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

May 2002

StateStateM a g a z i n e

Office of Oceans Affairs

Protecting a Global Resource

Office of Oceans Affairs

In our next issue:

State Magazine (ISSN 1099–4165) is published monthly, exceptbimonthly in July and August, by the U.S. Department of State,2201 C St., N.W., Washington, DC. Periodicals postage paid atWashington, D.C., and at additional mailing locations. POSTMAS-TER: Send changes of address to State Magazine, HR/ER/SMG,SA-1, Room H-236, Washington, DC 20522-0108. State Magazineis published to facilitate communication between managementand employees at home and abroad and to acquaint employeeswith developments that may affect operations or personnel. The magazine is also available to persons interested in workingfor the Department of State and to the general public.

State Magazine is available by subscription through theSuperintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,Washington, DC 20402 (telephone [202] 512-1800) or on the web athttp://bookstore.gpo.gov.

For details on submitting articles to State Magazine, request our guidelines, “Getting Your Story Told,” by e-mail atstatemagazine@state.gov; download them from our web site at www.state.gov/m/dghr/statemag; or send your request in writing to State Magazine, HR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Room H-236,Washington, DC 20522-0108. The magazine’s phone number is(202) 663-1700.

Deadlines: May 15 for July–August issue.July 15 for September issue.

StateStateMagazine

Carl GoodmanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dave KreckeWRITER/EDITOR

Kathleen GoldyniaART DIRECTOR

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Pat HayesCHAIRMAN

Jo Ellen PowellEXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Florence FultzWilliam Hudson

Jim LawrenceLes McBee

Erin RooneyDoug Ryan

MILANMILANThe Cathedral

7 Post of the Month: MadridDiplomats here savor their challenges and rewards.

12 Office of the Month: Oceans AffairsProtecting a global resource is their focus.

17 Finding Work OverseasEnergetic spouses use resources like the Internet.

20 Hometown DiplomatsScores of employees talk to the folks back home.

24 The ProsThey move everything—from paintings to POVs.

27 African-American Heritage Shines at USUNSeries brings on the stars.

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

May 2002No. 457

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

28 Safety Scene

29 People Like You

30 State of the Arts

31 Obituaries

32 Personnel Actions

On the CoverThe Office of Oceans Affairs,

stewards of marine resources.Photo by Imtek Imagineering/Masterfile

12

7

Dressed in traditional costume,a young resident of Madridcelebrates National Day.

Harlan Cohen stands at South Pole,on Oceans Affairs’ research trip.

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2 State Magazine

FROM THE SECRETARYSECRETARY COLIN L. POWELL

President Reagan used to explain that the right way to recite the closing lines of Lincoln’sGettysburg Address is to emphasize the last word of each phrase: “government of thepeople, by the people, for the people.” That was his way of reminding those of us in public

service of a fundamental truth—our success is measured by the benefits we bring to theAmerican people.

Lincoln’s famous speech harkens back “fourscore and seven years” to the Declaration ofIndependence, the statement of principles upon which our government was founded. In that remark-able document, Thomas Jefferson made a revolutionary claim—that governments exist to secure theindividual’s “inalienable rights” to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Governments do notgive us our rights. We establish governments to make sure we can exercise our rights.

President Bush drew from this proud tradition when he described our mission in his State ofthe Union message:

America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity: the rule of law; limits on the power of the state; respect for women; private property;free speech; equal justice; and religious tolerance.

This month we celebrate Foreign Affairs Day, when we commemorate the part each of usplays in helping our government secure these universal rights for the American people andspread them as widely as possible around the globe.

In our first year together, we have created a record of fidelity to these values and service tothe American people that we can be proud of. In the field, Americans and Foreign ServiceNational employees have braved hardship and danger to wage the campaign against terrorism. In Washington, D.C., more than 1,300 people served on 9/11-related task forces and countlessothers worked in the bureaus to help oust the Taliban, disrupt al Qaeda’s networks, help thepeople of Afghanistan rebuild their shattered country and root out terrorist infrastructurearound the world.

Since Sept. 11, the war on terrorism has been our top priority. But we also have many interests tomanage and opportunities to pursue. Our State Department team, in Washington, D.C., and in thefield, has absorbed the added burdens of Sept. 11 while continuing to work on our other nationalinterests and capture opportunities, from strengthening ties with Russia to combating HIV/AIDS.

Last year, I challenged our retirees—Civil Service and Foreign Service—to connect to our StateDepartment family in a powerful way. And they have responded, taking the message of U.S. diplo-macy to the American people and serving as mentors to those who are coming after them.

I am a political appointee, like many at State, but I was also a “career” employee for some 35years. Now that I’ve seen government from both sides, I am more convinced than ever that wecan accomplish our mission for the American people only if we come together as a team—notpolitical people, not career people, but State Department people.

When President Bush honored me by nominating me to be Secretary of State, I was given a fullset of briefings by the outgoing assistant secretaries and their teams. During one briefing, anassistant secretary began her thought by saying, “when your team takes ove r. . . .”I immediatelyinterrupted her and, looking around the room at the career staff, said “this is my team.”

In our first year of promise and peril, we have come together to face challenges, meet adver-sity, stare down danger and fulfill our mission.

In our second year together, let us rededicate ourselves to the founding principles of our repub-lic, as Jefferson so eloquently expressed them, Lincoln so memorably recaptured them andPresident Bush so powerfully reaffirmed them. On Foreign Affairs Day, let us rededicate ourselvesto service on behalf of the American people and loyalty to the State Department family. ■

Foreign Affairsfor the People

May 2002 3

‘Great News’I enjoyed your cover

story in the Februaryissue on our “Returnto Kabul.” Kabulwas my firstassignment wayback in January1950. That’sgreat news. It’swonderful to

know we’re backthere again. My best to

that valiant band of pioneers.

Gordon KingRetired FSOGodalming, England

CorrectionsOn Home Leave

As author of the Department’stransition leave policy, I would liketo clarify a statement made in yourMarch article, “The Taj Mahal UpClose,” about a Civil Serviceemployee serving overseas.

The article stated that Civil Serviceemployees serving overseas onexcursion tours are ineligible forhome leave. State Department CivilService employees are entitled tohome leave if they complete at least18 months overseas and transfer toanother overseas assignment.

While employees who return toWashington after serving overseasare not entitled to home leave, theymay be eligible for “transition leave.”Transition leave provides 10 days ofadministrative leave for State CivilService employees returning toWashington after serving at least 18consecutive months overseas.

For more details, consult the 3 FAM.

Corinne ThorntonBrookings Legislative FellowWashington, D.C.

On AuthorshipThe author of the article, “U.S.

Firms Recognized for Their OverseasOperations,” in your March issue is

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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

senior adviser for business outreachin the Office of Commercial andBusiness Affairs in the Bureau ofEconomic and Business Affairs.

Nancy Smith-NissleySenior AdviserOffice of Commercial and Business AffairsBureau of Economic and Business Affairs

On an ObituaryAudrey A. Schenck, whose obitu-

ary appeared in our February issue,was a Foreign Service informationmanagement specialist, not a secre-tary. In addition to the posts listed,she also served in Jerusalem.

From the EditorSince his first day in office, Secretary Powell has sought every venue

available to tell the State Department story to the American people. TheHometown Diplomats Program, which he endorsed a few months into histerm, is one of those ways. Since last May, scores of State’s Foreign Serviceand Civil Service employees have returned to their home communities tospread the word about what we do for them. Judging from reports, the pro-gram has been an unqualified success. The coverage starts on page 20.

The oceans cover 70 percent of the earth’s surface and represent a globalresource so valuable that it’s hard to calculate. The Office of Oceans Affairs,our cover story, supports international marine conservation efforts and avariety of science-based decisions by other federal agencies, universities andresearch institutions and coordinates research vessel clearances. While somefield trips include the balmy waters of the Gulf of Mexico, others head tocooler climes like Antarctica. To learn more, you need only travel to page 12.

Energetic spouses are finding work both inside and outside embassywalls, thanks to the Internet and the Family Liaison Office—the leader indeveloping employment programs and policies to support spouses inter-ested in working overseas. To learn more about carrying your career in asuitcase, turn to page 17.

Like their counterparts in the military, members of the Foreign Service areconstantly on the move. The people responsible for those moves deliver notonly the goods but also smiles to the faces of their satisfied customers. Thecustomer was the focus of a March workshop in Seattle for 36 ForeignService National employees from Vladivostock and the Pacific Rim regionwho move everything from paintings to private autos. Move to page 24.

