UAA Bulletin Board

*****************************

2025 Posts

1st Quarter

• Presidential Executive Order, Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid, The White House, 20 July 2025
• Mon. 27 January, 9 am EST, in person and by zoom: The year ahead for Africa, in Finance, Development and Governance and more.  In person in Washington DC, the forum will convene at the historic DACOR Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW.  – To RSVP for the zoom:  https://annenberg.usc.edu/events/cclp/africa-us-forum-trade-development-and-africa   – To RSVP to attend in person in Washington DC, please email Judy Kang at junghwak@usc.edu   From Adam Clayton Powell III, Executive Director, USC Election Cybersecurity Initiative, and Director, Annenberg Center Washington Programs, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, University of Southern California

2024 Posts

4th Quarter

• Fireside Chat with Former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun, 7 January 2024, beginning at 4:30 pm at the DACOR Bacon House, 1801 F Street, NW.  The discussion will be followed by a happy hour.  Mr. Biegun will share his thoughts on the new Trump administration and what it will mean for our diplomatic efforts around the world. The session will be moderated by Ambassador Deborah McCarthy.  More information and a link to register can be found here:
  https://www.memberleap.com/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=52853
• CGD & USAID Hybrid Event, 11 Dec 2024, 2:00-3:15 PM EST, “America’s Ground Game:  How USAID is Changing and Why It Matters,” with Samantha Power, USAID Administrator.  Click here for details and registration.
• USC forum on 16 Dec 2024 at 9 AM EST on “African Views of the New U.S. President,” at the DACOR Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, Washington, DC.  To attend by zoom or in person please click here to register.
• DACOR’s Native American Heritage Month Celebration, 12 Nov 2024, 5 PM to 7 PM, at the DACOR Bacon House, 1801 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
• DACOR’s Latin America and the Caribbean Discussion Group Upcoming Event, Friday, November 15, Noon to 2:00 PM, Subject: Haiti.  This is a hybrid event – you have the option to attend in person or virtually. Registration is required for all attendees. For in-person attendees, the event will run from 12 Noon to – 2 PM and will include lunch. The live stream will begin shortly after 1 PM. (Virtual attendees will be sent a link for the event via email.)  Location: DACOR Bacon House OR Online, 1801 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006.  To register, follow this link: https://www.memberleap.com/Calendar/moreinfo.php?eventid=52172
  
• The final design of the proposed Peace Corps Park in Washington, DC has been approved.  From Glenn A. Blumhorst, Chief Advancement Officer, Peace Corps Foundation, 24 Oct. 2024
• Building on a Legacy of Progress:  Opportunities to Advance US Foreign Aid Effectiveness, MFAN, 31 Oct 2024 session 9:30-11:00 AM in CGD’s DC office
• Memorial services for Arthur Smith will be held on Sunday, October 13, 2024, at Foundry United Methodist Church at 1 p.m, 1500 16th St NW.
• On Friday, October 18, 2024, the LAC Discussion Group will sponsor a luncheon session with presentations by Ambassador Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Daniel Erikson, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the NSC.  They will offer a “state of the region” overview, highlighting recent achievements and the many challenges that remain ahead.  The hybrid event will take place from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. at the DACOR Bacon House, 1801 F Street NW, Washington, DC.  Please click here for details and how to register.
•  On October 1, 2024, ADST Annual Distinguished Speaker session will be held with Steve Coll at DACOR Bacon Foundation House, 1801 F Street NW, Washington, DC, “From Ghost Wars to the Achilles Trap: Lessons from a Foreign Policy Journalist and Scholar” Click here to register. 

