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34
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE March 2002 State State Magazine The Chicago Passport Agency In the Loop

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The March 2002 issue of State Magazine, published by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC, features a report on remembering September 11; the Chicago Passport Agency as our Office of the Month; and Chad as our Post of the Month!

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: State Magazine, March 2002

U N I T E D S T A T E S D E P A R T M E N T O F S T A T E

March 2002

StateStateM a g a z i n e

The ChicagoPassport Agency

In the Loop

Page 2: State Magazine, March 2002

7 Post of the Month: ChadOil brings hope for a new millennium.

12 Office of the Month: Chicago Passport AgencyThe agency is now definitely “in the loop.”

16 Remembering Sept. 11For one retiree, it was déjà vu.

18 FSNs Train at FSIEmployees gain a sense of belonging.

20 Department Observes King’s BirthdaySpecial guest Danny Glover inspires audience.

22 The Taj Mahal Up CloseCivil Service employee describes hard-to-fill job in India.

24 U.S. Firms RecognizedOverseas operations serve as models for others.

25 Assisting Deaf Children in BangladeshA modest grant pays big dividends.

StateContents

D e p a r t m e n t o f S t a t e • U n i t e d S t a t e s o f A m e r i c a

StateMagazine

March 2002No. 455

C O L U M N S

2 From the Secretary

6 Direct from the D.G.

D E P A R T M E N T S

3 Letters to the Editor

4 In the News

26 Safety

27 People Like You

28 State of the Arts

29 Obituaries

30 Appointments

32 Personnel Actions

On the CoverThe Chicago Passport Agencysettles into new quarters in theWindy City.

Photo by Peter Griffith/Masterfile

16

7

A vegetable vendor in Chad’scaptial greets a potential customer with a smile.

A Department retiree recallstense moments on CapitolHill on Sept. 11.

Photo by Hala Laas

Phot

o by

Dou

g M

ills/

AP P

hoto

Page 3: State Magazine, March 2002

FROM THE SECRETARYSECRETARY COLIN L. POWELL

RebuildingAfghanistan

Since the tragic events of Sept. 11, President Bush’stop priority, and our top priority at the StateDepartment, has been the war against terrorism.You have performed magnificently in this global

campaign, and I know you will continue to do so.The initial focus of our campaign has been Afghanistan,

a country hijacked by the Taliban and al-Qaida for theirterrorist ends. The brave men and women of the UnitedStates and coalition military forces, with our full support,have helped the Afghans escape the yoke of the Talibanregime. We have destroyed the al-Qaida terrorist infra-structure in Afghanistan and an international securityforce is on the scene. The al-Qaida and Taliban leaders arenow captured, killed or on the run.

Now that the military campaign has borne fruit, and aninterim authority is in place under Chairman HamidKarzai, it is time to turn toward winning the peace andhelping the Afghan people rebuild their country.

I visited Kabul last month, where I had the privilege ofreopening our embassy, meeting Ambassador Crocker’steam and thanking our Foreign Service National colleaguesthere for their incredible loyalty and devotion to serviceduring the nearly 13 years that the embassy was empty.

Although my visit to Afghanistan was brief, the impactwas vivid. I was struck by the immensity of the devasta-tion wrought by over two decades of war and five yearsof Taliban misrule. At the same time, I couldn’t helpbeing impressed by the sights of a city returning to life.Once deserted market places are bustling. Music fills theair. Women are in the streets. Children are flying kites.

Most of all, I was impressed by the eagerness of theAfghan people to make up for lost time. They are deter-mined not to lose another generation to war, exile and misery.

But this burgeoning hope for a better future would wither without generous international assistance to helpAfghans rebuild their country. The task ahead is immense.We must help the Afghans revitalize their once vibrantagricultural economy, which has been stunted by drought,destroyed by war, or deliberately laid waste by the Taliban.

2 State Magazine

We must ensure they have alternatives to growing theopium poppies that provide the raw material for narcoticsthat poison European and American markets.

We must help the Afghans repair roads and bridges andreconnect all the parts of their sundered country. We mustbring books to a generation of Afghan children—the hopeof Afghanistan—which has known only the gun.

A crucial task in rebuilding the health and educationsectors is providing rehabilitation and vocational trainingfor a million disabled Afghans, an appalling number ofthem victims of land mines. There must be vastly expand-ed efforts to clear this terrible legacy of Afghanistan’swars that daily takes a fresh toll of the innocent.

We have taken the first steps toward giving the Afghansthe means to rebuild their country. Last month, I was inTokyo to join the European Union, Saudi Arabia andJapan in co-chairing the International Conference forReconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan. There, repre-sentatives from some 60 nations, along with experts fromthe multilateral development banks and relevant UnitedNations institutions, promised support for meeting thecritical needs of the Afghan people.

The Tokyo conference pledged real resources, not mere-ly good intentions. On behalf of the United States, Iannounced a contribution of $296 million in this fiscalyear, part of total pledges of $4.5 billion made by the par-ticipants, including $1.8 billion for the first year. Ofcourse, these sums are just a down payment on what nec-essarily is a long-term effort that will require a decade ormore and billions of dollars.

In Afghanistan today, hope competes with destructionand the legacy of war. Everything is broken. Everythingneeds to be fixed. But we will not turn our backs on thedaunting tasks of reconstruction that lie ahead. The priceof old failures has already been paid by too many.

All of you on the State Department team will be calledupon to continue your sterling performance as the recon-struction of Afghanistan proceeds, as the war against terror-ism continues, and as we continue to conduct the foreignpolicy of the American people. I know I can count on you. ■

Page 4: State Magazine, March 2002

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The

Disbursing, Not‘Dispersing’

Your January issuebrought the goodnews of the substan-tial increase inState’s budget. Iwas distressed,however, to readin the PeopleLike You sec-

tion that a finan-cial assistant can be seen

at the cashier’s window “dis-persing” money to employees.

The idea of scattering State funds,instead of applying them to well-conceived programs, is hardly whatthe Congress intended.

James R. WachobForeign Service Officer (ret.)

Remembering Max Robinson

I am seeking your readers’ helpfor a dear friend and colleague, MaxRobinson, and his family.

Many will remember Max fromhis service in various consular posi-tions, as deputy chief of mission inHelsinki and as deputy executive

Visit Us on the Webwww.state.gov/m/dghr/statemag

residence, graced

the cover

of

November’s State

Magazine. He

enjoys black-and-

white creations

best, calling them

“simpler and more

i n t e r e s t i n g

to look at.” He

also enjoys foreign

cartoons.

Volume isn’t

one of his artistic

goals. Mr. Soma

said he usually

completes just a

handful of sketch-

es per year, mostly

“by request or

inspiration.” January 200227

People Like Y

ou

People Like Y

ou

Give Paul Soma some

paper and a pen

and you might get a

masterpiece.

A financial assistant who’s

usually seen at the cashier’s

office of the travel service

center dispersing money to

employees, Mr. Soma has

been with the Department

since 1988. His flare for

sketching began in high

school, where he did some

cartooning, and continued

on during college at James

Madison University, where

Mr. Soma took a few art

courses but ended up major-

ing in finance. Mr. Soma has

a penchant for sketching homes and people. A recent photo-

like sketch of the Blair House, the President’s official guest

Financier prefers putting pen

to paper in other ways

Farm House

The Statue

Paul Soma serves a

customer at the

travel service center

in the Harry S

Truman Building.

Photo by Paul Koscak

secretary. His stellar record wasinterrupted when he was diagnosedwith a degenerative brain diseasethat forced him to retire in 1998.

Since then his condition has wors-ened and his ability to communicateand interact with others is extremelylimited. His wife Anne seeks stories,anecdotes and reminiscences aboutMax and his career that she canshare with their young children. Shewould welcome personal or profes-sional events, recent or long ago,serious or humorous, accomplish-ments or mishaps so that their chil-dren, aged 5, can know their fatheras he was when he was well.

Letters may be sent to Mrs. AnneRobinson, 18519 W. Lakeview Lane,Mount Vernon, WA 98274, [email protected].

Mary A. RyanAssistant SecretaryBureau of Consular Affairs

Letters to the EditorLetters should not exceed 250 words andshould include the writer’s name, addressand daytime phone number. Letters will beedited for length and clarity. Only signed letters will be considered. Names may bewithheld upon request. You can reach us at [email protected].

CorrectionsIn January’s feature on

Guadalajara, the captions with thephotos of Foreign Service Nationalemployees Yolanda Macias andGraciela Manzanares were reversed.

In our December issue, in a photowith the story about the new consulartelephone answering service inWarsaw, we incorrectly identifiedJohn L. Hopkins, an information man-agement specialist, as AmbassadorChristopher Hill.

From the EditorThe Chicago Passport Agency is now “in the Loop” in more ways than

one. In addition to moving into much needed new space, the agency—ourOffice of the Month—also has gone digital. The paste pot and glue days arehistory. They have been replaced with “PhotoDig,” a highly secureupgrade introduced in 1998 that permits the agency to monitor, track andrecord all activities associated with issuing a U.S. passport—long recog-nized and respected as an international travel document.

The future of Chad, our Post of the Month, is looking brighter as a hugeoil project is due to come onstream in late 2003. The advent of the oil proj-ect and the influx of U.S. citizens are adding to the mission’s agenda in thispoor, landlocked country of 8 million people with 200 distinct ethnicgroups speaking 128 languages.

You don’t have to join the Navy or Foreign Service, for that matter, to seethe world. Instead, try a hard-to-fill job as a Civil Service employee in a dis-tant land—like India. That’s what one employee did, and she shares withus in this issue her experience working in the busy consular section of theU.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

We are still remembering Sept. 11. We would have run the recollection inthis issue sooner had it not taken a detour through Lima, Ohio, where theU.S. Postal Service continues to treat for anthrax mail bound for federalagencies in the Washington, D.C., area. The package, postmarked Nov. 13,arrived yellow and crisp on Jan. 30. We are happy to share it now.

March 2002 3

Page 5: State Magazine, March 2002

I N T H E N E W S

Foreign Affairs Day Set for May 10Foreign Affairs Day will be held at the

State Department on May 10, according toBureau of Human Resources officials coordi-nating the event.

