Ann La Porta

Ann has been a member of AAFSW since 1978. She is the co-liaison to the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and closely follows the issues that involve families. Over the years she has worked with the Forum Committee on projects such as mental health benefits for family members, especially those impacted by crisis situations. More recently, she worked on EFM employment issues, and was a part of the committee for the Special Needs Education Allowance (SNEA) reform. She is a regular contributor to AAFSW’s Livelines.

Ann co-founded the Evacuee Support Network in 1984, and remains the lead contact person for departures and evacuations. She is a lawyer by trade, who focused on child welfare issues while posted to DC. She worked with Maori land rights issues in New Zealand, and a Rule of Law project in Mongolia.  With her husband and her two children, she has been posted to Indonesia, Sumatra, Malaysia, Turkey, New Zealand, Mongolia, and Italy.  

She holds a BA in French from Denison University and a law degree from George Washington University.  She also has completed courses at the law faculty in Kuala Lumpur and is admitted to the Bar in Wellington.  When in Washington, she has worked for the Counsel of Child Abuse and Neglect, DC Superior Court, AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, and the Volunteer Law Project.  She enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren.