U.S. Embassies. After graduat-ing with a master’s degree in computer science, hebegan working in 1989 at the embassy in Islamabad. Heworked as a deputy operations manager there for eightyears and then, in 1997, applied for Canadian immigra-tion offered to computer scientists. “I haven’t lost a first-rate computer specialist,” the chief of the administrativesection in Islamabad said when he learned of Mr. Iqbal’sintention to leave. “I have lost my right arm.”

The mission in Pakistan’s loss became the mission inOttawa’s gain. The embassy in Ottawa learned of theavailability of the computer expert from Pakistanalready familiar with State Department procedures.Without any gap in his U.S. government service, Mr.Iqbal began work the next week in Ottawa.

Predictably, he and his family found Ottawa’s weatherthe most difficult adjustment. “It’s a beautiful city, not atall crowded and with almost no crime,” he says of hisnew hometown. “But that first winter was a tough one. Iwas expecting it to be cold, but not that cold.” Now thatthey’ve survived several winters, Mr. Iqbal and his wifeare Canadian citizens and so is their young son. ■

36 STATE MAGAZINE

“The mission in Pakistan’s loss became

the mission in Ottawa’s gain.”

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Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

37FEBRUARY 2004

Rightsizing.What those lunchtime wobblers need instead of those

fried chicken wings, you say.Maybe you’ve heard the term, particularly if you work

overseas. It’s a way to save money by sharing costs andrealistically gauging the resources and people needed torun a post.

The General Accounting Office defines rightsizing as“aligning the number and location of staff assignedoverseas with foreign policy priorities and security andother constraints.”

The mission is the first priority, noted Bill Duffy, amanagement analyst in the Office of Management,Policy and Planning. “If there’s no reason to be there, allthe security and costs don’t matter. It’s expensive to haveAmericans assigned overseas. Many agencies don’t haveany idea of what it takes.”

Until those agencies start paying for the security andservices once offered free by the post, that is. After that,the move is sometimes reconsidered, he said.

Rightsizing isn’t downsizing, as many employeesassume. It “may result in the addition or reduction ofstaff or a change in the mix of staff at a given embassy orconsulate,” according to the GAO. State and the Office ofManagement and Budget agree, Mr. Duffy said.

While rightsizing is being heavily promoted under thePresident’s Management Agenda, an overall strategy toimprove government efficiency, the concept isn’t new.Overseas staff was eliminated under President LyndonJohnson. Operation Reduction, under President RichardNixon, imposed a 10 percent cut. In 1974, Congress man-dated a 2 percent worldwide reduction. President JimmyCarter directed the 1980 Sahara exercise, a review of 12large missions. Another review under President Reaganresulted in a 4 percent overseas staff reduction.

But don’t look for a rightsizing formula. In early 2000,an interagency committee looked at embassies in Jordan,Thailand, Mexico, India, France and Georgia, trying tofind some common guidelines. They could not. Eachembassy has unique geopolitical issues preventing abroad-brush approach, according to State’s report toCongress this year.

“When the Soviet Union broke up, we had newembassies,” Mr. Duffy recalled.“There was a shift in posi-

tions, but not a lot of hiring.”Figures offered by the Office of Management, Policy

and Planning show the United States opened 50 newposts since 1990, but closed more than 40. And the num-ber of Americans working at embassies and consulatesremains at the 1990 level. What’s more, two-thirds of theAmericans staffing overseas missions are not StateDepartment employees. They’re from Defense,Agriculture, Health and Human Services and numerouslaw enforcement agencies.

So where does rightsizing begin?It starts with the mission performance plan where

each chief of mission evaluates the operation. Resourcesand funds must be justified by the mission’s role.

“It’s a decentralized process, where the chief of mis-sion makes the decisions,” Mr. Duffy said. “But don’tthink they can pad their reports. After the missionreviews the plan, it’s reviewed by the bureau and finallythe deputy secretary.”

Having regional centers, such as Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,Charleston, S.C., and Frankfurt, Germany, provides sup-port and personnel services and is another rightsizingtechnique. Plans call for expanding the regional centerswith an eye to transferring many tasks to the UnitedStates or to the larger centers. ■

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs officials discuss rightsizingissues. They are, from left, Carolyn Smith, Will Moser, Bill Duffy andJay Anania.