All State Department retirees, Civil Serviceand Foreign Service, are invited. Invitationshave been mailed to those invited last year aswell as all employees who have retired sinceApril 2000.

The Secretary is looking forward to greet-ing attendees, officials said.

For more information about ForeignAffairs Day, please contact the Special EventsCoordination Office at (202) 663-3600 or bye-mail at [email protected].

New Bureau AnnouncedA new bureau of Resource Management has been established at the Department of State to assist foreign affairs

agency heads with developing policies, plans and programs to achieve foreign policy goals.Christopher B. Burnham, assistant secretary for Resource Management and chief financial officer, will head the bureau.

In this role, he will also coordinate resource requirements so that the Secretary of State can submit integrated internationalaffairs resource requirements to the Office of Management and Budget and the Congress.

Resource Management includes the Offices of Strategic and Program Planning; State Programs, Operations andBudget; Financial Services and Deputy CFO; and Foreign Assistance Programs and Budget.

CFC Enters Home StretchAt press time, the Depart-

ment’s 2001 Combined FederalCampaign was winding down—with 90 percent of the dollar goalpledged.

The campaign has raisedmore than $1.6 million of thedollar goal of $1.8 million,according to CFC coordinatorsin the Office of Employee

Relations in the Bureau of Human Resources. Pledges and contributions came from approximately

4,000 active duty and retired employees for a participa-tion rate of about 28 percent. Historically, the rate is about30 percent.

The coordinators reported that 16 bureaus reached orexceeded their goals, and an awards ceremony has beenscheduled for March.

4 State Magazine

Team Seeks Informationon Hanssen

An intelligence community team has begun assess-ing the damage to U.S. national security caused bythe espionage of FBI Special Agent Robert PhillipHanssen.

The damage assessment team needs to establish thedetails of Mr. Hanssen’s access to classified informationbut would also be interested in information on the fullrange of his official and unofficial activities, includinghis computer skills, relationships with others and poten-tial motivation.

Anyone who remembers contact with Mr.Hanssen—and has not already reported that informa-tion to the FBI—please call toll free 1-866-819-5319.The team will arrange personal interviews to handleclassified information.

Page 6: State Magazine, March 2002

I N T H E N E W S

PJRss

resident Bush has nominated three senior Foreign Service officers for the rank of Career Ambassador. They are, from left,effrey Davidow, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico; Ruth A. Davis, director general of the Foreign Service and director of Humanesources; and, far right, George E. Moose, senior fellow for international affairs at Howard University. The nominations areubject to Senate confirmation. With the nominees are Secretary Colin L. Powell and Ambassador Mary A. Ryan, assistantecretary for Consular Affairs and the only serving Career Ambassador.

Computers Get Free Flu Shots The State Department’s anti-virus team can’t

help you with the flu that’s invaded theWashington, D.C., area lately. But they can helpyou protect the Department’s automated informa-tion infrastructure from home.

Like a high-tech CDC battling an epidemic, theDepartment’s anti-virus SWAT team launchedseveral software giveaways in January through-out the Washington area.

The Bureau of Information Resource Manage-ment’s Systems Integrity Division has distributedmore than 2,400 anti-virus software CDs toemployees who eagerly lined up not only for theCDs but for a variety of other freebies—from cal-endars and candy to flags and pens.

When the goodies were gone, the still waitingunlucky employees were instructed to send theirnames and interoffice addresses to the team’s e-mail account ([email protected]) so that the soft-ware can be sent on a first-come, first-served basis.

Distribution sites included the Harry S Truman Building, Foreign Service Institute, Warrenton Training Center, SA-44 and Defense Telecommunications Service Program Office.

Employees takeanti-virus software.

Phot

o by

Ann

Tho

mas

March 2002 5

Page 7: State Magazine, March 2002

DIRECT FROM THE D.G.AMBASSADOR RUTH A. DAVIS

‘’Tis the Season for Assignments

In my last column, I talked about theimportance of customer service. Thismonth, I want to go from the general to

the specific and talk about a process that isat the heart of what the Bureau of HumanResources does—the staffing of our diplo-matic missions overseas. It is a process thataffects literally thousands of our colleagues—Foreign Service specialists and generalistsas well as Civil Service employees.

Some of you may not realize just howinvolved our Civil Service colleagues are.They not only participate by bidding on and serving inexcursion tours, they also are a vital link in processingassignments here in Washington and helping all of uswith the related travel work. So the assignments processis a family affair, encompassing all sectors of our officialState Department family.

Here is a snapshot of what is involved. This year, inWashington and at our more than 200 posts worldwide,there will be more than 3,000 people changing jobs or, inthe case of new employees, moving into jobs for the firsttime. They range from information management andoffice management specialists, several hundred new jun-ior officers, dozens of Civil Service personnel on excur-sion tours, deputy chiefs of mission and principal officersto more than 30 chiefs of mission.

They’ll be coming and going from posts as varied asAustria and Zimbabwe, from our northernmost post ofReykjavik to our southernmost mission in Wellington.And when we talk of moving our people, we are not justtalking about employees. We must also take into accountthe needs and requirements of family members whoaccompany us in this nomadic life.

We started the process for 2002 last summer. By design,we decided to begin with the chief of mission anddcm/principal officer assignments, not only becausethese assignments have long clearance processes, but alsoso that officers hoping for or competing for these assign-ments would know early on whether they needed to con-tinue the bidding process.

The D Committee made nearly all of the chief-of-mission decisions involving career officers before the endof summer. Then we moved to the dcm/po assignments,going bureau by bureau, and also filled the Senior

6 State Magazine

Seminar and more than a hundred otheryear-long training slots. Despite the massivedisruptions caused by the events of Sept. 11and the anthrax problem, we completed themajority of these by December. Bids alsoflowed into our career development officersfor all the other jobs that are rotating in 2002.These had to be compiled, collated andreviewed.

As you can see from this snapshot, theassignment process is a juggling act. Thechallenge of sheer volume, however, real

though it is, is not the most critical one we face. The realchallenge for us in HR is to handle this process with a real“customer service” attitude.

We want to find the best fit between a given specialist,generalist or Civil Service “excursionist” (I didn’t inventthis word, but it’s now entered our official vocabulary)and the jobs that the Department needs to fill. Theprocess needs to be fast, fair, family-friendly and trans-parent. We need to match institutional requirements withindividual preferences. The balance isn’t always easy, butit is what we strive for every day and in every assign-ment. We are not dealing with “cases.” We are workingwith people—people who share our commitment to pub-lic service and want to reach their maximum potential.

In 2002, the first wave of people hired under theDiplomatic Readiness Initiative has started to movethrough the assignment system. This large group of newcolleagues brings an infusion of new energy and capabil-ity to our Department, and that’s wonderful. The hiringinitiative is also giving us the opportunity to ensure thatwe do necessary training. Working with FSI, we areassigning employees to leadership and managementcourses as part of the mandatory training continuum forall State Department employees. Training, both shortcourses and long-term ones, is now achieving the impor-tance that it deserves.

By the time this reaches you, we will be nearing theend of the 2002 cycle and already planning for 2003. Forthose of you assigned in 2002, I welcome your feed-back. Feel free to use DG Direct to let me know. Forthose of you up for assignment in 2003, be assured thatI’m going to do everything in my power to serve youeven better. ■

Page 8: State Magazine, March 2002

New Hope ina New

Millennium

N'Djamena

Post of the Month:

A shopkeeper in N’Djamenadisplays souvenirs fortourists in Chad’s capital city.

Phot

o by

Hal

a La

as

ChadChad

Funding a women’s cooperative thatmakes mango and guava jams.Supporting the first government-

private sector commission to distrib-ute Chad’s oil revenues among devel-opment priorities.

Keeping an embassy and residencesrunning in an environment where hotseason highs exceed 115 degrees andwhere city power comes and goes sev-eral times a day.

These are only a few of the chal-lenges the U.S. Embassy in N’Djamenafaces each day in one of the mostdiverse of the Sahelian countries.

By Christopher Goldthwait

March 2002 7

Page 9: State Magazine, March 2002

Elephant Rock is a popular day-tripdestination for embassy employees.

Phot

os b

y Ti

m L

aas

A nation of only 8 million people, Chad encompasses200 distinct ethnic groups speaking 128 languages. If the$3.5 billion, U.S.-led oil project is state-of-the-art, the 80percent of the people who are subsistence farmers andherders live under conditions little changed in a thousandyears. The country’s three climatic zones range from theSahara Desert in the north to open forest in the south,where half again as much rain falls as in Washington, D.C.

Like most African countries, Chad’s borders date fromthe period of colonial conquest when France claimed the

8 State Magazine

The embassy’s health unit prepares for another day’s sick call. Theyare, from left, Foreign Service health practitioner Marty Surface,nurse Haoua Abisso and cleaning staff member Peter Majok.

territory at the beginning of the 20th century. But peoplehave lived on this land forever. In fact, archaeologistsdebate whether the fossils of three australopithecinehominids, found near Faya Largeau in the northerm part ofthe country, are older than those discovered in East Africa.A crossroads for trans-Saharan trade routes, parts of Chadwere incorporated in several pre-colonial Central Africanempires. Among their relics are the 17th century ruins ofthe brick city of Ouara in the center of the country and thestill-inhabited, 200-year-old palace of the Gong (presidingchief) on Chad’s southwestern edge. Centuries of trade andconflict account for the amazing patchwork of peoples.

Pre-colonial political and ethnic rivalries were exacer-bated by European-imposed artificialboundaries. Divisions between herdersand farmers, the educated and the unedu-cated and different religious sects becamestronger under foreign rule and in theimmediate aftermath of independence. Asa result, Chad has endured more than 25years of civil war in the 40 years sinceindependence, with relative peace comingonly in 1990.

The future looks brighter, however,with the huge oil project due to come on-stream late in 2003. Together, the govern-ment of Chad and the donor communityhave identified infrastructure, rural devel-opment, health and education as develop-ment priorities. An unprecedented com-mission, with representatives of civilsociety and the government, has beenestablished by law to oversee the invest-ment of up to $125 million in anticipatedannual petroleum revenues. Already, cel-lular telephones have arrived and thecountry’s paved roads have doubled to

o by

Con

nie

Brow

n

500 kilometers in the past two years.