4 State Magazine

I N T H E N E W S

World’s Largest LivingFood Pyramid

The U.S. Embassy community in Damascus, Syria,claims to have created the world’s largest living foodpyramid on Feb. 18, when an enthusiastic group of par-ents and children gathered for the embassy’s first annualChildren’s Health Fair. Co-sponsored by the embassy’sCommunity Liaison Office and health unit, the fairoffered children of all ages the chance to learn aboutnutrition, exercise and even bacteria. The children rantheir fingers across petri dishes and examined the dishesdays later to discover what germs lurk on apparentlyclean hands. The heart rate, height and weight of eachparticipant were recorded, and the children wrapped upthe busy afternoon of active learning by participating ina poster contest on healthy lifestyles.

Slain Americans Return Home; President, Secretary Offer Condolences

President and Mrs. George W. Bush,Secretary of State and Mrs. Colin L. Powelland senior U.S. officials gathered March 21at Andrews Air Force Base outsideWashington, D.C., to greet Milton Green,whose wife Barbara and step daughterKristen Wormsley were murdered in a terrorist attack March 17 at a church inIslamabad, Pakistan.

Mr. Green and his son Zachary, both ofwhom were wounded in the attack,returned on a U.S. military flight with theremains of his wife Barbara, 39, and step-daughter Kristen, 17. A military honorguard escorted the coffins from the aircraft.

Deputy Secretary of State RichardArmitage escorted Mr. Green to a receptionarea, where he met President Bush andSecretary Powell, who offered their condo-lences. Mr. Armitage, on behalf of the StateDepartment, told Mr. Green that he exem-plified the dedication, decency, spirit and courage of the extended State Department family.

“Just as surely as our men and women in uniform do, the men and women of our State Department and their fami-lies serve on the frontiers of freedom,” Mr. Armitage said. “American families like the Greens are willing, again andagain, to serve in difficult and often dangerous places because they know their service advances our nation’s most cher-ished values and enduring interests.”

A brief memorial service honoring Barbara Green and Kristen Wormsley was held in the Dean Atcheson AuditoriumApril 5. Friends and colleagues in the Department had an opportunity to meet Milton and Zachary Green in theDelegates Lounge after the ceremony.

Photo by B.K. Bangash/AP Photos

Police guard the Protestant International Churchin Islamabad, Pakistan, after it was attacked.

May 2002 5

Handling Irradiated MailSince last year’s anthrax contamination, all incoming mail to the Department from outside sources is sent off-site

to irradiation facilities in Ohio and New Jersey for decontamination.The Department is still receiving mail postmarked from last October and November. As employees have discovered,

the irradiation process used to decontaminate mail can make envelopes very fragile and brittle. If the envelope has beendamaged, employees are advised to copy the incoming envelope before opening it so that if the contents are unusable,the sender can be notified.

Long-Term CareAvailable Now

Long-term care insur-ance for federal, postaland military employ-ees, families and annui-tants is now available.Early enrollment runsthrough May 15.

The early enrollment,offering prepackagedplans for individualswho already knowabout long-term careand insurance, will be followed by an open season thatwill run from July 1 through Dec. 31.

While there are no federal contributions, the Office ofPersonnel Management estimates this plan is 15 to 20percent cheaper than comparable policies elsewhere. Youmay find a plan with a lower premium but not with com-parable features, OPM said.

Unlike some plans, OPM officials said, the one beingoffered through a joint venture by Metropolitan Life andJohn Hancock pays 100 percent of assisted living andhospice care as well as 100 percent of nursing homes.

If you are currently eligible for federal employee healthbenefits, you are probably eligible for this program.Every applicant, however, must undergo “underwrit-ing,” where a pre-existing condition may disqualify youfor full insurance—even though a limited policy may beavailable. Active employees, OPM noted, will undergo“abbreviated” underwriting, completing a short form. Allothers must complete the long form.

The federal government does not tax these premiums,which may be deductible as medical expenses, providedthey total more than 7.5 percent of your adjusted grossincome. And 22 states, OPM said, currently offer state taxcredits. To calculate your own premium, visitwww.opm.gov./insure/ltc/calculator/index.htm.

OPM estimates some 20 million persons may be eligi-ble for long-term care insurance right now.

For more information, call 1-800-582-3337 Mondaythrough Friday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., visitwww.ltcfeds.com or call the Department coordinator,Eliza Bethune-King, at (202) 261-8173.

Summer Camp for DiplototsThe Diplotots Child Development Center is opening its

summer camp for children ages 5 through 10, from June24 to Aug. 29, 2002. Diplotots offers an all-day programMonday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome for those in Washington, D.C., for shortperiods of time. Field trips, scheduled once a week,include visits to the National Zoo, National Aquarium,Capital Children’s Museum, Wolf Trap Farm Park,Orioles baseball game and bowling. The fee is $350 pertwo-week session or $175 per week. Each session offersdifferent activities and meals are included. For furtherinformation, please contact Director Carol Reynolds orAssistant Director Christina Smith at 202-663-3555 or bye-mail at ecdcdiplotots@yahoo.com.

Photos

In a ceremony held at the U.S. Consulate in November, representativesof the Hong Kong police department presented a check for almost$5,000 to the 9/11 fund in honor of their fallen New York comrades.Patrick Moore, left, regional security officer at the U.S. Consulate, joinsMichael Klosson, consul general, in receiving the check from Mark FordMcNicol, chief inspector for operations in Kowloon East; SimonHannaford, senior inspector; and William Tang, chief superintendent.

Hong Kong Police Contribute to 9/11 Fund

ch

6 State Magazine

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

While last month’s column con-cerned the Foreign Service, thismonth’s column may interest

Civil Service employees. That’s because weare now working on a number of initiativesto streamline the Department’s Civil Servicehiring process. But we are all members ofone team, and what affects one groupaffects everyone else.

Late last summer, around the time thatwe launched the Diplomatic Readiness TaskForce, I checked on how we stood with Civil Service hir-ing. At the time, I expected to learn that we had a fewdozen openings, all in the process of being advertisedand filled through the normal Civil Service rules. Quitefrankly, I was surprised to learn we had a large numberof unfilled Civil Service positions. All of these positionswere fully funded, were part of our normal employmentceiling, but, for one reason or another, remained unfilled.

So I decided to do something about it. First, I tried toget a decent X ray of the problem. How much time dideach step in the hiring process take? Where were the bot-tlenecks? How could we speed things up, and whatauthority did we have to improve the process?

The greatest difference between Foreign Service andCivil Service hiring is that in the Foreign Service webring in classes and then assign them to a pool of jobs weknow exist and know we have to fill. Civil Service hir-ing, on the other hand, is job-specific. There’s no pool ofpeople already hired, cleared and ready to move intojobs as they open up. Furthermore, we are not loneactors in this area. When we hire employees from out-side the Department, we have to follow government-wide merit procedures.

In taking another look at our hiring process and needs,we discovered that we could predict pretty accurately thenumbers of openings we would have in areas such asfinance, human resources, contracting, procurement andlogistics. The trick was to have people hired and ready tomove into these jobs quickly.

Working with the bureaus in the M family with largeCivil Service components, we have established theProfessional Pre-Assignment Center Program (common-

ly known as PAC, but not to be confusedwith a political action committee). We aregoing to hire 50 centrally funded CivilService personnel in grades GS-9 to GS-12and put them to work throughout theDepartment on a rotational basis.

As Civil Service vacancies occur, these newhires will be able to move into the unfilledjobs, thereby cutting down the long lag timerequired to advertise and fill each individualvacancy. So while we won’t exactly have

Civil Service “classes” like we do in the Foreign Service,we are creating a talent pool we can draw on quickly andmuch more efficiently.

Lest you think that this is the only personnel issueaffecting the Civil Service we’ve tackled, let me mentiona few others. Besides expanding our PresidentialManagement Intern program—a tremendous successover the past five years—we also are planning to aug-ment our workforce with National Security EducationProgram participants. In exchange for financial assistancefor higher education, these participants agree to work forthe government for up to four years.

We are also expanding other Civil Service hiring pro-grams. These include the Career Entry Program, whichrecruits recent college graduates for entry level profes-sional positions, and the Cooperative EducationProgram, which allows undergraduate students to com-bine the academic training they are receiving in collegewith real-life work experience.

We are also doing more college campus recruiting,advertising more imaginatively and acquiring the ser-vices of commercial web sites to disperse our recruitmentmessage to the widest possible audience. Our Diplomatsin Residence are not simply recruiting for the ForeignService—they have a mission to recruit for the entireDepartment. And they are doing so.

In making these changes, we are working with all thebureaus and are drawing on the imagination and hardwork of a great many of our Civil Service colleagues. Thework of recruitment, outreach and imagination, however,is not limited to them. All of you can help, and I hope youwill do so. ■

Streamlining Civil Service Hiring

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By Richard J. Gilbert

Madrid has been described as part celebration, part dynamoand part theater. Unquestionably, the sometimes noisy, alwaysvibrant capital of Spain is one of Europe’s great cities, with aspecial rhythm of life from dawn to dawn that stamps the livelytown with a distinct Spanish character and flavor.

Madrid’s Fountain atCibeles Square and thePuerta de Alcala at night.

Photo by Miles Ertman/Masterfile

Post of the Month:

8 State Magazine

For U.S. Embassy staff, Americans and Spaniards alike,managing U.S. diplomacy in 21st-century Madrid is filledwith new challenges and activities. Spain is asserting a vig-orous leadership role within the 15-member EuropeanUnion (the Spanish government currently serves as the EU

presidency nation)and is workingclosely with theUnited States as asolid partner in thewar against terror.

Americans serv-ing in Madrid willlong remember theU.S. Marine honorguard from RotaNaval Air Stationregally bearing theU.S. flag up thecapital city’s princi-pal thoroughfarelast fall as part of

Spain’s massiveNational Day celebrations. The sight of King Juan Carlostaking the salute as the Stars and Stripes passed proudlywas a powerful statement that Americans did not standalone in the wake of Sept. 11. Rarely had the ties between thepeoples of the United States and Spain been so graphicallyand movingly displayed.

Madrid’s reputation as the city that never sleeps has lit-tle effect on the 100-plus Americans and the 200 or so

The General Services staffdiscuss renovation plans.

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Information Distribution Center staff preparethe post’s newsletter ¿Qué Pasa?

Marine Color Guard marchesin Madrid during Spain’sNational Day celebration.

May 2002 9

Foreign Service National employees representing 14 fed-eral agencies who staff the U.S. Embassy in Madrid.These days, handling the incredibly multifaceted U.S.-Spanish bilateral relationship, dealing with the problemsfacing thousands of U.S. residents in and visitors toSpain, unraveling often thorny trade and economic issuesand feeding Washington’s insatiable appetite for infor-mation are full-time jobs leaving little time for partyingwith Madrid’s notorious nightowls.

But, as elsewhere, it’s not always work, work, work.Beyond the embassy’s gate lies Spain—with its glorious

history, traditions, festivals and art. Just down the streetfrom the embassy is Madrid’s “masterpiece mile.” Thestretch of pavement boasts the Prado Museum, housingthe royal collection of Hapsburg and Bourbon art; thePalacio Villahermoso, home to the Thyssen-Bornemiszacollection of paintings, and the contemporary art museumnamed for Spain’s Queen Sofía, housing the works ofmodern Spanish masters like Picasso, Miró, Gris and Dalí.

Within an hour’s drive of Madrid are cities like Toledo,where El Greco lived and worked, site of one of

Employees take theirlunch break in theembassy cafeteria.

Information section staff at the Plaza de Oriente.

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esPlaza Mayor, lined with horse-drawn carriages, isthe setting for the U.S. Ambassador to present hiscredentials.

Since then, the demands on U.S. diplomacy in the newSpain have exploded and become increasingly active andcomplex. For example, even as Spain becomes an increas-ingly important and assertive member of the EuropeanUnion, the nation has not forgotten its traditional ties tothe countries of the Spanish-speaking world. This factheightens the impact of America’s relationship with Spainand allows U.S. diplomacy in Madrid to resonate widely.

Christendom’s grand-est cathedrals andrepository of Spain’sJewish traditions. Tothe north lies Segoviawith its still activeRoman aqueduct,monasteries, conventsand majestic fantasycastle, the Alcazar. Tothe west is themedieval walled cityof Avila, home to St.Theresa and more.

Working in Spaintoday, however, in-volves more—muchmore—than enjoyingthe sound of gypsyguitars, the stamping,flashing feet of fla-menco dancers or anoccasional bullfight. Long gone are the days when wagscould proclaim smugly that “Europe stops at thePyrenees.” Even in that distant past, Spain was never thequiet, dull backwater that some imagined. Then, just aquarter century ago, with the coming of democracy,Spain began the process of a hurried modernization,rushing headlong toward Europe and into the globaldiplomatic arena.

10 State Magazine

Regional security stafftest their new ID system.

American CitizenServices employeesat their stations.

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In Central and South Americatoday and in parts of theCaribbean, Spain’s role reachesbeyond historical and linguisticties and is best illustrated by thenation’s deepening business andcommercial involvement andpolitical and cultural influence inthe American hemisphere.

At the same time, Spain has animportant regional role in its ownneighborhood for North Africanand Mediterranean countries.Today’s Spain is a key player in ahost of regional organizationsand institutions beyond the EU.As a result, the U.S. Embassy inMadrid, like U.S. Missions inEurope’s other principal capitals,addresses a broad menu of issuesdaily. Spain is unquestionably aregional center staffed by special-ists required to be fluent with anever-growing agenda of European, Latin American,North African and Middle Eastern policies.

America’s diplomats and their families enjoy a varietyof lifestyles in Madrid as befits a huge, ever-growing cos-mopolitan city and major European capital. Many staff,especially singles and families without children, live incentral Madrid apartments, often in close proximity tothe embassy, in the Barrio de Salamanca and similar near-

by urban areas. Families with children congregate inMadrid’s western suburbs, near the American School ofMadrid, an English-language campus that has been edu-cating embassy children for more than 40 years.

Despite the trauma of traffic, suburbanites and citydwellers alike enjoy Madrid’s charms, ranging from thecity’s ubiquitous coffee and tapas bars to countlessrestaurants to theaters offering world-class opera, theplays of Spain’s classic dramatists, the sounds of zarzuelaor Spanish-language versions of modern day-musicals.

For residents and foreigners alike, Madrid’s uniqueSpanish beat is a sound both spirited and spectacular. ■

The author works in the administrative section of the U.S.Embassy in Madrid.

May 2002 11

Ambassador George Argyros presents his credentials to His Majestythe King of Spain.

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esThe CorderoClub dining out.

The embassy’s facilitymaintenance staff.

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12 State Magazine

Oceans AffairsOffice of the Month:

Protecting aGlobal

Resource

May 2002 13

By Richard Wilbur

Ever since the Dutch juristHugo Grotius penned hisessay on “The Freedom of the Seas” in 1608, maritime nations such asthe United States havezealously protected theirrights of navigation andshipborne commerce.

The freedom of the seas is a funda-mental pillar of international law.Along with the right of access tothe ocean’s resources, the freedom

of the seas is also essential to U.S. foreignpolicy and a focal point for the work of theOffice of Oceans Affairs in the Bureau ofOceans and International Environmentaland Scientific Affairs.

Although lesser known than his doc-trine of the freedom of the seas, Grotiusalso declared in the same work that theresources of the high seas, while open touse by individuals and governments,must “…remain in the same condition aswhen they were first created by Nature.”

Grotius’s was perhaps the first call to pre-venting marine pollution and conservingthe ocean’s riches. As ocean ecosystems facestress from overexploitation and pollution,his proscription is recognized today as a

s

Robert W. Smith and Mexican colleague take positioning data using GPS on Raccoon Island, La.

question not just of law but of science and good manage-ment. Science has demonstrated the intricate interplaybetween the sea and global weather patterns, as well as therelationships among healthy watersheds, abundance offishery resources and public health. Just as freedom of nav-igation is fundamental to our national security and eco-nomic well-being, so too is the proper management ofmarine resources and ecosystems.

14 State Magazine

Established in 1974, Oceans Affairs takesthe policy lead for negotiations and interna-tional cooperation in global ocean matters.Staffed by 12 Civil Service employees, fiveForeign Service officers, a Coast Guarddetail and a fellow from the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Science,the office leads the intra-agency effort to pre-serve and promote the goals of U.S. oceanspolicy through the negotiation of and partic-ipation in international agreements con-cerned with the proper use of the world’soceans and marine resources. Since theseoceans cover 70 percent of the planet’s sur-face and range from the Arctic to Antarcticaand from the Caribbean (our “ThirdBorder,” as President Bush has called theregion) to the South Pacific, this mandateprovides both challenges and unique oppor-tunities for the Oceans Affairs staff.

Cayos Asenas, Mexico (north of theYucatán peninsula, Gulf of Mexico).

Left, Robert W. Smith on a surveyfield trip to Raccoon Island, La.Right, editor Liz Tirpak.

U.S. McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Harlan Cohen with fishing pole iswith the U.S. research team, fishing for specimens to study the anti-freeze mechanism of fish in the Antarctic. January is in the middleof the summer here.

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To support the wide range of U.S. ocean inter-ests, the Oceans Affairs staff literally covers theglobe. In recent months, they have traveled toLondon for International Maritime Organizationdiscussions on port and shipping security issuesin the aftermath of Sept. 11, to Lebanon to pro-vide technical support to the Lebanese govern-ment on maritime boundary issues, to Alaskaand Finland for Arctic Council meetings and toAntarctica, Australia and New Zealand to watchover U.S. interests surrounding the AntarcticTreaty system and the International WhalingCommission.

The complexity of the ocean environment andthe need to balance often-competing demands onmarine resources is reflected in the interagencyprocess that OA staffers oversee to support ocean-related U.S. commitments. They work with col-

leagues from a wide range of U.S. govern-ment agencies and in close coordinationwith other Department offices, includingthe Office of Marine Conservation, todevelop unified U.S. positions on oceansissues in preparation for internationalnegotiations and conferences.

Because of the growing need to incor-porate science-based decisionmaking intothe policy process, Oceans Affairs sup-ports a variety of marine science activitiesof federal agencies, universities andresearch institutions and coordinates aresearch vessel clearance process.

May 2002 15

Hale Van Koughnett withDanish colleague inBarrow, Alaska, for theU.S.-chaired Arctic CouncilMinisterial meeting.

Raymond V. Arnaud at a water treatment plant inNorwich, UK.

Photo by Carl Goodman

OA’s Roberta Chew.

Oceans Affairs actively supports inter-national marine conservation efforts suchas the Global Program of Action, theUnited Nations program dedicated toprotecting the marine environment fromland-based sources of pollution; theInternational Maritime Organization’santi-pollution agreements and theLondon Dumping Convention; and theU.N. Regional Seas Programmes, such asthe South Pacific Regional Environmental

Program andthe CaribbeanEnvironmentProgram. Theoffice overseesLaw of the Sea

issues, such as maritime boundaries, protection of shipsat sea, delimitation of continental shelves and underwa-ter cultural heritage sites.

As the U.S. government preparesfor the August 2002 World Summiton Sustainable Development,Oceans Affairs is working to devel-op an ambitious strategy to promotegood governance and improvedregional coordination among gov-ernments, nongovernmental organi-zations and international organiza-tions involved in marineconservation. The office, stressing across-sectional approach to manag-ing watersheds and marineresources, is working with intera-gency, NGO and Department col-leagues to promote sustainabledevelopment of coastal zones andmarine ecosystems in the Caribbean,Africa and the South Pacific.

As the importance of oceans, envi-ronment, science and health issuesin U.S. foreign policy has grown, theOffice of Oceans Affairs has taken

the lead in multilateral efforts involving oceans issues.Last year, for example, the office led over two dozen U.S.delegations to international meetings and negotiations.This year’s schedule is likely to be even busier. ■

The author is a Foreign Service officer in the Office ofOceans Affairs.

16 State Magazine

Hale Van Koughnett with Evan Bloom of L/OES and Marideth Sandler of the Governor of Alaska’sWashington, D.C. office at the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland, during an Arctic Council meeting.

Robert Blumbergplans travel.

Sally Brandel, senior adviser, left, andMargaret Hayes, office director, confer.

Photo by Carl Goodman

Photo by Carl Goodman

What are the optionsfor Foreign Servicefamily members?

Working opportunities inside anembassy or consulate.

According to FLO’sFamily Member Employ-ment Report, approx-imately 36 percent of alladult family members areworking overseas. Morethan 68 percent of thosework for the U.S. govern-ment, inside an embassyor consulate, primarily inadministrative, consularor office managementpositions. Governmentemployment is attractiveto spouses who enjoyworking in an American-style environment, observing the same holi-days and functioning pri-marily in English during

the workday. While coordinating extended home leave canpose problems, especially during school holidays, manycouples manage to make arrangements that still considerthe needs of the mission. The Family MemberAppointment hiring mechanism also makes employmentwith the U.S. government attractive. It pays benefits andmakes it easier for employees to make the transition togovernment positions during tours in Washington, D.C.

Finding employment at a post begins during the bid-ding cycle. FLO’s report describes the scope of employ-ment options at posts and is available on the Intranet athttp://hrweb.hr.state.gov/flo/employment/famer.htmlor by contacting FLO. Community liaison office coordi-nators can also provide copies and, in some cases, rele-vant post-specific information.

When moving, spouses should carry all employment-related documents, including appointment and resignationauthorizations, performance evaluations, letters of recom-mendation, résumés and writing samples, if applicable.

May 2002 17

By Judy Ikels

The realities ofForeign Servicelife don’t reallysink in untilyou’ve “walked

the walk” and “talkedthe talk.”

Every spouse remem-bers relocating overseasfor the first time. Youcan talk about theupcoming transition andits possible effect onyour family, take coursesat Foreign ServiceInstitute’s TransitionCenter, spend hours inthe Overseas BriefingCenter poring overinformation about over-seas assignments, takeadvantage of spouseemployment advisingand pick the brains ofknowledgeable professionals at the Office of OverseasSchools and the Family Liaison Office.

But it isn’t until you leave Washington, D.C., and stepoff the plane at your new post that it all hits you. Forspouses who want to pursue careers, life suddenlybecomes much more complicated. With every move,spouses have to reinvent themselves, look for new workopportunities and adjust to new job cultures and payscales. To do this successfully requires flexibility, creativ-ity, self-confidence and a global network.

Transitions are inherent to life in the Foreign Service.Employees have the continuity of their assignments andan American-style work environment inside the walls ofan embassy or consulate. But for spouses who want towork, advance their careers and continue learning,Foreign Service life presents major challenges. TheFamily Liaison Office has taken the lead in developingemployment programs and policies to support spousesinterested in working overseas.

Energetic Spouses Find Work Inside and Outside Embassy Walls

’sting.

Working on the local economy abroad.Thirty-two percent of Foreign Service spouses who

work overseas find employment in the local economy.While it is more difficult, pursuing work across bordersoften proves a better match for many professions. Again,the bidding process is critical. Spouses should determinewhether the proposed country of assignment has a bilat-eral work agreement, making it legal to obtain a workpermit. The country list is on the FLO web site. The nextstep is to learn everything about the host country, includ-ing licensing and certificate requirements. It is importantto maintain memberships in professional organizations

18 State Magazine

By Melissa Hess and Patricia Linderman

Despite the dot-com bust, the Internet is openingup new opportunities for Foreign Service spousesaround the world.

We discovered this when Melissa Hess was posted inKiev, Ukraine, and Patricia Linderman was in Leipzig,Germany. We “met” in cyberspace, where Melissa is man-aging editor of Associates of the American ForeignService Worldwide’s web site (www.aafsw.org), and bothof us were active in the organization’s Foreign Service e-mail support group, Livelines.

“I was impressed by Patricia’s writing style and hersupportive, sensible advice to Foreign Service newcom-ers, “ says Melissa. We struck up a correspondence by e-mail, and Melissa proposed collaborating on a newcom-

ers’ guidebook to expatriate life within and outside theForeign Service. Patricia agreed, and we set to work on aproposal and sample chapter.

Intercultural Press of Maine agreed to publish thebook, and later, Nicholas Brealey Publishers of Londonteamed up with Intercultural on the project. The finishedbook, The Expert Expatriate: Your Guide to SuccessfulRelocation Abroad, was published in March. For moreinformation, visit www.expatguide.info.

Patricia explains, “Writing a book over the Internet wasn’t as complicated as you might think. Melissa and Idivided up the chapters, wrote drafts and e-mailed them toeach other for review and revision. Although I was aspouse in a small, three-officer consulate, we were connect-ed via e-mail to feedback, advice and quotations from otherForeign Service writers and expatriates all over the world.”