Getting It RightDEPARTMENT WORKING TO CUT OVERSEAS COSTS BY PAUL KOSCAK

38 STATE MAGAZINE

State Funds Creative ResearchWho could imagine the State Department heading a

research and development business? We’re not talkingabout think tanks contemplating esoteric theories or rar-ified hypotheses for the next century. Rather, we’re talk-ing about converting ideas into working products with-in months.

A handheld explosives finder, escape masks to wardoff a chemical or biological attack, a sniper detector anda cheap $5 credit-card-like tag that signals dirty bombradiation are just some of the gadgets and devices thegroup is rushing to the front in the war on terrorism.

Other innovations include carbon-fiber armor thatdeflects rifle bullets and a chemical agent to recover fin-gerprints. As for the masks, more than 25,000 have beenordered.

Shepherding this effort to harness the creative powerof universities, laboratories, corporations and small

businesses is a little-known government partnership—the Technical Support Working Group. The StateDepartment directs the group and the Department ofDefense supports it.

In 1986, a cabinet-level task force headed by then VicePresident George Bush charged the budding group withdeveloping “appropriate coordinated counterterrorismtechnological efforts.” But since the terrorist attacks ofSept. 11, 2001, the multiagency group has gone fromobscurity to overdrive. Members include theDepartments of Agriculture, Justice and Treasury alongwith the Transportation Security Administration andthe Public Health Service.

“Anywhere from 350 to 400 projects are going on atonce,” states Mike Jakub, the group’s director. “Thatincludes about 100 joint projects where we work withother nations.”

Peter Dees, left, and Mike Jakub from the Office of the Coordinator for Counterrorism inspect an electronic device that helps combat chemical andbiological agents. About 5,000 units have been sold to first-response teams nationwide.

Story and Photos by Paul Koscak

He characterizes the work as “rapid prototyping anddevelopment.” That means funding the most promisinginnovations, keeping tabs on their progress and then get-ting the new products into the marketplace or into thehands of those who need them most—soldiers, the intel-ligence community, security personnel, firefighters, lawenforcement officials and other first responders.

The group’s services are now in big demand. A decadeago, about $8 million was available to fund projects. Thisyear, depending on how much other agencies contributeand Congress appropriates, that figure could soar to$200 million.

In 2002, the White House directed the group to reviewmore than 200 ideas submitted to the Office ofHomeland Security. But that was small change com-pared to the 12,500 submissions it received that yearafter soliciting proposals through the Internet.Cooperative research and development agreements arealso in place with the United Kingdom, Canada andIsrael.

But the money just doesn’t flow, cautions Mr. Jakub.First, there must be a need. For example, law enforce-ment officials or military Special Forces could requestthat a particular tool or technology be developed to solvea problem or confront a new challenge in combating ter-rorism. Inventions must fulfill specific needs and cus-tomer requests to be eligible for funding, Mr. Jakubexplained.

“We have to have a requirement,” he said.“We don’t doscience for the sake of science. The last thing we want todevelop is a $600 hammer that no one can use even ifthey could afford to buy it.”

Getting an idea off the drawing board and into thefield is a methodical process that starts each January with“threat day,” whenthe entire groupmeets for briefin-gs from intelli-gence officials. Thenthe nine subgroups ofthe Technical Support WorkingGroup, each chaired by a federal agency represen-tative, meet to identify what inventions areneeded. The decisions are basedon feedback from their coun-terparts doing the day-to-daybusiness of battling terrorism.

For example, TSA managesthe explosives detection sub-group and the FBI and DoD

together managethe infrastructureprotection sub-group. The othersubgroups are:physical security;tactical opera-tions support;chemical, biologi-cal, radiologicaland nuclear coun-t e r m e a s u r e s ;physical security;improvised devicedefeat; personnelprotection; andsurveillance, col-lection and opera-tions support.

“This is whereyou’ll find theprogram man-agers and techni-cal experts that are available from the Department ofDefense,” Mr. Jakub explained.

The requirements are then published on the Internetand the subgroups evaluate the incoming proposals. Themost promising projects are recommended for funding.The finalists are then referred for approval to the group’sexecutive committee, which Mr. Jakub chairs. But there’sone more step before a contract is offered.