Phot

Phot

o by

Hal

a La

as

Page 10: State Magazine, March 2002

Katidje Djibrine Samedi, the embassy’s switchboard operator, has

The all-that a m

e

Phot

o by

Hal

a La

as

Not surprisingly, the work and lifestyle at the U.S.Embassy in N’Djamena reflect both the country’s turbu-lent history and renewed promise. Concerns about effec-tiveness and security caused the U.S. Agency for

International Developmentand the Peace Corps to leavein the mid-1990s, ironicallyjust as things were beginningto stabilize. Today’s embassyhas a complement of about25 Americans who rely heav-ily on FSN staff and a hand-ful of locally engaged NorthAmericans of long service.

The embassy supports thedevelopment of Chad’s dem-ocratic institutions and econ-

worked 25 years for the U.S. government.

pervasive cell phone is one sign

ore modern Chad is on its way.

omy from the grass roots up. Senior embassy officialsmaintain an active dialogue with government officials,parliamentarians, jurists, political party leaders and acivil society composed of more than 300 registered inter-est groups. Freedom of speech and press are on par withany on the continent.

The economic policy dialogue is supplemented bymodest but effective investments in development. Thepopular self-help program has sponsored projects rang-ing from reforesta-tion in Sahelian vil-lages to women’ssewing coopera-tives and small-scale food process-ing. The embassy’slargest effort ishumanitarian dem-ining to rid thecountry of an esti-mated 1 millionmines and pieces ofunexploded ord-nance. Agriculturaldevelopment proj-ects are supportedthrough monetized food aid.

In a landlocked hardship post at the end of a long sup-ply line, much of the embassy’s energy is devoted to sus-taining the mission itself. The advent of the oil projectand the resulting influx of U.S. citizens are also adding tothe embassy’s agenda.

Phot

o by

Con

nie

Brow

n

A popular high-end grocery store caters to thcapital’s expatriates.

Photo by Hala Laas

A bird’s-eye view ofN’Djamena’s new market.

Page 11: State Magazine, March 2002

The embassy security and guard staff pose for a group portrait.

Off-duty Marine security guard Jesse Norton chats with students beforetaking a boat ride on Lake Chad.

Potters fashion giantjugs in the nearbyvillage of Gaui.

Phot

o by

Tim

Laa

s

Photo by Cpl. Kiel Gillis

Services remain limited in one of the world’s dozenpoorest countries. Only about 25,000 of the capital’s800,000 residents have running water and perhaps 15,000have electricity in their homes. The prevailing architec-ture is mud brick and only the major arteries are paved.

The city has little industry, but in season hundreds ofwomen are employed sorting and packing gum arabic,Chad’s leading export to the United States and an ingre-

10 State Magazine

The embassy’s self-help fund contributes to the women’s hand-loom weavingcooperative, an enterprise that generates work and income for almost 70 women.

Phot

os b

y Ha

la L

aas

dient in an amazing range of productsfrom Coca Cola to cosmetics and phar-maceuticals.

Smack-dab in the middle of theSahelian zone, N’Djamena’s daily highsclimb to 115 degrees in the warmestmonths of April and May. The climate isa little like the Southern Californiandesert, except for the three-month rainyseason thrown in for comic relief. Whilethe surrounding countryside dries to asandy tan and the river contracts to anarrow blue ribbon, embassy groundsand compounds benefit from their ownboreholes and remain lushly green.

Page 12: State Magazine, March 2002

he author visits a class ofomen studying Arabic.

Lt.

Col.

Chris

toph

er B

row

n

Life in N’Djamena is likemany hardship posts, withlimited access to museums,theater or western music.But as the oil project devel-ops, the capital is acquiringan increasing variety of goodrestaurants, and there aremany opportunities to hearlive local music, a curiousblend of traditional andmodern western themes.

There are several interest-ing tourist sites in and aroundN’Djamena: the women’sweaving and embroiderycooperatives use designsbased on indigenous rock art;the little riverine resort ofBougia is near easily scaledElephant Rock; the Sao cul-ture museum offers pottery-making demonstrations; theSunday market and the seasonal livestock market areworth a visit; and, of course, there’s always the boat ride onLake Chad.

The real Chad, however, begins an hour’s drivebeyond the capital. Perhaps the highlight is the gamepark of Zakouma, the best in Central Africa, and a pre-serve that shelters most major African game animals andnearly 200 bird species. The U.S. Departments of Defenseand Interior are assisting in upgrading tourist facilities

Tw

Photo by Tim Laas

Women arrive in the capital withtheir colorful fresh vegetables andhead for the market.

An oasis in the middle of the Sahara Desert near the villageof Ounianga Kebir, where Americans are participating indemining activities.

Phot

o by

Phot

o by

Hal

a La

as

and enhancing radio communication systems forthe wardens. The countryside is also where theembassy’s development efforts have had the great-est impact. A visit to the people in their villagesshows the dramatic effect a self-help project of afew thousand dollars can have on the lives of thou-sands of residents.

There is striking variety in Chad’s countryside.Traveling 200 miles north, east or south fromN’Djamena, you can see differences in villagestructure and architecture. Further to the north andeast you discover the rugged mountains in theGuera and eventually the seemingly endless steepcliffs of the Ennedi.

It is a sharp reminder of the diversity of peoplewho are struggling to be a nation as they maketheir way into the new millennium. ■

The author is U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Chad.

March 2002 11

Page 13: State Magazine, March 2002

The ChicagoPassport Agen

Office of the Month:

The Chicago skylineagainst a blue sky.

By Steve Moses and Andy Sisk

The U.S. passport has long been one of the most wide-ly recognized and respected international travel doc-uments. As the number of Americans travelingabroad continues to rise, demand for secure U.S.

passports increases. In each Fiscal Year 2000 and 2001,more than 7 million passports were issued, an increase of27 percent over the 5.5 million issued in 1996.

To help meet this demand, the Chicago PassportAgency, one of 14 passport agencies and two passport cen-ters in the country, began 2000 with a new home and pass-port photo system that will improve service to thousandsof customers in the agency’s Illinois and Michigan region.

Housed in the Kluczynski Federal Building in down-town Chicago, or “the Loop,” the Chicago Passport Agencywas responsible for 274,000 passports out of the 7.1 million

12 State Magazine

issued by Passport Services during FY 2001. The office,located in the heart of the Midwest, is convenient andaccessible to a large segment of the U.S. public.

The Chicago Passport Agency’s staff consists of 58employees. Of these, 49 are U.S. State Department employ-ees and the rest are contract employees. The regional direc-tor, Terry Green, enjoys serving the traveling public.

“Helping people make trips they planned, be it forbusiness or pleasure, gives me genuine pleasure.”

Kathryn Gilbert, adjudication manager, credits the staffof passport specialists for the way they’ve coped with themove and installation of new equipment and kept stan-dards of customer service high.

“I have a talented group of people to work with,” Ms.Gilbert said. “They’re very helpful and very dependable.They rose to the challenge and everything went prettysmoothly.”

Page 14: State Magazine, March 2002

cy

Regional Director Terry Green,left, discusses ribbon cuttingwith Diane Hayden, secretary,and Jackie Harley-Bell, assis-tant regional director.

Passport Specialist Bernice Brewer, foreground,staffs the public counter while Cashier LenoreConway reviews receipts.

Photo by Miles Ertman/Masterfile

The agency moved Dec. 17into new quarters on the 18thfloor of the federal building.First housed in 1976 on the3rd floor of the DirksenFederal Building, the ChicagoPassport Agency soon out-grew its space and movedacross the street to the 3rdfloor of the KluczynskiFederal Building. Thedemand for passports hasincreased throughout theyears, and the agency onceagain found itself needingmore space.

Ms. Green is very excitedabout the new accommoda-tions that include new workspaces and state-of-the-artcomputers. The new pho-todigitized passport-issuingsystem is proof, she said, thatthe Chicago Passport Agencyhas “come a long way sincethe days of the glue potsemployed to place pictures inpassports and the old flexo-writer machines that wereused to print the books.”

Employees, like JacqueBruce, a passport specialist,also praised the mid-December move.

“It’s a big improvement.We’ve got more space andbetter equipment,” Ms. Brucesaid. “It’s just a total face-lift.”

With Chicago’s change tophotodigitization, all domestic

passport-issuing facilities are now issuing the technologi-cally advanced passport. “PhotoDig” is the latest upgradeof the Travel Document Issuance System, a highly securetechnology thatallows PassportServices to moni-tor, track andrecord all activi-ties associatedwith the issuanceof U.S. passports.The system wasimplemented in1981 when theUnited States pro-duced the world’sfirst machine-readable passport.PhotoDig wasfirst installed atthe National Pass-port Center inPortsmouth, N.H., in 1998.

With PhotoDig, the passport photographthat had been laminated in each passport isreplaced with a digitized image that is printedin the document. This improves the securityof the U.S. passport, making it highly difficultto substitute the photograph in the new pass-port. With the photodigitized passport comesseveral noticeable changes.

For example, the laminate on the data pagehas been replaced by a thin but durable filmoverlay securely bonded to the passport.Various security inks have also been changed.New hardware and software improvementshave been made. High-speed scanners areused to obtain quality color images, and newpassport printers reproduce the color photoonto the data page of the passport in a one-step printing process. These advancements

Clerk Ivan Quarles sortsthe mail.

March 2002 13

Page 15: State Magazine, March 2002

Above, Navy bandperforms at cere-mony; AssistantSecretary MaryRyan, right,addresses audi-ence, below.

collectively are helping the staff to better assist the resi-dents of this populous region.

As a part of PhotoDig, Multiple Issuance Verificationprovides the capability to check every customer’s nameagainst the passport database to ensure that customerspossess only one valid passport. This will help determany types of passport fraud, and it may also be used toassist customers who have lost a previous passport.