Two Foreign Service Spouses Write a Book Via the Internet

that often provide built-in net-works to tap into for everymove. Find out which compa-nies operate in your assignedpost.

Education remains one ofthe most viable career options,with 42 percent of thoseemployed in the local econo-my working in the field ofeducation. Teachers mayencounter compensationproblems, however, whenthey are hired locally. Manyinternational schools offerU.S. pay scales to teachersrecruited from the UnitedStates. Unfortunately, thesesame schools frequently paysignificantly lower wages toForeign Service spouses hiredlocally. The Family LiaisonOffice and the Office of

Overseas Schools are lobbying on this issue of equitywith overseas administrators.

Freelancing.It is possible to work from your government-owned or

leased property, which makes freelancing a popular alter-native for family members. In most countries there are few,if any, regulations restricting the offering of services toother members of the general diplomatic community.Surprisingly, less than 10 percent of Foreign Service spous-es who work overseas freelance. The range of freelanceactivity among spouses includes editing and publishingservices, web design, music instruction, tax preparation,

The community liaison officer position offers employment for 165 family membersworldwide. Attending a recent CLO conference in Washington, D.C. are, from left,Laura Gehrenbeck, Yerevan; Lori Doutrich, Asmara; and Wendy Jimerson, Kiev.

spouse in a job with a mutinational corporation shouldexplore telecommuting as a means of continued employ-ment with that firm. In today’s economy, employers real-ize there are costs involved in hiring and training newpeople. Spouses should identify elements of their currentjobs that could be conducted via e-mail. Usually a prod-uct-based contract is most viable, although there areexamples of e-mail counseling and customer service.Both the employee and employer must be willing tomake adjustments. Sometimes a lower salary is part ofthe deal, but the advantages of retaining benefits and jobcontinuity are definite pluses. Employees should be pre-pared to schedule regular visits to the home office and bevery flexible. While telecommuting is still somewhatnovel, it is gaining acceptance and it can work.

Moving back to the U.S.Spouses who have worked in an embassy or consulate

overseas and have invested in Thrift Savings and retire-ment plans may want to consider continuing employ-ment with the government. All spouses who worked in aFamily Member Appointment should be placed inIntermittent Non-Working Status. They should notresign. Spouses in INWS and who worked overseas atotal of 52 weeks have Department of State employmentstatus and can apply for positions advertised for “DOSEmployees Only.”

Subscribe to The Network job bulletin from the FamilyLiaison Office and take advantage of free job counselingthrough FLO and the Career Development ResourceCenter. Employment advisers can help polish a résumé,translate overseas experience to the U.S. marketplace andrehearse for interviews. ■

The principal author is deputy director of the Family LiaisonOffice. Sarah Genton, Faye Barnes and Debra Thompson contributed to the article.

May 2002 19

Snap to it!The challenge of carrying one’s career in a suitcase

has always been hard for family members.Networking takes initiative. On average, interna-tional job hunters require six months to make pro-fessional contacts. To help family members makecontacts sooner, the Family Liaison Office is con-ducting the Spouse Networking Assistance Program(SNAP) pilot program. With 10 countries participat-ing, the SNAP program is developing contacts withlocal businesses and international and U.S. organiza-tions and providing the connection for incomingfamily members. The 2002 participating posts areMexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Santiago,Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Brussels, Warsaw,Krakow, Cairo, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore andLondon. SNAP is a bold experiment that will dependon strong post management support and high-energy job seekers. But with more family membersexpecting to maintain careers along with theirForeign Service spouses, the Department of State isfinding innovative ways to assist them.

It was only after the book wascomplete that we had the chanceto travel to Yarmouth, Maine,the headquarters of InterculturalPress, to meet our editors andeach other for the first time.

This modern-day “cyber-story” illustrates how technolo-gy has changed Foreign Servicelife for the better. The Internetoffers Foreign Service spousesnew opportunities for work andprofessional collaboration. Web-based projects can continue

uninterrupted through the frequent international movestypical of the Foreign Service lifestyle—as Melissa foundwhen she moved from Kiev back to Washington, D.C.

Our “virtual partnership”does not end here. We arecurrently co-editors of a newbook entitled Realities ofForeign Service Life—a collec-tion of essays by members ofthe Foreign Service commu-nity, aimed at those new tothe lifestyle. The book willbe available from AAFSWthis summer. ■

Melissa Hess was in Kiev until recently, when she and her husband began an assignment in Washington, D.C. Her co-author, Patricia Linderman, is a Foreign Service spouse inLeipzig. (melissa@expatguide.info and patricia@expatguide.info).

artistic endeavors and fitness coaching. Many educatorsprovide individual or group tutoring. Entrepreneurialspouses may decide to operate a business. No matter whatthe choice of income-generating activity, freelancers needto learn the local regulations covering self-employment. Afunctioning bilateral or defacto work agreement is neces-sary to operate a business.

Telecommuting.This option is open to spouses in any country where

computer hookups and telephone lines are reliable. A

Melissa Hess with her horse“Merry” at her farm inNorthern Virginia.

Patricia Linderman at Old CityHall in Leipzig, Germany.

20 State Magazine

Hometown DiplomatsHometown Diplomats

Promote awareness andshare experiences with

people back home

“One of the greatest challenges weface as State Department officialsis to make the American publicaware of what we do forthem,” states SecretaryColin L. Powell in his message introducingthe HometownDiplomats Program.

By Jimmye Claire Walker

Only a few months afterassuming office, SecretaryPowell moved quickly to

endorse the program that enlistsState officers on leave to carrytheir experiences and under-standing of foreign affairs to thefolks back home.

Bureaus and missions identified115 Foreign Service and CivilService employees to explain thehistory and mission of theDepartment to their hometowncommunities. Since May 2001, thePublic Affairs Bureau has arrangedlocal programs for these officerswho have fanned out across the country, meeting with res-idents of their hometowns and explaining the work of theDepartment and the importance of foreign policy in theirdaily lives. They have returned to their high schools andcollege alma maters, spoken with members of Rotary andKiwanis clubs and discussed issues with elected officialsand local media representatives.

Judging from reports so far, the program has been an unqualified success. Hometown Diplomatshave helped to build constituencies for the Department incommunities throughout the country and have been

April 2002 21

Above, in a videoconference, students from a contemporary problems class at a Green Bay, Wis., high school question Scott Rauland in Quito,Ecuador, about life in the Foreign Service. Below, Robin Meyer, political officer in Managua, talks to students in her hometown of Chicago.

excellent recruiters, opening a world of exciting careeropportunities for high school and college students.

Robin Meyer, political officer in Managua, returned tothe Chicago area. “The program gave me the opportunityto talk about the Foreign Service with groups ranging fromexperienced foreign policy observers to Brownie GirlScouts. All expressed their appreciation for SecretaryPowell’s outreach to them through the HometownDiplomat program,” Ms. Meyer reported. “Since a majori-ty of the sixth graders had immigrant parents, and all were

devoted fans of SammySosa, our consular func-tions were the easiesthook. … In my meetingwith Brownies, GirlScouts, … I explainedthe similarities betweengoing to Girl Scout campand being a diplomat—getting used to newenvironments, learningto get along with differ-ent people.”

An information management specialist in Kigali,Wendy Elliott forged important linkages during her visitto her hometown of Virginia Beach, Va. “Prior to leavingRwanda, I met with a representative from the RwandanRed Cross,” she said. “We discussed the partnerships thelocal chapter had with other Red Cross organizations,difficulties with funding issues and how communicationis accomplished in a developing country. For example, toreport disasters from various areas of the country to thecapital city, Kigali, most communication is done by foot.”

Ms. Elliott was given various items such as shirts,pins, hats and literature to take to Virginia Beach to pres-ent to the Tidewater Chapter of the Red Cross. She dis-covered that the American Red Cross has no representa-tion in Rwanda. After her presentation, the Tidewaterchapter gave her many items to take back to theRwandan Red Cross.

“These leaps of goodwill—across two continents withoceans between—were very touching. I enjoyed being adiplomatic courier in a different way.”

Scott Rauland paid an electronic visit to his hometownof Green Bay, Wis., from his post in Quito. Invited by thedirector of an educational learning service to participatein a digital videoconference, the public affairs officer dis-cussed current events, particularly the terrorist attacks ofSept. 11, with students enrolled in Bay Port High School’s“American Problems” class.