Ambassador Cofer Black, the Department’s coordina-tor for counterterrorism, and Tom O’Connell, assistantsecretary of Defense for Special Operations and LowIntensity Conflict, must approve the package of propos-

als, Mr. Jakub said.Many of the inventions promise to save

lives and give military and civilian forcesthroughout the world an edge in outsmart-ing the fanatics. But sometimes all thatthinking outside the box can go too far.

“Some people come up with novel butsometimes impractical ideas,” Mr. Jakub

said. “We had one proposal to cap-ture 500 grizzly bears, tag one earwith a GPS, the other with aMinicam and then parachutethem into Afghanistan so they’ll

go into the caves and locate theTaliban. We didn’t fund that one.” ■

Above: Ambassador Cofer Black studies thechemical-biological escape hood now beingstocked at U.S. Embassies in high-risk locations.Below: This remotely controlled robot, used bymilitary counterterror specialists in Iraq andelsewhere, disables bombs.

39FEBRUARY 2004

40 STATE MAGAZINE

Ties to ConsulateSpan Generations

The Sahakians tend to stay on the job—so far forthree generations.

In 1945, Lucy Sahakian started the family tradition bytaking a job in the payroll section of the U.S. Embassy inTehran, according to her daughter, Ophelia, a Canadianwho’s employed at the U.S. Embassy in Vancouver.

“My mother was a very ambitious young Armenianwoman who, after losing her father, was determined tohelp support her family,” she said.

Before joining the embassy, her mother worked at aTehran bank during the 1930s, when it was uncommonfor women to work outside the home. There she met herhusband, married and had four children, includingOphelia who was born in Iran.

“I recall my childhood as happy—filled with familyand friends—but being Christian in Iran meant we rarelyinteracted outside our tight Armenian community,” sherecalled. Cultural and religious differences isolated theircommunity and occasionally led to mistreatment.

She remembers when the U.S. government distrib-uted films on agriculture and health education.Ophelia’s father was showing one of these films out-doors when a group of men wearing white shirts andties appeared and started throwing rocks.

“The movie was being projected on a building andmy father had the projector in a van,” she said. “I wasvery young, maybe four years old.”

The audience, mostly Ophelia’s neighbors, startedrunning for their homes and Ophelia’s father packed upin a hurry and took cover.

When the family sought freedom in Armenia, Iranianofficials placed them on a waiting list. The family neverreached Armenia. While they languished on the list,

Ophelia moved to England to live with heraunt, then to Los Angeles to attend businessschool and finally to Canada. Her mothereventually moved to the United States.

Ophelia, who met her husband in Canada,started working in 1974 at the U.S. ConsulateGeneral in Vancouver as a summer employee.Today, she’s an administrative assistantprocuring documents, reviewing cases andprocessing fiancée visas.

“The happiness I see once the lovebirdsknow they can be together is very rewarding.”

Carrying on the legacy is Ophelia’s son,Alan, who joined the consulate in 1996. Heworks in the American Citizen Services unitas a passport and citizenship adjudicator.

“I think this is it,” he remarked about thejob. “I think I’m going to be here for a longtime.”Alan and his wife recently had a child. Maybe

yet another Sahakian generation is poised to make itsdiplomatic mark. ■

Paula Ferguson is a passport operations officer inWashington, D.C.

By Paula Ferguson

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Ophelia Sahakian, left, and her son Alan are second- and third-generation employees.

41FEBRUARY 2004

Ronald Weiser, U.S. Ambassador to the SlovakRepublic, has completed his quest to go where no diplo-mat had gone before: every one of Slovakia’s 138 cities.

Joined by Slovak President Rudolf Schuster, he visitedthe final city of Sastin-Straze, about 40 miles north ofBratislava, on Nov. 25. They met with the city’s mayor,other local officials, businessmen, educators and clergyand toured the famous Basilica of the Virgin Mary ofSeven Sorrows. Slovakia broadcast and print media cov-ered the visit.

The ambassador began his journey shortly after pre-senting his credentials to President Schuster inDecember 2001.

“When I first came here, I realized it was important tounderstand the problems and the opportunities of theentire country, not just Bratislava,” the ambassador tolda press conference in Sastin-Straze. At PresidentSchuster’s suggestion, he decided to achieve that bymaking official visits to all of the nation’s 138 cities. “It’sbeen a great honor and opportunity to hear firsthandfrom the mayors, citizens, corporate and religious lead-ers and many others in the communities what theirissues, problems and concerns are.”

There is an esti-mated $2.5 billionin U.S. capitalinvested or com-mitted to be invest-ed in Slovakia, theambassador noted.

To accommodate 138 cities, embassy staff devised acampaign-style approach with visits to several cities in aday. The focus of each visit was to meet the mayor andallow the mayor to expand the visit to include others. Inmany cases, this resulted in town hall meetings.

Many mayors observed that the ambassador was thehighest-level visitor they had ever received.

The embassy developed useful contacts for publicdiplomacy programs, such as nominees for theInternational Visitor program, potential DemocracyCommission grantees and possible participants in cul-tural programs. The visits also gave the ambassador theopportunity to talk about democracy-building, eco-nomic development, the importance of joining NATOand such policy issues as the war on terrorism.

At his press conference in Sastin-Straze, AmbassadorWeiser thanked President Schuster for his steadfast sup-port of the United States, for Slovakia’s support in thewar on terrorism and for their commitment of troops toAfghanistan and Iraq. ■

Ms. Zigli and Mr. Orr are the current and previous pub-lic affairs officers in Bratislava.

Taking Public Diplomacyon the Road BY BARBARA ZIGLI

AND GREGORY ORR

Ambassador Ronald Weiser, center-left, meets with residents of Sastin-Straze on the final stop of his visit to 138 Slovak cities. Also greeting the students is Slovak President Rudolf Schuster.

CAIRO

42 STATE MAGAZINE

By Philip Frayne

More than 90 junior Foreign Service officers fromCasablanca to Colombo met in Cairo to share experi-ences and discuss their futures at the third annualJunior Officers Conference. Career management,assignments, training, bidding and supervision wereamong the topics discussed at the three-day event.

Several senior officers mentored the newcomers withtheir own career perspectives and Robert Pearson, the

new director general, shared his plan for developing andretaining junior officers. Secretary of State Colin Powelleven offered his insights by teleconference.

David Welch, the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, ran asession on perhaps the hottest topic in the ForeignService: public diplomacy. Mr. Welch, a 25-year veteranpolitical officer, urged the junior officers to make publicdiplomacy part of their jobs, no matter what their spe-cialty. That’s especially important in a region hostile toU.S. foreign policy, such as Egypt. Good public diplo-

Conference in EgyptFocuses on CareersPH

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Tiffany Murphey, left, Michael Kidwell and David Galbraith are consular officers in Cairo. Ms. Murphey is now on temporary duty in Iraq.

macy, he said, means meeting many people, buildingbridges of goodwill and advocating U.S. policies.

“A lot has changed in the 21 years since I was in yourshoes,” said William Burns, assistant secretary for NearEastern Affairs, who spoke by teleconference. “There’smuch greater emphasis on advocacy, on public diplo-macy skills, on defining foreign policy and security inthe broadest possibleterms.”

Secretary Powell, intypical fashion, tooktime away from lobby-ing foreign ministers tosupport a SecurityCouncil resolution onIraq, to join Mr. Burns.

“You’re living and working in an area where there areenormous challenges and dangers, but also an area ofenormous opportunity,” he said. “You’re at the point ofour spear in terms of our policy. I know who gets thejob done. I know who the most important people in theDepartment are, and they are those folks we’ve recentlybrought in and asked to serve their nation. If you doyour job well, ultimately I’ll be able to do my job well.”

The Secretary’s recruiting initiative has brought inmore than 1,000 Foreign Service officers sinceSeptember 2001.

The conference wasn’t all work. There was an eveningcruise on the Nile, a special visit to the pyramids, light-ed just for the occasion, and lots of Cairo nightlife.

Participants offered their views, too.“There’s been a real shift in thinking about training,

about mentoring and about how to manage JOs,” saidJoseph Mellott, an economics junior officer in Dhaka.“Management is looking towards a new corps of FSOsthat is adaptable, can be quickly deployed and can solveproblems quickly.”