The Chicago Passport Agency hosted a ribbon-cuttingceremony Jan. 16 to celebrate both its relocation and itsconversion to PhotoDig. Guest speakers included GrantS. Green, under secretary of State for Management; MaryRyan, assistant secretary of State for Consular Affairs;Georgia A. Rogers, deputy assistant secretary forPassport Services; and Tom Gauza, director of constituent

14 State Magazine

services and legal counsel to U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald ofIllinois. Other State Department and local officialsattended the ceremony.

The Chicago Passport Agency’s goals include support-ing the Department’s mission to issue secure, high-quality passports, exercising sound judgment in adjudi-cating claims to U.S. citizenship and providing excellentcustomer service to the American traveling public.

On a routine day, the Chicago Passport Agency is ahappening place. The staff provides passport service tocustomers from its region of Illinois and Michigan. Forcustomers traveling within 14 days, the Chicago PassportAgency provides service by appointment only, from 9a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Since the ChicagoAgency is the only passport agency in the Midwest andbecause of its proximity to O’Hare International Airport,customers with emergency travel plans journey therefrom all over the Midwest as well as other parts of thecountry to obtain passports.

Each passport region has acceptance facilities thatinclude post offices, clerks of court and many municipaloffices that accept passport applications from the travel-ing public and forward them to the different passportagencies. There are more 5,300 acceptance facilitiesthroughout the United States.

Page 16: State Magazine, March 2002

Processing Supervisor Dollie Turner, in the BookPrint Room.

To support its mission of providing excellent customerservice, the Chicago Passport Agency has made a con-certed effort to solicit more acceptance facilities in itsregion to provide more convenient service to the travel-ing public. In the past two years, approximately 100 newacceptance facilities have come on board as part ofPassport Services, most of them this past year alone.

To accommodate all the new acceptance facilities in2001, the agency conducted 12 acceptance agent-trainingseminars held at the agency as well as in Springfield, Ill.,and Flint, Detroit and Traverse City, Mich. Approximately

Shirley Calhounspecialist, adjuapplications in work space.

300 people attended the seminars throughout the courseof the year. The Chicago Passport Agency has a strongcommitment to cooperate and communicate with all thevitally important acceptance facilities in its region.

With more than 8 million residents calling the metro-politan area home, Chicago is the leading commercial,financial, industrial and cultural center of the nation’sinterior. It also has one of the most recognizable skylines

Contact Representative Jeannie Powell, standing, confers with Supervisor Carolyn Cochran.

, passportdicatesher new

with some of the world’s tallest sky-scrapers, such as the Sears Tower andthe John Hancock Building.

A fun town, the Windy City hostssuch cultural institutions as the ArtInstitute, Orchestra Hall, the CivicOpera House, the HaroldWashington Library, the AdlerPlanetarium, the Field Museum andthe Museum of Science and Industry.Serious sports fans cheer for theBears, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox. ■

Mr. Moses is the customer service man-ager for the Chicago Passport Agencyand Mr. Sisk is a passport operationsofficer in the Bureau of ConsularAffairs. For information on how toapply for a U.S. passport, visittravel.state.gov.

March 2002 15

Page 17: State Magazine, March 2002

snaDL

Remembering Sept. 11:A Sense of Déja VuRemembering Sept. 11:A Sense of Déja Vu

How can this be happening in America?

Capitol Hill police evacuatethe Capitol on Sept. 11.

Photo by Ron Thomas/AP Photo

on fateful day are, from left, John Naland, the author andrt Tollefson.

By Anne-Marie Gabor

That was my thought as wewere evacuating the DirksenSenate Office Building inWashington, D.C., on Sept. 11following the terrorist attacks

on the World Trade Center andPentagon. I was with a group fromthe American Foreign ServiceAssociation for our first annual Dayon the Hill, organized by AFSAPresident John Naland. We werescheduled to meet with our senatorsand representatives to urge appro-priate funding for Department ofState operations.

At 9 a.m., we had convened inRoom 409, the Senate ForeignRelations Committee Hearing Room.Greg Aftandilian, an aide to Sen.Paul Sarbanes (D—Md.), began talk-ing to us. No sooner had he said,“Diplomats are our first line of

16 State Magazine

defense,” when an assistant enteredthe room with a message that heread to us. A plane had crashed intoNew York’s World Trade Center.

We were appalled at this terribleaccident. The meeting continued.Sen. Sarbanes enteredthe room and begantalking about hiswork with the StateDepartment authori-zation bill. An assis-tant again entered theroom with a message.The senator informedus that a second planehad crashed into theWorld Trade Centerand another planeinto the Pentagon. Hesaid America wasunder attack and wewere to evacuate thebuilding.

Visiting the HillAFSA PresidentAmbassador Be

As I hurried outside, I had atrange sense of déja vu. This wasot the first time I had fled a terroristttack. My thoughts went back toec. 2, 1979, when I was in Tripoli,ibya, my first post. It was a month

Photo courtesy of the author

Page 18: State Magazine, March 2002

Police evacuateUnion Station.

after the attack on the U.S. Embassyin Iran where 66 U.S. Embassyemployees and visitors were takenhostage. Libyan militants, intent ondoing the same to us, broke down thedoor of the U.S. Embassy andstormed the building. Thanks toAmbassador William Eagleton Jr., weescaped safely down a hidden stair-well and through a secret passage-way. The next day we were flown outof the country to safe haven.

And now terrorists were strikingagain, only this time in America.The streets of Washington, D.C.,were crowded with people, manytalking on cell phones. As I hurriedalong, I noticed that I was in thecompany of Ambassador BruceLaingen, who was one of theAmericans held hostage for 444days in Iran. I could only imaginewhat he must be thinking.

I went directly to the Departmentof Labor, where my sister Monicaworks as an economist. She hadalready left, so I made my wayacross the crowded street to UnionStation in search of a train out of thecity. A security official there told methat there had been a bomb threat toUnion Station and that train servicehad been suspended.

I hastened back outside and man-aged to get a cab. We sat gridlockedfor almost half an hour. I kept staringup at Union Station, wondering if

Phot

os c

ourt

esy

of th

e au

thor

A memorial to United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa.

the building wouldcome crashing downon our heads.

Finally, we began tomove. Four people ranup to my cab and beganpounding on the win-dows. The driver low-ered the window andasked, “Where are yougoing?” “Baltimore,”they said. I shouted,“Get in!”

They crowded in andthanked us for accom-modating them. Wewere on our way again,listening the entirejourney to news reportsabout the devastationat the World TradeCenter and Pentagonand about UnitedFlight 93 downed inwestern Pennsylvania.There was also a report,later proved to be erro-neous, that a car bombhad detonated outsidethe State Department. Itold my fellow passen-gers that this was like Orson Welles’1939 radio broadcast, “War of theWorlds.” Only this time it was real.

Finally back home, I sat glued tothe television, as did all of America.In the days that followed, news

reports revealed the incredible brav-ery and heroism of many people—firefighters, police, elected officials,airplane crews and the passengers ofUnited Flight 93. Those brave passen-gers who overwhelmed the hijackersmay have saved my life, too, as spec-ulation grew that their ultimate desti-nation was the U.S. Capitol.

On Oct. 31 my sister and I drove toShanksville, Pa., where United Flight93 went down. The public wasrestricted from the actual crash site,but a memorial had been establishednearby. As a remembrance to theflight’s heroes, I left a sign honoringtheir bravery. As long as there arevaliant Americans like Todd Beamer,Jeremy Glick, Mark Bingham,Thomas Burnett Jr. and SandraBradshaw, among many others,America will endure and remain free,a shining example to the world. ■

The author, a retired Foreign Servicespecialist, lives in Joppa, Md.

March 2002 17

Page 19: State Magazine, March 2002

FSNs Gain a Sense of Belonging

Story by Stuart Hatcher Photos by Bob Kaiser

“We no longer feel on the fringe of the StateDepartment. We have a real sense ofbelonging,” said Joao Mutambe, a Foreign

Service National employee in the consular section of theU.S. Embassy in Maputo and a participant in a mid-December consular training course held at the ForeignService Institute.

Mr. Mutambe’s African FSN colleagues in the week-long course seemed to agree. For most, it was their firsttrip to the United States, their first opportunity to viewthe country up close.

When he met with the workshop participants duringtheir visit to the 7th floor of the Harry S Truman Building,Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage emphasized why it isimportant that FSN employees have firsthand exposure

18 State Magazine

to and understanding of the United States. He said theywere often the first U.S. government employees to meetwith the overseas public. “You are our frontline represen-tatives,” Mr. Armitage said.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs and FSI have long rec-ognized the importance of FSN training, but it has onlybeen since the mid- to late 90s that the Department hashad the resources to bring consular FSNs in large num-bers to Washington. Previously, FSN consular trainingwas conducted at a distance through correspondencecourses or regional workshops abroad.

Two terrorist incidents caused the Department to bringFSNs to Washington. The first World Trade Center bomb-ing in 1993 accelerated the development of the machine-readable visa and automated name-checking. Congressmandated that a fee be collected for every nonimmigrantvisa application to fund the automation, generating themoney to pay for FSN travel and training.

Secretary Powell welcomes ForeignService National employees to hisconference room.

Page 20: State Magazine, March 2002

bahe e

Preparing their crisis management presentation are,from left, FSNs David Kaptuom, Martine Kaly, IdaM’Boob, Riquita Sampaio and Brigitte Kacou-Amondji.

Security concerns following the 1998 bombing of theU.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam forced therelocation of an FSN workshop from Africa toWashington. Bringing FSNs to Washington proved sosuccessful that it became standard practice. Since then,the consular training division has brought more than 650consular FSNs from around the world to FSI for func-tional and regional workshops.

Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Mary Ryanand FSI Director Katherine Peterson welcomed theAfrican FSNs to Washington. Ms. Peterson had specialaffection for one participant, Mampheteng Nkuatsana,with whom she had worked in Maseru when the directorwas U.S. Ambassador to Lesotho.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, consular work ismore important than ever, Ms. Ryan told the FSNs. Shesaid senior managers in the bureau understood that manyof the participants came from understaffed posts wherethere was only one U.S. consular officer, usually a juniorofficer. She assured them that the increased intake of newofficers will provide some relief for the staffing problembut that these new officerswill need lots of help fromthe FSNs.