In an article titled “Students Quiz Diplomat AboutTerrorism,” the Green Bay News-Chronicle quoted theteacher, Jim Adams, as saying, “What better way to teachstudents about foreign affairs than by inviting aWisconsin-born diplomat to speak not from the class-room podium, but from the U.S. Embassy in Quito. We

22 State Magazine

“We talk about generalideas like foreign aid andrelations, but those are justwords in a book . . . here’s achance to see someone whoactually does it.”

Mark C. Johnson, an economic officer in Madrid, addresses an audienceof more than 500 at the fabled Chautauqua Institution in western NewYork state, where eight U.S. presidents have spoken.

talk about general ideas like foreign aid and relations, butthose are just words in a book…here’s a chance to seesomeone who actually does it…students are getting a feelfor what we actually do with those dollars.”

Valia O’Donnell, a student in the class, commented,“You look on the map and Quito seems so far away, andhere we are in Sevastopol, Wisconsin, talking to someoneon another continent.… Learning that you can work in anembassy or do something overseas was really interestingto me. I didn’t know that was an option.”

Mark C. Johnson, an economic officer in Madrid, spokeabout life in the Foreign Service to an audience of morethan 500 in the Hall of Philosophy on the grounds of thehistoric Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York, avenue where eight U.S. presidents have also spoken.

In Minneapolis, Lee Brudvig, economic/political coun-selor in Vienna, met with a “very diverse group of highschool students” at Arlington High School. He describedhis Foreign Service career and answered questions forabout an hour. “For most of the students,” Mr. Brudvigsaid, “this was the first they had ever heard about theForeign Service—discussions were very lively.”

Ronald (Chip) Johnson returned home to Lufkin,Texas, to deliver the keynote address at the awards cere-mony of the Top Teens of America, an organization hecredits with helping him set and reach personal goals. Inan article that appeared in the Lufkin Daily News, journal-ist Stacy Faison quoted Mr. Johnson as saying, “I havevery few colleagues of African-American descent, but thedoor is open. Colin Powell came in and kicked that dooropen.” The mayor of Lufkin honored the vice consul inLuxembourg with the key to the city.

Joshua Black, a Foreign Affairs officer in the Bureau ofEuropean and Eurasian Affairs who works on Kosovoissues, hadn’t lived in Perrysburg, Ohio, for eight years.When he shared his experiences in Kosovo with former

friends and neighbors at a Rotary Club meeting, he foundhis audience remarkably informed and interested to hearabout his job working with former Kosovo LiberationArmy combatants. While the Hometown Diplomat pro-

gram was intended to explain the role ofthe Department to U.S. citizens, Mr.Black says reconnecting with the folks inPerrysburg helped him shed theBeltway conceit that Middle America isan out-of-touch foreign land. “My audi-ence was thoroughly engaged andasked all the right questions about theU.S. commitments in the Balkans,” hesays in summing up the program.

The Bureau of Public Affairs cabled itsrequest for nominees in mid-Decemberand began receiving nominees for the2002 program in late January. Thoseinterested in learning more about theHometown Diplomats program shouldcontact Joyce Nichols at (202) 647-8390or by e-mail at nicholsjf@state.gov. ■

The author is a public affairs specialist inthe Bureau of Public Affairs.

May 2002 23

The mayor of Lufkin, Texas, presented Ronald (Chip) Johnson the key to the city after the vice consul at the U.S. Embassy inLuxembourg gave the keynote address to a gathering of the TopTeens of America organization.

Mayor Jody Holbrook, left, and Rotary Chapter president Steven Day, right, thank Perrysburgnative Joshua Black for speaking to the local Rotary about U.S. policy in the Balkans.Ph

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24 State Magazine

Whether It’s Moving Paintingsor POVs, They Are the ProsStory and Photos byCarl Goodman

They are the movers and shak-ers—a small army of U.S. andForeign Service Nationalemployees who get the Foreign

Service moving from port to portand from post to post. They areresponsible for seeing that every-thing a family owns is safely stored,packed for shipment and shippedand that it clears customs and isdelivered safely and on time to theirowners at post. They do the same forthe official goods posts need fromoverseas.

As anyone who has ever orderedanything by mail or online knows,the potential for something to gowrong is always there. And with thebulk of shipments going surface andthrough several locations, the oppor-tunity for error increases.

For the past three years, theForeign Service Institute and theBureau of Administration’s Office ofLogistics Management have con-ducted workshops in the UnitedStates at U.S. Despatch Agencies andoverseas at the European LogisticsSupport Office in Belgium. Theseworkshops train the Departmentemployees who help Foreign Servicefamilies get to and from posts.

Moving household effects is ahighly personal business thatrequires professional skills on boththe technical and human sides, mak-ing training an integral part of theprocess. While other transportationworkshops are scheduled for June inMiami and in Antwerp in October,the most recent one was held March11-15 in Seattle for FSNs fromVladivostok and 35 posts in the EastAsia and Pacific region.

Unlike their counterparts in, say,Western Europe, where landmassesare smaller, the Pacific Rim region is

Illustration by Chuan Khoo/Masterfile

bigger and freight often moves over greater distances,posing challenges for the most seasoned and experiencedtransportation specialists.

Frank Coulter, deputy assistant secretary for LogisticsManagement, who attended part of the week-long Seattleworkshop, said that not everyone—even Foreign Serviceofficers—realizes that the State Department does logistics.

“We are working hard to connect the Department’slogistics community worldwide,” Mr. Coulter said, “andwe are learning to do things better.”

That includes a web-based program to provide one-stopIntranet support for permanent change of station moves.

May 2002 25

Except for the drama, Mr. Coulter said thework that went into organizing supportflights into Kabul with supplies and equip-ment for the new embassy serves as a modelfor the kind of “cross-functional logisticsoperations” the Department wants to makemore commonplace. Those flights involvedthe efforts of Americans and FSNs fromnumerous Washington, D.C., offices andoverseas posts working together.

At the Seattle conference, FSNs with morethan 300 years of collective experience mov-

Workshop participants tour a consolidated receivingpoint near Seattle.

Despatch Agent Tim Riddle, seated, demonstrates web sites for FSNs.

Yee Ha (Claudia) Ngfrom Hong Kong toursa moving and shippingpoint near Seattle.

Troles and responsibilities, and Ray Schoenberg, TimRiddle and Gerry Marandino from the U.S. DespatchAgency in Seattle discussed shipping cycles and methods.

The workshop included field trips to nearby facilitiesof a consolidated receiving point contractor and a PacificNorthwest distribution center. ■

The author is the editor of State Magazine.

ing everything from paintings toPOVs shared their stories. Everycountry in the vast Pacificregion—from gigantic China totiny Micronesia—has its ownrules governing what can comein and leave the country. Many ofthese rules have as much to dowith customs and cultures asanything else. Complying withhost country rules and with thoseof the Foreign Service can bedaunting, but the workshop par-ticipants warmed up to the ideawith creativity and good humor.

“Everyone strives so hard to dotheir best,” observed course man-ager AntoinetteBoecker, who con-ducted sessions oncustomer-focusedmanagement duringthe workshop. “Theseworkshops are greatopportunities to shareexperiences and tolearn from eachother,” the FSIinstructor said.

Noreen Bania,chief of the trans-portation operationsbranch, briefed theemployees on their

26 State Magazine

He Gets the Goods to KathmanduKrishna B. Chettry, also known among his colleagues as “K.B.,” is a shipment

assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he has worked for thepast 17 years. He previously worked for the U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment on a soil conservation project that brought him to the United Statesand to the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg.

Since then, he has made numerous trips to the United States, where he has threesons. The oldest son recently earned a degree in computer science at the Universityof Nebraska at Lincoln and is considering returning to his native Nepal. The othersare working and studying in New York.

A college-trained geographer, Mr. Chettry was raised on a tea plantation in theDarjeeling area bordering India, where he attended school. He currently lives inKathmandu with his wife.

As a transportation specialist at post, he faces the daunting challenges of movinghousehold effects from the port of Calcutta, across northern India, through thefoothills of the Himalayas to the Kathmandu Valley. Poor infrastructure and severeweather further complicate the moves. FSN Krishna B. (K.B.) Chettry handles

shipments to and from Kathmandu, Nepal.

Noreen Bania, chief of thetransportation operationsbranch, briefs employees.

Antoinette Boecker, course manager fromFSI, conducts customer-focused workshop.