Sarah Spodek, ajunior consularofficer inDamascus, enjoyedthe emphasis onm a n a g e m e n t .“The session onmanaging—man-aging localemployees, manag-ing up—was veryuseful because ithad new officers,veteran officersand local employ-ees.”

Dutch Martin, asecond tour gener-

al services officer in Rabat, spoke for many in evaluatingthe event. “This conference reassured me about mydecision to join the Foreign Service. I feel reinvigorat-ed. I feel my decision to become a Foreign Service offi-cer was definitely a positive one.”

“Our JOs these days are impressive,” commentedJanet Bogue, who directs the entry-level division in theBureau of Human Resources. “They bring huge skills, alot of overseas experience and a lot of language skillswhen they come in. They have a lot of energy and a hugespirit of service.” ■

Philip Frayne is an information officer and spokesman atthe U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

43FEBRUARY 2004

The new meets the ancient: NEA junior officers visit the Pyramids during the October 2003 conference.

“Our JOs these days are IMPRESSIVE.They bring huge SKILLS, a lot of overseasEXPERIENCE and a lot of language skillswhen they come in. They have a lot ofENERGY and a huge SPIRIT of service.”

[ ]

M E D I C A L R E P O R T

“I’ve been 30 pounds overweight for years. I can’t getmy blood pressure under control and my cholesterol isdouble the price of gasoline. Will I get a clearance to gooverseas?”

The answer is, “Probably.”A better question might be,“Am I at increased risk for

a stroke or heart attack?” The answer is, “Definitely, andyou can take action today to decrease your risk of hav-ing one of these events.”

The Office of Medical Services is addressing thesehealth promotion needs of the Department’s overseasemployees and eligible family members through severalinitiatives that began in September 2003. One is a proj-ect with the Washington Exam Clinic that identifies peo-ple with hypertension or hyperlipidemia (high choles-terol) during the clearance process. On completion oftheir clearance exam, those who are going overseas andhave these conditions are referred to a Foreign Servicehealth practitioner in Med Services who discusses man-agement strategies for their particular condition.

The session lasts 30 to 45 minutes and focuses on theindividual’s daily dietary habits, exercise, additional riskfactors and motivation to decrease risk of cardiovascu-lar disease. The purpose of the session is for each per-

son to consider doable behavior changesand come up with a plan to ulti-

mately reduce the risk factors.The health practition-

er’s role is to identi-fy those at risk,

educate thema b o u t

healthyeating

and exercise habits and help motivate them to change.The individuals have the responsibility for implement-ing their plans as they apply to their own circumstances.To decrease saturated fat intake, for example, peoplemight plan to cook with olive oil, switch to skim milkand, if they never met a pastry they didn’t like, stopbringing them home.

Another important element of this project is to edu-cate individuals on the latest guidelines regarding nor-mal parameters for cardiovascular risk. For years, clini-cians advised patients with blood pressures of 140/90that they were normal. Now, those patients are shockedwhen they hear the standards for normal have changed.It is distressing when they learn that they’ll require life-long medication to control their blood pressure. Theacceptable upper limit for high cholesterol has alsochanged. It wasn’t long ago that a total cholesterol read-ing under 240 was considered normal.

That’s too high by today’s standard, which caps thenormal at 200. We’re also focused on individual com-ponents of cholesterol, such as the low-density lipopro-teins (also known as bad cholesterol) and the high-den-sity lipoproteins (good cholesterol) as well as the ratioof total to good cholesterol. These components areimportant because they give a more complete picture ofthe cardiovascular risk than total cholesterol alone.

Hyperlipidemia often becomes a problem in over-weight and obese patients, so remodeling the diet toinclude less saturated fat and fewer carbohydrates andcalories is a priority. Still, some patients will requiremedication to reduce their cholesterol. The long-termgoal of this project is to motivate people to changebehavior and improve health outcomes. The short-term goal is to enable everyone to follow up byimproving their hypertension or hyperlipidemia whileoverseas.