“You have excellentknowledge and local con-tacts,” Ms. Ryan toldthem. “We hope our juniorofficers will take advan-tage of that.”

The participants repre-sented a variety of experi-ence in different kinds ofposts. One of the mostvaluable aspects of theworkshop was the oppor-tunity for FSNs to learnfrom their African col-

FSN Nicole Guede from the U.S. EmAbidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, summarizes points during a crisis management

leagues and to share their experiences with eachother.

Eunice Sandema fromLusaka, the senior memberof the group with 22 years ofservice, spoke with authorityon a variety of issues.

Riquita Sampaio fromLuanda is training her sixthjunior officer in her one-officer consular section,where new officers rotateevery year.

Belinda Adika joined thestaff of the consular sectionin Nairobi in May 1998,three months before the cat-astrophic blast hit thatembassy. Speaking during a

crisis management exercise, she credited her survival tothe cool head of another consular FSN “who was like ourMarine guard.”

Ronke Orunesajo works in the beleaguered Lagos visasection. She described with passion her dedication to fight-ing fraud. Confronted with an applicant she had seenbefore, but who claimed he was applying for a visa for thefirst time, she explained how she sat amid the files for hoursuntil she found his photo attached to an application show-ing he had been refused before under a different name.

Participants in this short course also left FSI with a bet-ter understanding of how much their work is appreciat-ed by the Department at all levels. While they were onthe 7th floor, Secretary Powell greeted them and usheredthem into his conference room, where he stood for aphoto with each FSN. Later, Africa Bureau desk officersgraciously hosted a reception for the entire group.

Of course, not every FSN who attends one of the manyworkshops offered each year gets a chance to meet theSecretary or Deputy secretary. But the public affairs, eco-nomic, political, information technology and other spe-

cialists who visit the UnitedStates for training appreci-ate the attention theyreceive and are grateful forthe opportunity to meetpeople they knew only by e-mail. As one recent FSNparticipant summed it up:“As a result of this trip, wework harder.” ■

The author is deputy coordi-nator for consular training inthe Foreign Service Institute’sSchool of Professional andArea Studies.

ssy inr group’s

xercise.

March 2002 19

Page 21: State Magazine, March 2002

Department Observes King’sBirthday with Special Guest

–Martin Luther K

“Make a career of humanity…awill make a greater person of yoa greater nation of your country

a finer world to live in.”

Story by Brenda RossPhotos by Michael Gross

Hollywood came to the State Department Jan. 17when actor-humanitarian Danny Glover gave thekeynote address at the Department’s official

observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Mr. Glover, known for his many movie and stage roles,

joined the United Nations Development Program in 1998as the first global goodwill ambassador. In this capacity,he travels the world educating the public on the

20 State Magazine

HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa and raisingawareness of the disease in underservedcommunities in the United States. He hascoordinated many successful fundraisersto benefit the U.N. program.

Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal, dean of theDepartment’s Leadership and Manage-ment School at the Foreign ServiceInstitute, introduced Mr. Glover and askedthe audience to reflect on Dr. King’s words:“Life’s most persistent and urgent questionis: What are you doing for others?”

In the standing-room-only DeanAcheson Auditorium, Mr. Glover spokeeloquently of the life and legacy of Dr.King. He described the civil rights leader’scommitment to reconciliation andredemption and quoted Dr. King in saying, “Everybody can be great, because every-body can serve.”

Joining State and U.S. Agency forInternational Development employeeswere more than 100 children from theDepartment’s adopted school, MinerElementary. The Department has had ayear-round tutoring “partnership” for thepast four years with Miner, one of theDistrict of Columbia’s “targeted assis-tance” schools. In addition to the readingtutoring program involving some 100State volunteers in a three-day-a-weekafter-school program, partnership activi-ties have included a range of specialclasses and other activities at the school

and visits and performances by Miner stu-dents at the Department. Following the initial successof this partnership, State employees also spearheaded asuccessful effort, with White House assistance, toinvolve other federal agencies in similar partnershipswith District elementary schools.

Also attending the King observance were studentsfrom Bell Multicultural Senior High School inWashington, D.C. A multicultural and multilingual aca-demic school, Bell’s programs go beyond the traditionaldefinition of high school to include adult literacy, parent-ing skills, drop-out prevention, vocational-technicaltraining and career development activities.

ing Jr.

nd youurself,, and

Page 22: State Magazine, March 2002

Miner Elementary School students encircle Mr. Glover for autographs after

Actor Danny Glover addresses audience.

Mr. Glover and Deputy Secretary Richard Armitageacknowledged these special young guests and admon-ished them, as well as the entire audience, to make theholiday a “day on, not a day off.”

In his remarks, Mr. Glover suggested that each personin the room go to a bookstore or library to obtain andread a book—one book—written by, not about, Dr. King,and feel the power of his words. He also said Dr. Kingwas a truly great American—not perfect—but great. Atthe conclusion of his remarks, Mr. Glover received astanding ovation.

“Let My People Go,” a litany of commemoration of Dr. King, was read by employee representatives of theDepartment and USAID.

The program was sponsored jointly by theDepartment’s Office of Civil Rights, the U.S. Agency forInternational Development’s Office of Equal OpportunityPrograms, the Thursday Luncheon Group and three chap-ters of Blacks in Government: the Foreign Affairs chapter,the USAID chapter and the Carl T. Rowan chapter. ■

The author is an equal employment opportunity manager inthe Office of Civil Rights.

March 2002 21

the actor’s talk on Martin Luther King Jr.

Page 23: State Magazine, March 2002

22 State Magazine

One Civil ServiceEmployee’s Experience in aHard-to-Fill Job

The Taj Mahal Up Close

The author and her husband, Phil Budig,visit the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Photos courtesy of the author

By Nyda Budig

I joined the State Department right out of college, andI always knew that someday I would want to workoverseas.

The idea lingered for years.Although I liked to travel and wanted to see the world,

spending a Foreign Service career moving from place toplace every three or four years seemed too hard of anadjustment for me. I’m from a small family, and I wasconvinced I would be too homesick living outside thecountry. To be sure, those were pre–e-mail days whenkeeping in touch with family and friends was not instan-taneous. Once I married and settled into my comfortablelifestyle, joining the Foreign Service appeared to be evenmore distant.

I first heard of the hard-to-fill program from a col-league who had done a three-year excursion tour as aconsular officer in Pakistan. I admired her for it andthought to myself, before I retire I want to do that. Therewas little information available about the program. I didknow that, at the time, to apply for overseas jobs, CivilService employees needed written permission from theirsupervisors and a guarantee in writing from theirbureaus’ executive directors of reemployment rights intheir bureaus after their tour of duty. This was a signifi-cant disadvantage to Civil Service employees worriedthat there might be fewer job opportunities in their ownbureaus when they returned several years later.

In February 2000, the Bureau of Human Resources gavetwo informational briefings to answer questions about thehard-to-fill program. Restless after 15 years as a press offi-cer, I decided to attend a session. I found there had been anumber of changes in the hard-to-fill program. First, you

Page 24: State Magazine, March 2002

a

vit

he

no longer needed yourcurrent bureau’s writ-ten permission toapply. Instead, youneeded to inform yoursupervisor. And sec-ond, if you were select-ed, the Departmentguaranteed you reem-ployment at yoursame grade, thoughnot necessarily in yourprevious bureau.

I also learned thatmany of the hard-to-fill jobs were availableat the mid-level be-cause hiring freezesand lower intake ofnew officers had creat-ed vacancies over the past 10 years. Because some officersdecided to leave the Foreign Service after only one or twotours, there was a significant gap, particularly at the FSO-3 level. Most of the hard-to-fill jobs were in the consularand administrative areas, and there were few qualifiedForeign Service officers bidding on them.

The briefing was veryinformative. I learned, forexample, that it is a mistake totake a hard-to-fill job rightbefore retiring. That’s becauselocality pay is considered partof an employee’s base salaryin calculating the highestthree years for retirement.Post differential is not. Untilthe legislation changes, itpays employees to work theirlast three years in theWashington, D.C., area.

I also learned that while overseas, you are in a limitedForeign Service appointment. Civil Service employeesare rated as Foreign Service officers but are ineligible forpromotions. Also, five years is the maximum periodCivil Service employees can stay overseas. While you areineligible for home leave, you may qualify for rest andrecuperation travel at government expense after eachyear of service.

Another benefit for Civil Service employees is thatannual leave ceilings increase from 240 hours to 360 hours.

Although you lose your locality pay when you’reabroad, in many countries you may get a hardship differ-ential. That, coupled with free housing and utilities,enables many people to save money while posted over-seas. The biggest advantage is the chance to see whetheror not you like living overseas, without making a lifetimecommitment. If you decide the Foreign Service is for you,after 40 months you may become eligible to apply for a

The biggest the chance to s

not you like liwithout mak

commi

The author at the consular s

skill code change,and depending onstaffing needs at thetime, you may be ableto convert.

The list of openassignments cameout in March 2001,and we were giventhree weeks to bid.The list was long, butI quickly eliminated anumber of the lan-guage-des ignatedjobs that required ayear of study at theForeign ServiceInstitute. Once Idecided to go abroad,I suddenly didn’t

want to wait a whole year. For me, there were four con-sular jobs that looked interesting. Before bidding, wewere encouraged to get post reports. Some geographicbureaus held open houses that gave me a chance to learnabout the specific jobs I was interested in.

The post that caught my eye was New Delhi.Coincidentally, I had a pictureof the Taj Mahal on the wall ofmy office. I looked at it everyday. My husband took thephoto when he visited India in1983. I never dreamed I wouldbe paneled for that job or evenselected. Yet, here I am writingfrom India, where I have beensince September 2000, inter-viewing hundreds of nonim-migrant visa applicants,responding to a backlog of cor-

respondence and overseeing the anti-fraud and AmericanCitizens Services units. In the latter job, I have visiteddetained Americans in jailed and arranged medical evac-uation and treatment for a number of injured U.S. citizens.

The opportunity to experience consular work abroadhas broadened my perspective. While I have not yetdecided whether to apply to convert to Foreign Service,serving as a consular officer in India has been a careerchallenge that will help me whether I go to another postor ultimately return to the Department.

There are times when I really miss my family andfriends back home. But the chance to live overseas for afew years and visit places in the world I would not oth-erwise see makes it all worthwhile.

And yes, I did finally get to see the Taj Mahal. ■

The author is a consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in NewDelhi. Prior to doing a hard-to-fill tour, she worked as a pub-lic affairs officer in the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

dvantage is ee whether oring overseas

ng a lifetimement.

er desk inction.

March 2002 23

Page 25: State Magazine, March 2002

MaPochCh

U.S. Firms Recognized for TheirOverseas Operations

ceremony are Lewis W. K. Booth, left, president of Fordcific and Africa; Ambassador Makate Shelia Sisulu,

Africa; and Marc Grossman, under secretary of States.

Story by Nancy Smith-NissleyPhotos by Michael Gross

The Department presented itsannual Award for CorporateExcellence this year to two U.S.

companies for their corporate citizen-ship and exemplary business prac-tices overseas.

Ford Motor Co. of Dearborn,Mich., was chosen for the innovativeHIV/AIDS programs of its FordSouth Africa subsidiary.

Solar Electric Light Co. of ChevyChase, Md., a small business with 300employees worldwide, was recog-nized for the contributions of its sub-sidiary, SELCO-Vietnam, in supplyingelectricity with wireless solar powerto rural households in Vietnam.

Speaking to an audience from busi-ness, labor, environmental and humanrights groups as well as from thediplomatic corps at the Jan. 16 awardceremony, Marc Grossman, under sec-retary of State for Political Affairs, saidthe values and the practices of U.S.companies abroad serve as powerfulmodels to others working to builddemocratic societies, market-based

rc Grossman, left, under secretary of State forlitical Affairs, congratulates Neville Williams,airman and CEO of Solar Electric Light Co. of Chevyase, Md., for its subsidiary’s work in rural Vietnam.

24 State Magazine

economies and insti-tutions for peace andprosperity.

Mr. Grossman saidthe awards “symbol-ize the Department’spartnership andcommitment toworking with theU.S. business com-munity, a priority ofSecretary Powell.”The Secretary wastraveling to SouthAsia and Japan andunable to present theawards.

In accepting FordSouth Africa’saward, Lewis Booth,president of FordMotor Co., Asia-Pacific and Africa,said, “Good companies provideexcellent products and services atcompetitive prices, but great compa-nies do the same thing and make theworld a better place.”

Neville Williams, chairman andCEO of SELCO, echoed Mr. Booth’ssentiments. “We all feel blessed toput responsible capitalism to work,knowing that besides generatingrevenues we are also achieving otherobjectives” such as improving thelives of rural families; eliminatingtheir need to use dirty, dangerouskerosene for lighting; reducing car-bon emissions; lessening depend-ence on Middle East oil; and helpingto stem migration to the cities.

After the awards were presented,there were live audio-video linksbetween principals in Washingtonand the winning posts. Tony Wayne,assistant secretary for Economic andBusiness Affairs, led the program’sinteractive session with CameronHume, U.S. Ambassador to SouthAfrica, and the Ford South Africateam, and Raymond Burghardt, U.S.

Attending awardsMotor Co., Asia-PaRepublic of Southfor Political Affair

Ambassador to Vietnam, and theSELCO-Vietnam team in Ho ChiMinh City.

Last year, chiefs of mission nomi-nated 62 candidates for the corpo-rate excellence award—more thandouble the number in years past.The selection committee, chaired byAlan Larson, under secretary forEconomic, Business and Agricultur-al Affairs, included Under Secretaryfor Management Grant Green andsenior officials from the Bureaus ofEconomic and Business Affairs;Democracy Human Rights; andLabor, Oceans and InternationalEnvironmental and ScientificAffairs, as well as the OverseasPrivate Investment Corp.

For more information about theDepartment’s Award for CorporateExcellence program, please seewww.state.gov/e/eb/cba under“Business Support.” ■

The author is senior adviser for busi-ness outreach in the Office ofCommercial and Business Affairs.

Page 26: State Magazine, March 2002

Assisting Deaf Children in Bangladesh

The author, above, with deaf students and, below, with their teachers.

By Ralph Hamilton

When posted to one of theworld’s poorest countries,diplomats must learn to cope

with the extreme poverty. When Iarrived in Bangladesh, Jo Fuller, thecommunity liaison officer, suggested Iselect a small group of individuals andwork with them to improve their lives.

On the first day of my daughter’s 5thgrade class, she learned some sign lan-guage. Little did I realize that my daugh-ter’s sign language experience wouldlead me to the group I would be assisting.

A few weeks later, the school hostedthe new parents’ orientation. Duringone session, the 5th grade teacher commented about theirService Learning Project working with the SalvationArmy Deaf School. She was teaching her 5th graders somesimple sign language for them to use when they visitedthe school. In passing, she mentioned that the schooltaught Bengali lip reading and that the kids had a hardtime communicating.

Several months later, the J. Kirby Simon Foreign ServiceTrust fund requested proposals. As the AFSA representa-tive at post, I circulated the notice. Encouraged by JoFuller, I contacted my daughter’s teacher about requestingfunding for the Salvation Army Deaf School. The schoollacked several things—from manipulative toys for count-

Photos cou

ing, telling time and hands-on learning to simple sign lan-guage material that could be translated easily into Bengali.

I drafted a proposal, and in May the J. Kirby Simontrustee notified me that they had approved the project.

In ordering the materials, I mentioned to the companiesthat the supplies were for deaf children in Bangladesh. Asa result, one company offered additional materials, onediscounted the prices and another covered shipping costs.The savings were substantial enough to cover hearingaides for four kids who needed them.

In the fall, the Salvation Army Deaf School visited theAmerican International School in Dhaka, where theyreceived the manipulative toys. The 5th graders showed

the deaf children how to play with the var-ious counting blocks, puzzles, gears and ahost of other hands-on learning toys. InDecember, the American school visited theBangladesh school and presented the signlanguage materials.

The Bangladesh school has begun intro-ducing sign language. The kids will betaught both simple sign language and lipreading. Other deaf schools using lip read-ing have expressed interest in sign language.

The grant has touched the lives of notonly the 20 deaf Bangladeshi children, butalso the teachers and the 90 5th graders atthe American International School inDhaka. ■

The author is the financial management officerat the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka.

March 2002 25

rtesy of the author

Page 27: State Magazine, March 2002

and Pesticides

By Claire Huson

If spring comes, can

gardening be far behind?

With the unusually warm winter,many people already have gar-dening on their minds. Not only

will your family likely consume vegeta-bles grown there, children and pets mayplay in the garden as well.

For those reasons alone, pesticidesshould be held to a minimum and you canaccomplish that through integrated pest manage-ment principles. They are ideal for the home garden sincethey promote a healthy garden, make it less inviting to pestsand reduce the use of pesticides.

Where do you begin? Avoiding pest problems beginswith assessing your garden’s location. What’s the soillike? Does it need to be enriched? How much sunlightexposure is there? What’s the local climate? While somegarden characteristics can be modified, others, like cli-mate, cannot. Accept what won’t change and move on.And remember that approximately one-third of plantlosses have nothing to do with pests or disease anyway.

The backbone of a healthy, pest-resistant garden is fer-tile soil. You can test the soil for pH and nutrient contentwith test kits or soil testing services. Findings may indi-cate that enrichment is needed and a tailored prescriptioncan be devised.

The next step is designing a plan based on how the gar-den will be used and then selecting appropriate plants.Perhaps there are high-traffic areas where a sturdy grassor walkway is best suited. In addition to answering thedesign goal, plant selections must be well suited to thesoil, light, moisture and climate.

Design considerations should also anticipate commonpest problems. Look for plants that are resistant to com-mon pests, be they deer, other wildlife or a plant disease.Combine plants vulnerable to pests with others that deterthem. For example, planting basil near tomatoes deterstomato hornworms and garlic planted among vegetablesdeters aphids, weevils and spider mites.

Similarly, include plants that attract such beneficial insectsas lacewings and ladybugs. Decreased pesticide use will alsoprotect beneficial insects that are part of nature’s way of con-trolling pests. Don’t overlook physical design considerationsand the potential impact on pest problems. For example,don’t plant too close to buildings since the irrigation require-ments for the plants could invite termites to feed on thestructure. Installing landscape fabric or plastic sheeting

Reducing Pests Safety Scene

26 State Magazine

under a new walkway will help blockfuture weeds.

While good preparation anddesign will give the garden anexcellent start, the following

proper maintenance is critical, too. Frequently mowing the lawn

so more than one-third of theheight is trimmed, yet the grass is

at least three inches, encouragesroot growth, moisture retentionand competition with weeds.

Manual weeding, preferablydone before the weeds get estab-

lished, removes these undesirables that compete formoisture and nutrients.

Mulching helps retain soil moisture, deter weeds andconditions the soil.

Avoiding physical damage—for example, from stringtrimmers or lawn mowers cutting into tree trunks—pre-vents injury that makes plants more vulnerable to pests.

Monitoring for early signs of pests allows for promptaction while the pest population is small.

When pests are detected, identify them and use the leasttoxic means of control first. Control measures may includetraps, barriers, beneficial insects and pesticides. Traps suchas small pools of stale beer to catch slugs can make a dentin, as well as indicate the size of, the pest population. Somepests, such as aphids, can be physically removed by handor with a jet of water spray, suffocated with spray oils orkilled from contact with insecticidal soap.

Physical barriers can be established, too, to deter slugs byencircling plants with diatomaceous earth, lime or saw-dust. The demand for greener pest control products is onthe rise, making them more widely available than ever.Even “organic” pesticides can be hazardous, however, andusers should always read and follow the pesticide labeling.

There are many sources of guidance for integrated pestmanagement. In the United States, agricultural extensionservices are an excellent resource. Their advice is tailoredto the plants, climate and pests of the region and offeredat little or no cost. Extension services often do soil testingas well. In addition, university agriculture or entomologydepartments have helpful information, including easy-to-use web sites with photographs or drawings to helpdiagnose pest problems.

Of course, there are many reference books on garden-ing, and many are touting integrated pest managementpractices that organic gardening has long embraced. ■

The author is an industrial hygienist in the Office of Safety,Health and Environmental Management.

Page 28: State Magazine, March 2002

People Like YouPeople Like You

Children respond during storyhour in the Middle Eastern settingthey helped to construct.

Phot

o by

Bar

bara

DeJ

ourn

ette

When Barbara DeJournette and herhusband Ted returned to theWashington, D.C., area from an

assignment in Amman a few years ago,they were looking for a church to join.They found one, an inner-city congrega-tion deeply committed to linking less for-tunate young people with adult mentors.

The DeJournettes soon joined the Tuesday eveningmentoring sessions. Ted worked to build the kids’ com-puter skills while Barbara encouraged her group tobroaden their understanding of the world beyond theDistrict. She conducted Spanish language classes and leddiscussions about life in the Middle East.

The students were so fascinated by the region that theyconstructed a model Middle Eastern setting in thechurch’s community room. They brought to life biblicalscenes, even one in which they served Mideastern foodthey had prepared themselves. In the course of research-ing the project, they improved their reading, writing andpublic speaking skills.

“It’s rewarding work,” Barbara says. “When you spendtime with city kids, you soon discover they have dreamsand aspirations just like other young people. What theyneed is adults who have confidence in them and are will-ing to spend time to help them achieve.” She speaks glow-ingly of two young ladies in her church program who areattending college, modestly giving the girls all of the cred-it for their own progress. One of the girls, who hopes to

Passina Men

Lega

enter Georgetown University next fall, says,“If you believe it, you can do it.”

Barbara remembers herself as a shy, timid8th grader in Mr. Jones’s class. He told theNorth Carolina farm girl that the future waswide open for her if she was willing to makethe effort, and he gave her the confidence to

overcome her shyness by speaking up in class. She seesher own mentoring as passing on Mr. Jones’s legacy.

When asked what makes a good mentor, Barbara says,“First and foremost, you’ve got to be a good listener. Youalso have to be open-minded, have a strong desire to helpothers and share time andresources with them.”

There are plenty ofmentoring opportunitiesin every community,according to Barbara, acareer development offi-cer for mid-level special-ists in the Bureau ofHuman Resources. Peopleinterested in mentoringshould contact theirchurch, school or localyouth organization.

“You do it becauseyou care about people,”she says. ■

g ontor’scy

BarbaraDeJournette

March 2002 27

Page 29: State Magazine, March 2002

◆ March 13 Sirocco, a women’s woodwind quintet; Li-Ly Chang, pianist

◆ March 27 José Sacin, tenor, and Anastassia Ivanova, pianist

◆ April 10 Wayne Dorsey, classical pianist

◆ April 24 Marcos Galvany, composer-pianist; Naomi Burns, violinist;and Karla Rivera, soprano, performing music by Mr. Galvany

◆ May 8 Piano students from Georgetown University and State

◆ May 22 James Wilson, cellist

Performances are on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.in the Dean Acheson Auditorium.

STATE OF THE ARTS

Upcoming Calendar

Artist Premieres Poe Work

Pianist AnastassiaIvanova

By John Bentel

The State of the Arts Cultural Series and the ForeignAffairs Recreation Association ended their 2001concerts and ushered in the New Year with talent-

ed musicians from the Peabody Conservatory of Music inBaltimore and the Department.

In a return appearance, Peabody composer-pianistBenjamin Boyle premiered his Lenoriana, a song cycle forbaritone and piano based on Edgar Allan Poe’s poem.James Rogers sang the work, consisting of eight songs andan intermezzo. The cycle portrays the epic works of thepoet as well as the pain and tragedy that inspired them.

Violist William Johnston and pianist Laura Johnson,also from Peabody, performed works of German com-

28 State Magazine

FSI Men’s Glee Club

poser-violinist Paul Hindemith, many based on MiddleEast folk tunes laced with humor, along with AstorPiazzolla’s Le Grand Tango.

Nick and Mary Greanias presented their popularChristmas concert, a perennial favorite. The program alsofeatured vocalists Betsy Erickson, Amy DeLouise and thea cappella vocal octet, Venus d Minor. Guitarist RonaldHoehn and pianist Daniel Ernst accompanied the per-formers.

Employee Anjum Khilji read in Arabic Sura 1 from theQur’an, while the audience followed the program’sEnglish interpretation. As a welcome addition to theconcert, the FSI Men’s Glee Club, a 10-member ensem-ble, blended harmoniously under Mr. Greanias’s abledirection.

The colorful concert consisted of music from a multi-tude of traditions and faiths. In addition to the soloists,the audience joined in singing many familiar and tradi-tional holiday songs. In keeping with the universality ofthe season, Mr. Greanias led the audience in rounds (sim-ilar to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”) of the traditionalHebrew song Shalom Chaverim, as well as GiovanniPierluigi da Palestrina’s Dona Nobis a Pacem.

Some ever-popular Broadway selections were alsoincluded.

Mr. Greanias characterized the content of the musicand program as focused on “the great hope of Christmas:peace and goodwill for all.” ■

The author is a computer specialist in the Executive Secretariat.

Page 30: State Magazine, March 2002

O B I T U A R I E S

Michael Buzan Jr., 83, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedJan. 15 of a stroke in a surburb of New Orleans, La. Mr. Buzan served in Miami and New Orleans as directorof the Department’s reception centers before beingassigned in 1959 to the U.S. Embassy in Havana. Twoyears later, he oversaw the evacuation of U.S. personnelwhen diplomatic relations with Cuba were severed. Hewas the last U.S. diplomat to leave the island. He laterserved in India and Honduras. He retired in 1969.

Michel Cieplinski, 95, a retired CivilService employee, died Dec. 29 inWashington, D.C., after a short ill-ness. During his tenure at State, heserved as deputy administrator ofthe old Bureau of Security andConsular Affairs and later as actingadministrator of the Bureau ofConsular Affairs. He later served asa special assistant to the under sec-

retary for Management and deputy assistant secretary forAdministrative Affairs. He helped form the OverseasSchools Advisory Council in 1967 and served as a specialassistant to the council until his retirement in 1997.

Piltti Heiskanen, 89, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedSept. 14 of natural causes in Hanover, N.H. He worked forthe Voice of America in New York and Munich before join-ing the State Department. He was posted to Iran, Israel andFinland before retiring in 1973. He served as an officer inthe Finnish Army before moving to the United States.

Alexander Roy Mackay, 74, a retiredCivil Service employee, died Oct.20 of complications from surgery atGeorge Washington UniversityHospital in Washington, D.C. A res-ident of Arlington, Va., he served asattorney adviser in the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ passport divi-sion and visa office from 1962 until 1995.

Edgar L. McGinnis, 94, a retiredForeign Service officer, died of sep-sis Dec. 27 at Friends Home inSandy Spring, Md. During his 37years of government service, heserved in South and CentralAmerica, London and Tehran. Hisservice in Washington includedrepresenting the Department onthe Board of Economic Warfare andthe War Production Board. Heretired in 1967.

Helen Foose Petersen, a retiredForeign Service officer, died July 14in Coronado, Calif. She served inBermuda, Portugal, Saigon, Paris,Tehran, Seoul and Singapore beforeretiring in 1971.

Z. Kathryn Sodersten, a retiredForeign Service secretary, died ofcancer Oct. 12 in Dallas, Texas. Shejoined the Foreign Service in 1964and served in Rome, Naples, Izmir,Kingston and Mexico City. Sheretired in 1980.

State Magazine welcomes contributions to theobituaries. Text is limited to the employee’s careerwith the Department. The magazine publishes obit-uaries of State employees, retirees and immediatefamily members at the request of the family or arepresentative. Submissions may be e-mailed,faxed or mailed to the addresses on the insidefront cover. Photos are returned upon request.

March 2002 29

Page 31: State Magazine, March 2002

A P P O I N T M E N T S

Designated Chief of Mission toCuraçao. Deborah A. Bolton ofPennsylvania, a career member ofthe Senior Foreign Service, class ofCounselor, has assumed her dutiesas designated chief of the U.S.Mission to Curaçao. She openedthe U.S. Consulate General in HoChi Minh City in 1997 and servedthere as acting principal officer

until May 1998, when she became deputy principal offi-cer until her departure in 1999. From 1999 to 2001, sheserved as deputy chief of mission in the U.S. Embassy inValletta, Malta. She joined the Foreign Service in 1974 andhas also served in Quito, Buenos Aires, Madrid,Budapest, Havana and Hanoi.

Assistant Secretary for ResourceManagement and Chief FinancialOfficer. Christopher B. Burnham ofConnecticut, a former investmentbanker, state legislator and treasur-er, is the new assistant secretary forResource Management and chieffinancial officer. The Bureau ofResource Management is a newbureau created to enable the

Secretary of State to present integrated internationalaffairs resource submissions to the Office of Managementand Budget and to Congress. Mr. Burnham returns togovernment after serving as the chief executive officer ofa leading asset management and mutual fund company,PIMCO’s Columbus Circle Investors, and as vice chair-man of PIMCO’s mutual fund group. In 1994, he waselected treasurer of Connecticut. Previously, Mr.Burnham was an investment banker with Credit SuisseFirst Boston and Advest Corporate Finance. He waselected to the Connecticut House of Representatives threetimes. He is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine CorpsReserve and, as an infantry platoon commander in theGulf War, led one of the first units to liberate Kuwait Cityin 1991. He and his wife Courtney have three children.

Designated Chief of Mission in Havana, Cuba. James C.Cason from New Jersey, a career member of the SeniorForeign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, will assumehis duties in September as designated chief of mission ofthe U.S. Interest Section in Havana. Director of policy andcoordination in the Bureau of Western HemisphereAffairs since 2000, Mr. Cason was deputy chief of missionin Kingston from 1997 to 2000. He was political adviser to

30 State Magazine

the U.S. Atlantic Command and to NATO’s supremeallied commander Atlantic from 1995 to 1997. From 1991to 1995, he was deputy chief of mission at the U.S.Embassy in Tegucigalpa. Mr. Cason has also served inSan Salvador, La Paz, Panama City, Montevideo, Milan,Maracaibo and Lisbon. He was a Fulbright Scholar inUruguay from 1968 to 1970. He and his wife Carmenhave two sons.

Designated Chief of Mission in Hong Kong. James R.Keith of Virginia, a career member of the Senior ForeignService, class of Counselor, is scheduled to report toHong Kong in early August to serve as consul general.He is currently director of the Office of Chinese andMongolian Affairs, a position he has held since July 2000.He directed Asian affairs at the National Security Councilfrom 1999 to 2000 and served in the NSC’s Asian affairsdirectorate during the early 1990s. Mr. Keith has servedin Beijing, Jakarta and Seoul and in Taipei, for Chineselanguage training. He and his wife Jan have six children.

U.S. Ambassador to Swaziland. James D. McGee ofIndiana, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service,class of Counselor, is the new U.S. Ambassador toSwaziland. He served as administrative counselor inAbidjan from 1998 to 2001, Kingston from 1995 to 1998and Bridgetown from 1992 to 1995. He has also served inBombay, The Hague, Lahore and Lagos. During his serv-ice as an officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1968 to 1974,Mr. McGee earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses inVietnam. He is married to Shirley Jean French McGee.

U.S. Ambassador to the Republicof Namibia. Kevin J. McGuire ofMaryland, a career member of theSenior Foreign Service, class ofMinister-Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Republic ofNamibia. He directed the office ofsenior assignments in the Bureau ofHuman Resources from 1999 to2001 and served as diplomat-in-residence at Howard University

from 1997 to 1999. Mr. McGuire directed the office of eco-nomic, social and human rights affairs in the Bureau ofInternational Organization Affairs from 1994 to 1997. Hewas minister-counselor for economic affairs in Romefrom 1990 to 1994 and in Seoul from 1987 to 1990. He hasalso served in Canberra, Adelaide, Athens, Dublin andLibreville. He and his wife Kay have three children.

Page 32: State Magazine, March 2002

A P P O I N T M E N T S

U.S. Representative to the Organization for Securityand Cooperation in Europe, with the rank of ambassa-dor. Stephan M. Minikes of the District of Columbia, apartner in the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm ofThelen Reid & Priest L.L.P., is the new U.S.Representative to the Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe. He has chaired the firm’s gov-ernment affairs department and served as managingpartner of the Washington office. Prior to joining ThelenReid in 1984, Mr. Minikes established the Washingtonoffice of the Houston firm of Butler & Binion in 1977,serving as that office’s managing partner for seven years.In 1974, he joined the Export-Import Bank of the UnitedStates as senior vice president of the management com-mittee, where he served until 1977. From 1972 to 1974,Mr. Minikes served as legal counsel to the chief of NavalOperations. He and his wife Dianne have one daughter.

U.S. Ambassador to the Republicof Madagascar. Wanda L. Nesbittof Pennsylvania, a career memberof the Senior Foreign Service, classof Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Republic ofMadagascar. She was deputy chiefof mission in the U.S. Embassy inDar es Salaam from 1999 to 2001and in Kigali from 1997 to 1999.

Since joining the Foreign Service in 1981, she has alsoserved in Port-au-Prince, Paris and Kinshasa. Ms. Nesbittis married to James E. Stejskal.

U.S. Ambassador to Norway. JohnD. Ong of Ohio, chairman emeritusof the BFGoodrich Co., is the newU.S. Ambassador to Norway. Hejoined the company as an assistantcounsel in 1961, rising to the post ofpresident in 1975, to president andchief operating officer in 1978, tochairman of the board and chiefexecutive officer in 1979 and to

chairman of the board, chief executive officer and presi-dent in 1994. Mr. Ong retired from BFGoodrich as boardchairman in 1997 after 36 years of service. He is creditedwith transforming the tire-manufacturing firm into aleading provider of aircraft systems and services and aproducer of specialty chemicals. Mr. Ong joined the U.S.Army Reserve as an enlisted man in 1954 and was com-missioned as a first lieutenant after graduating fromHarvard Law School. He served on active duty from 1959

to 1961 and on reserve duty from 1961 to 1964. He was acaptain in the Ohio National Guard from 1964 to 1965. Heand his wife Mary Lee have three children.

Assistant Secretary for WesternHemisphere Affairs. Otto J. Reich,president and co-founder of RMAInternational, Inc., is the new assis-tant secretary for WesternHemisphere Affairs. RMAInternational, Inc., advises U.S. andmultinational clients on govern-ment relations, market access andstrategic planning. From 1990 until

co-founding RMA in 1997, Mr. Reich headed the LatinAmerican practice at The Brock Group, an internationalconsulting firm based in Washington, D.C. From 1986 to1989, he was U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela. As specialadviser to the Secretary of State from 1983 to 1986, hemanaged the interagency office of public diplomacy forLatin America and the Caribbean. In 1991 and 1992, hewas an alternate U.S. Representative to the U.N. HumanRights Commission in Geneva. From 1981 to 1983, he wasassistant administrator for Latin America in the U.S.Agency for International Development. Earlier, he wasWashington director of the Council of the Americas, com-munity development coordinator for the City of Miami,international representative of the State of FloridaDepartment of Commerce and staff assistant in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Reich has two grown daughters.

U.S. Ambassador to the Republic ofthe Philippines and the Republic ofPalau. Francis J. (Frank) RicciardoneJr., a career member of the SeniorForeign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Republic of thePhilippines and the Republic ofPalau. He directed the Department’stask force on the coalition against ter-

rorism and was a senior adviser to the director general ofthe Foreign Service. From 1999 to 2001, he was special coor-dinator for the transition of Iraq. Mr. Ricciardone has servedtwo tours in Turkey, most recently as deputy chief of mis-sion from 1995 to 1999. He has also served in Cairo, Ammanand London. He served in two multinational militarydeployments: as chief of the civilian observer unit of themultinational force and observers in Egypt’s Sinai Desertand as political adviser to the U.S. and Turkish command-

March 2002 31

Page 33: State Magazine, March 2002

ing generals of Operation Provide Comfort, based in Turkeyand operating in Iraq. He and his wife Marie, a molecularbiologist who works in the office of the environment in theBureau of Oceans and International EnvironmentalScientific Affairs, have two grown daughters.

U.S. Representative to the European Union, with therank of ambassador. Rockwell A. Schnabel of Californiais the new U.S. Representative to the European Union,with the rank of ambassador. He was a general partner inTrident Capital, a private equity firm in Los Angeles,from 1993 to 2001, and chaired the Los AngelesConvention and Visitor’s Bureau from 2000 to 2001. From1993 to 1996, Mr. Schnabel was president of the LosAngeles Fire and Police Pension Fund. He was an undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1989to 1991 and deputy secretary from 1991 to 1992. Mr.Schnabel was U.S. Ambassador to Finland from 1986 to1989. He was vice-chair of Morgan Olmstead KennedyGardner (Wedbush Securities) in Los Angeles from 1983to 1986. He was president, senior vice president and vicepresident of Bateman, Eichler, Hill, Richards Group, Inc.(First Union Securities). He and his wife Marna Bellehave three children.

32 State Magazine

Civil Service Retirements

PERSONNE

Baker,Newton CharlesBaker, Rabb StevanBrabham, Delores T.Corden, Pierce S.De La Garza, Alexander D.Dyer, Ellen D.Gregory, Bruce N.Gvozdas, Kathleen D.

Haneles, Ellen GailIrby, Marian E.Jackson, M. CelesteJacobs, Leslie E.Jordan, Sophie S.Kimmel, James K.Leslie, Willie L.Lowery III, Leroy

McGlinchey, LucillaMcLaughlin Iii, ChaRice, JoannRogers, Doris J.Sheaks, Owen J.Shields, Brenda A.Wanner, Raymond EZielkowski, Donald

U.S. Ambassador to the Republicof Moldova. Pamela Hyde Smith ofWashington state, a career memberof the Senior Foreign Service, classof Minister-Counselor, is the newU.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova. She was minister-counselor for public affairs in theU.S. Embassy in London from 1997to 2001 and directed the Bureau of

Information in the U.S. Information Agency from 1995 to1997. Since joining the Foreign Service in 1975, Ms. Smithhas also served in Bucharest, Belgrade and Jakarta. Shehas two daughters by her deceased husband SidneySmith and two stepsons.

Alternate Representative of the United States ofAmerica for Special Political Affairs in the UnitedNations, with the rank of ambassador. Richard S.Williamson of Illinois, a partner in the Chicago law firmof Mayer, Brown & Platt, is an Alternate Representativeof the United States of America for special political affairsin the United Nations, with the rank of ambassador. Mr.Williamson was part-time chairman of the IllinoisSecretary of State Merit Commission from 1994 to 1999.He was a member and then chairman of the board ofdirectors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicagofrom 1990 to 1996. He joined Mayer, Brown & Platt as apartner in 1986, left the firm to serve as assistant secretaryfor International Organization Affairs from 1988 to 1989and rejoined the firm at the completion of his assignmentwith the Department. From 1985 to 1986, Mr. Williamsonwas senior vice president for corporate and internationalrelations at Beatrice Co., Inc. He was U.S. Ambassador tothe U.N. offices in Vienna from 1983 to 1985 and deputyU.S. Representative to the International Atomic EnergyAgency. He was assistant to the President for Inter-Government Affairs from 1981 to 1983. Mr. Williamsonand his wife Jane have three children.

L ACTIONS

Ackerman, David A.Bennett, David C.Burkhardt, Paul G.Collins Jr., John A.Dempsey, Gerard M.Einik, M. MichaelGelbard, Robert S.

Greene, Frank P.Hecklinger, Richard E.Hess, David M.Murray Jr., Daniel ThomasNewman, Cynthia J.Painter, Rodney G.Shaeffer, David T.

Foreign Service Retirements A.rles

.W.

Page 34: State Magazine, March 2002