Ms. Stubbs showed slides and discussed her photoessay, “Slaves and Spice: Africans in the Americas andAsia.” Her photos depicted an African diaspora—fromBrazil to New Orleans to Pakistan—scattered around theglobe, yet amazingly and intimately connected.

Dorothy Davis, a manager ofthe UNDP’s GoodwillAmbassadors Program, dis-cussed her life growing upAfrican-American in the U.S.Foreign Service. Hers was a per-sonal account of living abroad asan African-American in posts inAfrica and Europe.

The Brooklyn-based duo,SERIES, opened the second pro-gram with a moving rendition ofthe “Star-Spangled Banner” and

closed the session with the upliftingAfrican-American anthem, “LiftEv’ry Voice and Sing.”

Ayesha Diatta, the six-year-old daughter of USUNemployee Patricia Diatta, gave a dramatic and flawlessdelivery of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”

speech. After delivering the talk, Ayesha saidDr. King’s message meant that “she could beand do anything.”

Actors Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldbergdelivered moving remarks. Mr. Glover spokecandidly of his experience as a GoodwillAmbassador and of the strong connectionsbetween African Americans and Africans. Ms.Goldberg said she was thrilled to be invited tothe USUN and called it an “Oprah invitation.”She stressed that African-American historyhappens 365 days a year and should not bereduced to a 28-day celebration. ■

The author is a foreign affairs analyst at the U.S.Mission to the United Nations in New York.

TStory and Photos by Jane Malloy

his year’s series consisted oftwo main programs, one fea-turing former U.S. Congress-man Rev. Floyd H. Flake asguest speaker and the otheractors Danny Glover andWhoopi Goldberg. Among theother participants were interna-tional photographer JohnetteStubbs, U.N. DevelopmentProgram manager DorothyDavis, the vocal duo SERIESand six-year-old Ayesha Diatta.

In the first program, Rev. Flake spoke passionatelyabout the state of our urban communities. He stressed theimportance of creating economically sound African-American communities through educational leadershipand urban development.

May 2002 27

African-AmericanHeritage Shines at USUNIn late February, the United States Mission to the United Nationssponsored its sixth annual series of programs commemoratingAfrican-American Heritage Month.

Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover, seated,are honored by the USUN program committee.

Dorothy Davis, a UNDP programmanager, talks about growing upas an African-American in aForeign Service family stationed inAfrica and Europe. The SERIES, a vocal duo from

Brooklyn, put soul in theNational Anthem.

length of cell phone conversations contribute more tomotor vehicle accidents than other cell phone factors.Intense or long conversations tend to distract driversfrom their most import job, driving safely. Cell phonesmay be too convenient. They make people forget thatdriving is a full-time job. In the past year, at least two

drivers in the Washington, D.C.,area were so distracted by cellphone conversations that onedrove through a stop sign andthe other ran a red light. Bothcars struck other vehicles,killing their occupants.

Although manufacturershave improved SUV stabilityand roof supports, DOT still

considers SUVs unstable and more prone to rolloversthan sedans, particularly when the driver is inexperi-enced. DOT also notes that the higher center of gravitycompared to the track width of the vehicle increases thelikelihood that it will vault standard guardrails. SUVscan cause disproportionate damage to sedans and small-er vehicles in collisions. Their bumpers, for example, hitconventional cars just above the middle of the door in aside collision, seriously endangering the person sitting bythe door.

So while they have increased in popularity, SUVs (andcell phones) have yet to completely pass their road test. ■

The author is an engineer in the Office of Safety/Health andEnvironmental Management.

28 State Magazine

By Wortham D. Davenport

Recently, an SUV was involved in an accident on theCapital Beltway that resulted in multiple fatali-ties—the driver of the SUV and several passengersin the minivan her vehicle

struck head-on. The driver’sboyfriend, driving ahead, reportedthat she was talking to him on hercell phone when there was ascream and the phone went dead.

The ongoing Department ofTransportation investigation isconsidering several possible causesof the accident: the instability ofthe SUV, the distraction of the cell phone conversationand the SUV’s potential for jumping the standardguardrail.

SUVs are at least as popular today as they were whenthe last article on the subject appeared in State Magazinein April 1999. Manufacturers have made some improve-ments in SUV design since. The “A” posts—the pillarsthat support the roof on either side of the vehicle betweenthe front and back seats—have been strengthened to pre-vent the roof’s collapse in a rollover. The smaller SUV,built on an automobile frame, is another recent designdevelopment. These vehicles have a lower center of grav-ity and are more stable than the larger truck-frame SUVs.

There is still a difference of opinion about handheldversus hands-free cell phone use. Recent studies in theUnited States and in Europe show that the intensity and

Safety Scene

Sport Utility Vehicles: an Update

SUVs pose significant hazards to other vehicles,and distractions, like cell

phones, increase the hazard.

A rollover in the 1990 SUV on the left killed one employee and seriously injured three others. In the same country a few years later, the 1999 SUVon the right rolled over without injuring any of its four occupants.

Photos

April 2002 29

“My first experience as a dancer,” says NicoleDeaner, a public affairs specialist in the Bureau

of Educational and Cultural Affairs, “was not a verypleasant one.” She remembers dutifully following herteacher’s instructions as she and the other five-year-oldgirls in her class learned a few simple dance steps. “Buton the night of the performace,” Nicole recalls, “I assert-ed my dignity and flatly refused to turn around and wig-gle my rear at the audience, as the teacher suggested.”

That spontaneous assertion of will set Nicole’s dancingcareer back at least seven years. When her pediatricianadvised the five-foot, eight-inch 12-year-old, who tow-ered over her classmates, that dance lessons would helpher posture, Nicole decided to give dance another try. Shewas also inspired by the film Turning Point to take up bal-let. In the years that followed, Nicole paid for ballet les-sons with baby-sitting money and dance became animportant part of her life. As her skill and fervor pro-gressed, she worked as an instructor’s assistant to sup-port her lessons and dreamed of dancing on Broadway.

In college, Nicole kicked off her shoes and went modern,performing with a core group of dancers she still workswith more than 10 years later. She also started teaching atvarious Northern Virginia dance schools and discoveredshe loved teaching almost as much as dancing herself.

In 1998, Nicole was seriously injured in a car accident.Her right knee had to be reconstructed and her anklerequired lengthy rehabilitation. It was a devastatingblow to her hopes for a career in dance at a time when

she was dancing better thanshe ever had. “My doctorknew how important dancewas for me,” Nicole says,“but he said he would pre-fer that I not jeopardize thesurgery by dancing.”

Confined by a full legbrace for more than a year,Nicole turned her after-hours energies to teaching.She found that her ownstruggle to recover inspiredher students to try harderthemselves. “They saw that Iwould never give up,” shesays, “and that taught themto move beyond adversity.”After teaching more than 12 years, she has seen her morepromising students advance to dance programs at NewYork University and elsewhere. Following Nicole’s lead,some have even started teaching dance themselves.

This February, Nicole Deaner performed with hertroupe in a jazz festival, dancing for the first time in fouryears without a brace of any kind. “Of course, I can’t dowhat I used to be able to do, and some leaps are out ofthe question. But for me, this performance was a bigleap forward.”

—Dave Krecke

People Like YouPeople Like YouGotta Teach Dance

Photo by Dave Krecke

Photos by Eric Roberts

30 State Magazine

By John Bentel

The State of the Arts Cultural Series and TheForeign Affairs Recreation Association begantheir 12th year in bringing musical talent toDepartment employees.

Back for a return engagement, Rosanne Conway and Dr.Robert Snyder performed a four-hand piano program thatincluded works by Samuel Barber and by Franz Schubert.

◆ May 8 Piano students from Georgetown University and State Department

◆ June 5 American debut of Shu-Cheen Yu, opera singer (Exhibit Hall)

◆ July 10 Silk Road Dance Co.—Central Asia and Middle Eastern dances(Exhibit Hall)

◆ Aug. 7 Peruvian dances by the Matrice School of Dance

◆ Sept. 25 Uruguayan pianist

◆ Oct. 9 Winner of the International Young Artist’s Piano Competition

◆ Oct. 23 Francesc de Paula Soler, “Poet of the Guitar”

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

STATE OF THE ARTS

Upcoming Calendar

The Chancellor String Quartet delivered an all-American program to celebrate Black History Month.Violinists Timothy Schwarz and Melissa Locati, violistNina Cottman and cellist Charles Forbes performed anoriginal composition entitled The Juliet Quartet by JosephGoodrich. The work, a blend of American and Syrianmelodies, was commissioned by the U.S. Embassy inDamascus in 1998. Pianist Lura Johnson from the PeabodyConservatory of Music accompanied the quartet.