Historically, many people did not realize that overseashealth unit staff are available and eager to providehealth promotion guidance. As a result, they often faceddeteriorating health problems when they returned fortheir next clearance exam. The project’s ForeignService health practitioner jump-starts the follow-up

The Weighting Game“MY CLOTHES DON’T FIT AND BY THE WAY DOES THAT AFFECT

MY MEDICAL CLEARANCE?” BY BARBARA MAHONEY

AGE 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-70+

GENDER Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female

# OF PARTICIPANTS 685 751 1,470 1,488 1,474 1,319 1,330 1,157 434 273

OVERWEIGHT 38% 20% 49% 22% 50% 26% 46% 27% 50% 30%

OBESE 14% 10% 20% 14% 23% 19% 28% 25% 25% 24%

ABOVE IDEAL 52% 30% 69% 36% 73% 45% 74% 52% 75% 5 4 %WEIGHT

45FEBRUARY 2004

M E D I C A L R E P O R T

process by informing the embassy health unit that anindividual with a particular health problem has beenadvised to obtain follow-up care at post. They are giventhe lab results, some details about the person’s medicalcondition and what follow-up action was discussed atthe counseling session.

Periodically, the health practitioner in Washingtonwill contact the health unit staff to find out how the indi-vidual is managing the problem. The goal is to preventthese cardiovascular disease risk factors from gettingworse, specifically hypertension and high cholesterol. Ingeneral, those who have been diagnosed with these con-ditions require follow-up care and sometimes medica-tion. Although many people have a health care providerin the United States, long-distance follow-up is difficultand continuity of care often fails. This project givespatients a way to avoid falling through the cracks.

Professionals in mission health units abroad providea variety of services, including acute care, clearanceexams, health screenings, education and immuniza-tions. In addition to these more obvious services, they

are prepared to help patients manage a variety of chron-ic medical conditions. Blood pressure can be checkedat any health unit. Necessary lab tests are availablelocally or in the health unit. The regional medical offi-cer or health practitioner makes regular visits to poststhat have no health unit and counsels and advisespatients with chronic health problems.

The office’s responsibility for health promotion hasbecome an important priority as the parameters formeasuring good health have changed. In addition tohandling the traditional activities of conducting physi-cal exams, authorizing medical evacuations and grant-ing clearances, health promotion has becomeparamount to supporting diplomatic readiness.

For a health promotion program to work, individualsmust see the benefits of improving their health byactively making sustainable lifestyle changes that gobeyond the clearance exam. ■

The author is a Foreign Service nurse practitioner in theOffice of Medical Services in Washington, D.C.

How do we compare? According to the 1999 to 2000 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, the National Center for Health Statistics and the National Health and Nutrition ExaminationSurvey, 64 percent of the U.S. population between the ages of 20 and 74 is overweight or obese. The per-centage of the same group in the Foreign Service is 56 percent. While the U.S. average exceeds that of theForeign Service population, the U.S. statistics include a broader range of socioeconomic groups. For someage and gender groups in the Foreign Service—males ages 30 to 70, for example—the prevalence of over-weight and obesity equals the high prevalence in the general population. The female population in theForeign Service, on the other hand, is decidedly thinner than the U.S. population at large, with 15 to 20 per-cent less prevalence of overweight and obesity in each of the age groups.

Of the 10,000 electronic medical records registered in the Office of Medical Services, the table below illus-trates the percentages of males and females who fall into the overweight or obese categories. Adding thesegives the percentage of those who are above their ideal weight. The World Health Organization defines over-weight in adults as a body mass index of 25.0 to 29.9 and obesity as a body mass index greater than 30. Theformula is body mass index = weight in kilograms/height in meters x 2.

Feel Like Nothing Fits Anymore? There’s a Reason.

46 STATE MAGAZINE

Bob Smith and his wife Barbarachecked out several communities in theSouth before discovering Eufaula, Ala.After several days in the picturesque town,they ended their search and put downroots.

It was just the type of community theformer U.S. Information Agency employ-ee, who spent most of his career in theVoice of America studios in Washington,D.C., and his wife wanted: mild winters, apopulation under 15,000 and a place theycould be active in civic, church and com-munity activities.

The retired broadcast engineer helpedrebuild the local radio station that hadburned down and stayed on as its newsdirector. He also served as interim tourismdirector for the chamber of commerce andwrote historical vignettes and informationspots that air on the local radio station. Henow serves as public information officerfor the VFW post and emergency manage-ment office and anchors the mayor’s newsconferences. Barbara, meanwhile, volun-teers in the local literacy program, com-puterizes book data at the local library andteaches an adult Bible class.

