Four U.S. government employees, who are all eligible family members or members of household of U.S. Government employees serving abroad, will receive the Department of State and Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) Secretary of State Award for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad (SOSA). The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 13 at 10:30 a.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Department of State. Director General and Director of Global Talent Management Marcia S. Bernicat will highlight the winners' exemplary service and present the awards at the ceremony.
AAFSW will also present the Champions of Career Enhancement for Eligible Family Members Award and Lesley Dorman Award for outstanding service, and DACOR, an organization of foreign affairs professionals, will present the 2024 Eleanor Dodson Tragen Award, which recognizes effective advocacy for Foreign Service families.
SOSA awards recognize U.S. government employees; family members, and members of household at embassies and consulates who performed exceptional volunteer service to their communities, mission or host country, or rendered outstanding assistance in emergencies. This year's award winners include:
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR)
Andrew Richley (Podgorica, Montenegro)
Eligible Family Member Andrew Richley played a key role in developing one of Europe's largest urban gardens into a unique resource that provides food to the hungry and allows Montenegrins to learn about sustainable agriculture while building a stronger and more resilient community. Richley established the Urbana Bašta Podgorica Food Forest and served as its manager. He utilized his background as an arborist and forester to map and manage the orchard, while planting and growing more than 300 trees. Additionally, Richley served as a key leader for the garden by organizing and leading community educational events, pursuing and managing funding/grants, and working with his team to care for the thousands of vegetables, shrubs, and trees planted. The garden's monthly food harvest has resulted in more than 250 crates of food being donated to local food banks and home delivery services.
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA)
Connie Pearson (Jerusalem, Israel)
During her time as an Eligible Family Member in Jerusalem, Connie Pearson worked to bring different communities together, making a difference for all. Following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, Pearson worked to organize catered lunches and dinners, personally cooking much of the food for overworked embassy staff, as well as IDF soldiers and displaced Gazan families. She volunteered to help embassy staff evacuate U.S. citizens from Israel and raised funds for IDF reserve units as well as families in the West bank unable to afford food or utility payments. Pearson's extraordinary service also included providing traumatized students with school supplies, raising funds for children to go to summer camps, helping a family whose farm was destroyed by fire, and assisting a local orphanage to purchase and renovate new facilities.
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA)
Kristin Factor (Mumbai, India)
Eligible Family Member Kristin Factor's dedication to empowering young girls through art and education has left an indelible mark on the lives of those she's touched. In Mumbai, Factor dedicated hundreds of hours, and her own funds, to provide art education to a group of 25 orphaned girls. Factor built the program from scratch, providing age-appropriate lessons to each girl and ensuring the walls of the Sharanam Shelter for Girls are now a figurative canvas for the girls' newfound creativity, potential, self-esteem, and resilience.
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA)
Garrett Fraino (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Eligible Family Member Garrett Fraino's remarkable service to the impoverished favelas of Rio de Janeiro made a significant impact in the lives of Brazilian youth. Through the Mais Caminhos organization, which offers free activities and English courses to youth between 8 and 19-years-old, Fraino provided extensive personal tutoring and coaching to students. But Fraino's most outstanding and sustainable impact came in his efforts to restructure many parts of the organization for the better. Fraino reworked Mais Caminhos' teaching guide and created more effective training for volunteer teachers. He also bolstered the organization's administrative structure with a variety of improvements, including an innovative new attendance tracking program, a curriculum development plan, and a brand-new program to provide tourism and hospitality training to Mais Caminhos students.
Champions of Career Enhancement for Eligible Family Members (CCE-EFM) Award
Joanna Parys (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Eligible Family Member Joanna Parys of Embassy Kinshasa went above and beyond to make a lasting impact in Kinshasa. Parys' commitment to eligible family member employment during her tenure as Human Resources Expanded Professional Associates Program (EPAP) for Embassy Kinshasa greatly benefited the Mission and its families: frequent Post evacuations in past years left the eligible family member employment situation unpredictable impacting morale. By providing individual attention, support, and pro-active follow-through, Parys created a positive and welcoming atmosphere, even during a year of political turmoil, war, and disease outbreaks. Parys' creativity, advocacy, and dedication allowed the Mission to focus on strategic diplomatic efforts, knowing the Embassy community was cohesively supported by eligible family members whose skills suited their roles.
Eleanor Dodson Tragen Award, Presented by DACOR, an Organization of Foreign Affairs Professionals
Megan Kuhn
Eligible Family Member Megan Kuhn's distinctive contributions enriched the professional environment for eligible family members. Spouses often struggle to find a support network of other eligible family members and allies who can help them navigate everything from non-competitive eligibility to different hiring mechanisms available to challenges securing remote work. Kuhn saw the need for eligible family members to share resources and make collective decisions. She was ambitious in her idea to connect eligible family members and members of household, launching the Parallel Professionals networking group in November 2020 to help them navigate career mobility in the federal government. In August 2023, she oversaw its transition to an official Employee Organization (EO) to formalize outreach to Department leadership. Unanimously elected as the first President of Parallel Professionals, Kuhn chairs meetings with the board and collaborates with other EOs on programs and priorities.
Lesley Dorman Award - for an AAFSW member who performed outstanding service in all aspects of the organization.
Jenny Kocher
Since 2019, Eligible Family Member Jenny Kocher has demonstrated exceptional dedication and initiative in her efforts, making a significant impact on the lives of many EFMs in the Foreign Service community. One of Jenny's remarkable achievements was her instrumental role in revitalizing the Foreign-Born Spouses program. Under her leadership, the program experienced remarkable growth, with the AAFSW FBS Facebook audience expanding from 250 to an impressive 600+ participants.
In addition, Jenny initiated engaging workshops for Foreign Service members returning to the DMV area in 2019-2020. These initiatives provided valuable opportunities for networking, socializing, and support, enriching the lives of participants, and fostering a sense of belonging within the community. One of Jenny's most impactful contributions was the creation of the "Foreign Born Spouses Challenges and Success Stories" initiative connecting eligible family members around the world. This project provided a space for sharing experiences, overcoming obstacles, and celebrating achievements, fostering a sense of community and empowerment among foreign-born spouses. Currently, Jenny continues to innovate and connect eligible family members through her "Virtual connections" monthly program, which by virtue of being online, is inclusive of all eligible family members, regardless of their location.
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