The quartet also played several compositions byWilliam Grant Still, one of the fore-most African-American composers,followed by young pianist KinishaLatoya Forbes, 16, who performedAlbeniz’s Cordoba.

Sirocco, a newly formed group ofwomen musical professionals, pre-sented a program in honor ofWomen’s History Month. Theensemble includes Leah Moss, oboe;Kathryn Kelbert, clarinet; LuciennePulliam, bassoon; and LanaeWilliams, horn. Pianist Li-Ly Changaccompanied the group forBeethoven’s Quintet for Piano, Oboe,Clarinet, Bassoon and Horn. ■

The author is a computer specialist in theExecutive Secretariat.

Cultural Series Enters 12th Year

Chancellor String Quartet

April 2002 31

O B I T U A R I E S

Charles (Gray) Bream, 87, a retired Foreign Service officer,died Dec. 8 in Arlington, Va. He served in Halifax,Stockholm and Dacca. He participated in the GenevaConventions. After retiring, Mr. Bream taught historyand political science at Loyola University in Chicago.

John DiSciullo, 81, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedMarch 5 of cancer in Fairfax Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va.An Army veteran of World War II, he joined the ForeignService in 1955 and served as deputy director of theBureau of Intelligence and Research, Office of EuropeanAffairs, and as consul general in Genoa, Italy, his countryof birth. He retired in 1982.

Ben F. Dixon III, 83, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedMarch 15 at his home in Washington, D.C., after a heartattack. Mr. Dixon joined the State Department in 1947and served in Bangkok, Laos, Pakistan, New Zealand,the Pacific Islands and Morocco, where he served twotours, the last as consul general. He retired in 1984. AMarine Corps officer in the Pacific during World War II,he participated in the invasions of Okinawa and Tinian,where he was wounded. He received a Purple Heart. Heretired from the Marine Corps reserve as a lieutenantcolonel in 1959.

Barbara Jean Green, 39, a personnelspecialist in Islamabad, Pakistan,and her daughter, Kristen MarieWormsley, 17, were killed March 17when a terrorist attacked theProtestant International Churchthey were attending near theembassy compound. Mrs. Greenwas the wife and Kristen the step-daughter of Milton Green, a

Foreign Service specialist stationed in Islamabad. Mrs.Green accompanied her husbandto Bonn, Abidjan, Beijing andIslamabad, working in the admin-istrative section at each post. Priorto the Foreign Service, she servedin the U.S. Air Force. Kristen was astudent at the International Schoolof Islamabad and was looking for-ward to entering college in the fall(see related story on page 4).

Irene T. (Mickie) Harter, 68, wife ofretired Foreign Service officer JohnJ. Harter, died Feb. 10 at her homein Virginia Beach, Va., of myelodys-plasia. Born in South Africa, Mrs.Harter was a newspaper reporterwhen she met and married her hus-band. She accompanied him onassignments to Santiago, Bangkokand Geneva. Before her own retire-

ment, Mrs. Harter worked as a reservation sales agent forU.S. Airways.

Mark B. Lewis, 78, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedDec. 28 of cancer at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md.He was an assistant director for African Affairs with theU.S. Information Agency and served with the agency inHarare, Accra, Beirut, Cairo and New Delhi. DuringWorld War II, Mr. Lewis was a bomber pilot in the U.S.Air Force, flying 50 combat missions in the European the-ater. After retiring from the government in 1975, hedirected International Symposia in the United States,organizing symposiums in 30 U.S. cities to educateAmericans about international affairs. From 1984 to 1993,he directed communications at the NationalOrganization on Disability.

Frederick Dent Sharp III, 83, a retired Foreign Service offi-cer, died Dec. 14 at a hospice in Boca Raton, Fla. Afterserving with the Army Air Force during World War II,Mr. Sharp joined the Foreign Service and served in LatinAmerica, Spain and North Africa. He held a variety ofpositions, including deputy chief of mission. His paperon the strategic insignificance of the Panama Canal afterthe advent of the super aircraft carrier was the basis 40years later for the treaty that returned the canal toPanama. Mr. Sharp retired in 1973.

Mary C. Walsh, 83, a retired ForeignService officer, died of respiratoryfailure Jan. 28 in Baltimore, Md.She served in London,Leopoldville, Quito, Nicosia,Amman, New Delhi and Beijing.Ms. Walsh retired in 1977.

32 State Magazine

In the Event of DeathQuestions concerning deaths in service should be directed to the Employee Services Center, the Department’s con-

tact office for all deaths in service: Harry S Truman Building, Room 1252, Department of State, Washington, DC20520-1252; (202) 647-3432; fax: (202) 647-1429; e-mail: EmployeeServicesCenter@state.gov.

Questions concerning the deaths of retired Foreign Service employees should be directed to the Office ofRetirement on (202) 261-8960, Retirement@state.gov.

Questions concerning the deaths of retired Civil Service employees should be directed to the Office of PersonnelManagement at (202) 606-0500, http://www.opm.gov.

Foreign Service Retirements

PERSONNEL ACTIONS

Akerman, David A.Amirthanayagam, Ruthann W.Brown, Kevin

Keas, Emily G.Mackebon, Sylvia J.Maher, William J.

Rashkin, Daryl L.Stone, James W.Williams, Mary Frances

Civil Service RetirementsAsar, SedatDickson, Robert BruceHensley, Joan B.

Stefanopoulos, Lydie C.Strouse Jr., William H.

Lima Honors FSNAlbert A. Giesecke came to Lima from Philadelphia in 1909, when he was 26. He spent the

rest of his life dedicated to strengthening U.S.-Peruvian relations as special assistant to U.S.Ambassadors to Peru from 1932 to 1967.

Mr. Giesecke—a teacher, explorer, university rectorand Peruvian official—was uniquely qualified forthe position. He touched the lives of many studentswho became prominent in business and government.Asked in a 1947 interview what he would do if hewere a young man again, Mr. Giesecke replied, “Iwould go straight into the Foreign Service of theUnited States.”

Last November, 33 years after Albert A. Giesecke’sdeath, his son Albert M. presented Ambassador JohnHamilton with the award his father received in 1965from Secretary of State Dean Rusk. The award, recog-nizing 30 years of dedicated service to the U.S. gov-ernment in Peru, now hangs prominently in theembassy lobby, a tribute to the commitment of ForeignService National employees everywhere.

Clarence A. Wendell, 89, a retired Foreign Service officer,died Dec. 29 in Missoula, Mont., of Alzheimer’s disease.He joined the Department in 1947 as an international min-eral and nuclear energy specialist and was posted to Bonnas a consultant to the U.S. High Commissioner in occu-pied West Germany. Later, Mr. Wendell returned toWashington, D.C., to work for the National Academy ofSciences. In 1959, he rejoined the Department and wasassigned to Ankara, where for eight years he was region-al minerals attaché for the Middle East. He then served inRio de Janeiro until his retirement in 1974.

Oliver T. (O.T.) Willis Sr., 91, a retired Civil Serviceemployee, died Nov. 2 in Alexandria, Va. He joined theDepartment in 1938 and continued to repair shoes atState and the White House after he retired in 1971. A com-

munity activist, Mr. Willis often gave food to homeless cit-izens living on the grates of 23rd Street near the Department.

Park F. Wollam, 84, a retired Foreign Service officer, died Feb.8 in Carlsbad, Calif., of complications from Parkinson’s dis-ease. Mr. Wollam joined the Foreign Service in 1943 and wasposted to Cali, Colombia, where he was drafted into theNavy. After the war, he rejoined the Department and servedin Bolivia, Cuba, Venezuela, Italy, Trinidad and Tobago,Vietnam and Belize, where he was the consul general. Asconsul general in Santiago, Cuba, during the Cuban revolu-tion, he spent weeks in the mountains of Oriente Provincenegotiating for the release of U.S. hostages seized by RaulCastro. His son, Park F. Wollam Jr., and daughter-in-law arewith the U.S. Embassy in Conakry, Guinea.

Albert M. Giesecke, right, presents his father’s1965 award to Ambassador John Hamilton.

Albert A. Giesecke in Perucirca 1909.