When they’re not busy volunteering,they are enjoying historic Eufaula, whichsits on a bluff overlooking theChattahoochee River, separating Alabama and Georgia.Tourists flock to the area during the spring to see theazaleas and dogwoods in full bloom and to tour the his-toric homes and churches. There’s also Lake Eufaula,which attracts boating, camping and fishing enthusiasts.

The city is currently sponsoring the 2020 program,offering its many volunteers an opportunity to deter-mine what the city will look like in the year 2020.

For now, living is easy, taxes are low and housingaffordable, according to the Smiths, who live in “an old

fish camp” overlooking the lake. What’s more, you don’thave to own a boat to fish. There’s a public fishing pierspecifically for retirees and others who don’t own boats.

The Smiths have three married daughters living in theWashington, D.C. , area. ■

Editor’s note: Our Town is an occasional feature aboutretirees and their choice of retirement spots. If you’d liketo contribute, please write or e-mail the editor at good-mancw@state.gov.

‘Sweet Home Alabama’

O U R T O W N

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47FEBRUARY 2004

P E O P L E L I K E Y O U

By George, It’s Don!

George Washington just couldn’t be missed.There he was, resplendent in his general’s uni-

form: the flowing white hair, the chiseled face,the pursed lips, the contemplative gaze. TheFather of Our Country was reenacting a summitwith Bernardo de Galvez, the provincial gover-nor of Louisiana, to promote a movie portrayinghow the Spanish helped the colonists win theirindependence.

It’s the kind of event Donald De Haven thriveson. Since retiring in 1996 after 40 years with theState Department, the former deputy executivedirector for the United States Commission forthe Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroaddevotes himself to the gospel of George. He’sparticularly enthusiastic about offering newinsights into Washington’s legacy, and the moviepromotion at the Institute of Mexico inWashington was typical.

“Spain declared war against the British in June1779,” said Mr. De Haven. “That’s whenBernardo de Galvez mounted a series of success-ful campaigns against the British in the lowerMississippi region and along the Gulf coast.”

The Spanish campaigns siphoned highlyneeded British forces away from the colonialarmy, giving Gen. Washington the edge atYorktown and America its independence. Themovie Timeless, expected to be released next year,weaves a story around the events and brieflyshows the two commanders together.

Dedicated by King Juan Carlos, De Galvez’sstatue is located just north of the D Streetentrance of the Harry S Truman building. Spaingave America the gift to commemorate thenation’s bicentennial.

“I try to educate people, particularly youngpeople, about George Washington,” Mr. DeHaven said. “Sometimes that’s difficult becauseWashington had a reserved personality.”

He ventures further than most reenactors bydelving deeply into the former President’s jour-nals and other original writings to capture hisdemeanor and personality. He becomes a histor-

ical interpreter, switching in andout of character as needed.

“Washington wasn’t much ofa public speaker, but he was aprolific writer,” Mr. De Havenexplained. “His writings aren’teasy to read, but they’re worththe effort. Washington was self-educated and well read.”

President Washington’s 1796farewell address is a good exam-ple of a speech crafted to beread, not delivered. “It was neverspoken.”

Much of President Washing-ton’s politics, Mr. De Haven said,are at odds with today’s cam-paigns. “Washington was againstparty politics and parties,” hesaid. “He favored the diplomacyof neutrality and felt when younegotiate you don’t give to one country what youwithhold from another. One country will takeyou for granted, the other one will resent it.”

During his long Civil Service career, theWinchester, Va., resident advanced from file clerkto management, holding positions in personnel,operations and at the Foreign Service Institute.

Mr. De Haven’s George Washington personacame about by accident. A former Alexandriaresident, he participated in the annual BirthNight Festival, a tradition since 1792 at Gadsby’sTavern, where Gen. Washington was among thetavern’s guests. “Washington was an accom-plished dancer,” he said.

“The couple running the Birth Night ball triedto improve it by asking participants to take onthe roles of those who would have been there[during colonial times],” explained Mr. DeHaven, who at 6 feet 2 inches is the same heightas President Washington. “When the person whoplayed Washington moved from the area, I askedwho would take over. A surprised friend replied,‘Look in the mirror!’” ■

BRINGING A FOUNDING FATHER TO LIFE BY PAUL KOSCAK

Donald De Haven as George Washington.

