On Tuesday, June 20, 2017, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and its president, Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, and the Director General of the Foreign Service, Ambassador Arnold Chacon, invited members of the Foreign Service Community to the AFSA Awards Ceremony.

During this ceremony, the Honorable Nancy J. Powell received the AFSA Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy, AFSA honored the winners of its Awards for Constructive Dissent, and AFSA Awards for Exemplary Performance were also presented. Other awards included the AFSA Award for Achievement and Contributions to the Association, the Nelson B. Delavan Award for Office Management Specialists, the Mark Palmer Award for the Advancement of Democracy, the F. Allen “Tex” Harris Award for Foreign Service Specialists, the William R. Rivkin Award for Mid-Level Officers, the M. Juanita Guess Award for Community Liaison Officers and the Avis Bohlen Award for Eligible Family Members.

Our AAFSW State Liaison Board member, Mette Beecroft, and Perri Green, AFSA Awards Coordinator, kindly invited Dr. Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen, AAFSW President, to help judge the 2017 Avis Bohlen Award. This award was given this year to Dr. Henry Throop, who has served as an EFM at the US Consulate Mumbai, India and it was presented by Mette Beecroft. Henry Throop is a NASA-funded scientist who has volunteered many hours of his time to engage underprivileged students in India and interest them in astronomy and other STEM fields. He builds comets out of dry ice with rural students, gives talks on spacecraft exploration of the solar system to thousands, and cheerfully carries telescopes to offer tours of the night sky to entire villages. Dr. Troop is a prime example of a talented EFM who has continued to succeed in his professional career while also volunteering a significant portion of his time to advance the interests of the United States at each post.

AAFSW congratulates all the winners and wishes them great success!

Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen, PhD
AAFSW President