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2019 SOSA, Tragen, CCE-EFM and Dorman Award Winners To Be Honored at November 20 Ceremony

ByAAFSW Content Manager

AAFSW is pleased to announce the 2019 winners of the Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad:

From the AF Bureau:  Marcus Lamb, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

From the EAP Bureau: Jennifer Yan, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

From the EUR Bureau: Carlos Perez, Frankfurt, Germany

From the NEA Bureau: Zhou “Cecilia” Zhuang-Haas, Rabat, Morocco

From the WHA Bureau: Claudia Felice-Kuebler, Quito, Ecuador

 

The remarkable volunteer activities of the awardees include:  

  • Working closely with a local organization to promote IT skill building, resume building and interview skills to Tanzanian girls who otherwise cannot continue their traditional education.
  • Donating time, goods and meals to local charities and nonprofit organizations and ensuring that the embassy community continued to work with these organizations after her departure from post.
  • Providing an array of services to family members through new initiatives from cell phone plans, to creation of a small business hub promoting Eligible Family Member (EFM) and Locally-Employed Staff (LES) trades; partnering with Military Autosourcing and the creation of an international music publishing and management group.
  • Mentoring student teams and helping students network with the Moroccan government, thus securing a grant that will provide 180 families in rural Morocco access to renewable electricity; leading a Women’s Day event with a panel of 60 speakers.
  • Volunteering at Pan de Vida to streamline the organization’s communications strategy; leading a women’s mentoring program with a microbusiness emphasis focusing on underserved minority women in Ecuador.  

AAFSW is also pleased to announce the following awardees: 

Melissa Hess, Eleanor Dodson Tragen Award

Daniel Alvarez, Shannon Bland, and Dan Kehoe, Embassy Mexico City, Champions of Career Enhancement for EFMs Award

Sherry Barndollar Rock, Lesley Dorman Award

 

The five SOSA winners, as well as the Tragen, CCE-EFM, and Dorman Award winners, will be honored on Thursday, November 20, 2019 at the AAFSW Annual Awards Ceremony. The ceremony will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. Refreshments will be served after the completion of the program at 12:00. From 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. members and guests can mingle and take the opportunity to personally chat with the 2019 award winners.

 

The ceremony is free to all AAFSW members, Department of State employees, and guests of winners. Outside guests will be asked to pay $20. RSVP for the ceremony by Friday, November 15 by emailing office@aafsw.org or calling 703-820-5420. We hope you can join us to honor these amazing members of the Foreign Affairs community.

 

Lara Center

AAFSW SOSA Chair