48 STATE MAGAZINE

Bruce, Joyce L.Buchanan, BonnieBurrell, Kay AreyDe Las Casas, AlvaroDoolan, Kenneth F.Dowd, Delores D.Fishenden, James A.Fitz, Richard B.Galla, Joseph W.

Gallant, Charlotte H.Hansen, Robert WilliamJackson, Barbara BoydJefferson, ThomasProvyn, Frank R.Richardson, MadeleineRobinson, Harlan D.Rowe, Joann M.Ziegler, Diana

Casey-De Corcuera,Maureen

Clark, Sherryl AnnCrumpton, Sandra A.Dewindt Jr, Victor G.Elliott, Deborah LeslieErickson, Linda L.Espejo, Dante U.Farr, Thomas FranklinFurgal, Mary JoGarcia, Carol S.

Harding, JamieHuddle Jr., FranklinJeter, Howard FranklinKrieger, Nanette A.Matthews, Carl S.Miles, James W.Neitzke, Jean ChristoffPatrick, Sue FordPayne, Suzanne P.Pease, Charles R.Polasky, Frederick

Ramirez, Sonia D.Rebarick, Thomas A.Ryan, Douglas P.Salvaterra, Arthur F.Sigmund, Anne M.Smith, Leroy OthelloSmith, Mary ElizabethVerble, Joseph L.Weissman, PhilipWilliamson, James H.Zuccarini, Joseph T.

FOREIGN SERVICE RETIREMENTS CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENTS

PERSONNEL ACTIONS

O B I T U A R I E S

Charles D. Gallagher, 72, a retiredForeign Service officer, died Oct.20, 2003, of a heart attack at hishome in Gainesville, Va. His firstposting with the U.S.Information Agency was Manila.In October 1975, while serving asdirector of the Regional ServiceCenter in Beirut, he and his

deputy director were kidnapped and held untilFebruary 1976. After his release, he returned toWashington, D.C., where he remained until his retire-ment in 1981.

Norris Eugene Hammond, 82, a retired State Departmentemployee, died Oct. 24, 2003, in Venice, Fla. He was acommunications specialist with the Department for 20years. Prior to that, he served in the Navy.

Patricia E. Loh, information systems officer with theState Department, died tragically Dec. 6 near Lima whena public bus struck the car she and husband were ridingin. He was seriously injured but survived the accident.Ms. Loh joined the Department in 2001 and had servedin Kuala Lumpur prior to her Peru assignment.

Louise C. Pope, 72, a retired CivilService employee, died July 12,2003, in Florence, S.C., of a heartattack from complications due topulmonary fibrosis. She spentmost of her life in Washington,D.C., employed by the federalgovernment. She worked for thePeace Corps in its early days

before joining the State Department. Her last assign-ment was managing finance and accounting for the

Bureau of African Affairs. Known for mentoring youngemployees and her commitment to church and civicorganizations, she retired in 1992.

David M. Ransom, 65, a retiredForeign Service officer, died Dec.4 in New York City following aheart attack. He joined theForeign Service in 1965 and wasposted to Tehran, Beirut, Jeddah,Sanaa, Abu Dhabi, Damascusand Manama, where he served asambassador to the Persian Gulf

island state of Bahrain prior to retiring. In Washington,D.C., he served on the staff of the National SecurityCouncil and at the Defense Department. He served inthe Marine Corps before joining the Foreign Service.Ambassador Ransom and his wife Marjorie MarilleyRansom, also a retired Foreign Service officer, were oneof the Department’s pioneering tandem couples.

Paul R. Sweet, 96, a retired histo-rian at the State Department,died Nov. 5 in Philadelphia. Hejoined the Department afterWorld War II as editor-in-chiefof war documents capturedfrom the German ForeignOffice. He later served as aForeign Service officer in Bonn

and as consul general in Stuttgart. He retired in 1967.Fluent in German, he volunteered as an intelligenceofficer with the Office of Strategic Services, followingtroops on D-Day and working behind the front lines.During the Battle of the Bulge, he was cut off fromfriendly forces. He received the Medal of Freedom, thehighest civilian award for wartime service.

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