3rd Quarter

• Join the Fight for Democracy Regardless of party affiliation: National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) is a bipartisan, all-volunteer organization established to counter growing threats to our democratic institutions, norms, and processes.  We advocate for positions, values, and individuals that strengthen the United States as a democratic nation.  See https://www.nsl4a.org/
• USAID alumni are invited to join USC in person or online on Monday, August 26, 9 to 11 a.m. EDT (afternoon in Africa), on Intergenerational Solidarity and African Health Systems at the USC Washington DC campus, 1771 N Street NW.  Click here for details and how to RSVP. 
• On Friday, August 9, at 11 a.m., a memorial service will be held for Roger Allen Bloom at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 8009 Ft. Hunt Rd., Alexandria, VA.
• On Sunday, August 4, 2024, at 12 p.m., funeral services will be held for Norman Cohen at Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, where he was a founding member.  Internment will follow at Judean Memorial Gardens in Olney.
• On Thursday, July 25, 2024, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and USAID are pleased to invite you to “Development Is Digital: Harnessing Technology’s Potential for a Better World,” the launch event for USAID’s Digital Policy.  USAID Administrator Samantha Power will deliver a keynote address on why technology is perhaps the single most decisive force shaping global development today.  Click here for more details and to register. 
• On Sept. 9 from 5 to 7 p.m. a celebration of the life of Ambassador Dean Pittman will be held at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St NW, Washington, DC.  To RSVP (required for entry, please do so by August 15) and find more details, click on this link:  RSVP for Dean’s Celebration of Life.  
• On Sept. 14 at 11 a.m. a memorial service will be held at Grace Church Cathedral in Charleston, SC, for Judith “Judy” Davis Johnson, who passed away on June 11, 2024.
• On Monday, July 8, at 12 noon EDT, a forum with Dan Kimmage, Principal Deputy Coordinator, U.S. State Department Global Engagement Center, will be part of the First Monday public diplomacy lunch forums, presented in partnership with the Public Diplomacy Council of America and the George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication at the USC Washington DC campus, 1771 N Street NW.   All USAID alumni are invited to join us, in person or by zoom.  Details and RSVP:  https://publicdiplomacy.org/news_manager.php?page=36118

2nd Quarter

• On Monday, June 24, at 9 a.m. EDT, at the USC Washington DC campus, 1771 N Street NW, the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, University of Southern California, and others, will hear from African experts about what the next 30 years of the ICPD means for Africa, regional priorities for the future of reproductive and sexual health, and what emerged from the 57th Commission on Population and Development.  Click here for details and to RSVP.  
• On Monday, June 3, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM a reception in memory of Elizabeth Schoenecker will be held at Joseph Gawler’s Sons Funeral Home, 5130 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20016. The funeral Mass will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, in Georgetown, 3513 N Street NW Washington, DC 20007, starting at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
• To see the Foreign Service Centennial Video click here, May 24, 2024
• The U.S. Foreign Service celebrated its 100th year anniversary on May 24, 2024.  The gala on Tuesday, May 21^st was livestreamed on State’s website and YouTube channels. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, CIA Director Bill Burns, and USAID’s Counsellor Clinton White were the main speakers. Here are the links for the livestream from the gala where you are able to watch the remarks of all the speakers:  Department homepage and YouTube Channel.  In honor of the Anniversary, AFSA has provided an excellent set of talking points should you have the opportunity to spread the word in your community. Just click here.
• USAID has released a new Mandatory Reference to Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapter 530, Emergency Planning Overseas. The Mandatory Reference, Standard Operating Procedures for Emergency and Crisis Management for Non-American Staff and Locally Contracted Personnel (“the Playbook”) describes the available actions that Mission can take to support FSNs in the event of a crisis or emergency situation.  See note from USAID Deputy Administrator Paloma Adams-Allen, August 21, 2023, by clicking here.

1st Quarter

• Thursday, April 4, at 10:30 am EDT, in person or online, for “Views of democracy around the world: A 24-country survey” with Richard Wike, Pew Research Center’s director of global attitudes research.  The forum will take place at the USC Washington DC campus, 1771 N Street NW.  Coffee and refreshments will be available starting at 10:00.
  • To join in person, please email Judy Kang at junghwak@usc.edu
  • To join online, please RSVP here.
• Visitation for Elmer Milvin “Mel” Cook, husband of Bette Cook, will be held at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, VA 22315 on Friday, March 8, from 4:00 – 8:00 pm. Mel died on February 29, 2024, at age 97.  His funeral service will be convened at Old Post Chapel with interment at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA, at a later date.  See:  https://www.jeffersonfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Elmer-Cook-3/#!/Obituary
• U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) late 2023 event with U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who spoke about foreign aid and America’s role in the world in the face of growing global threats and crises.
• Invitation to a Celebration of the Life and Work of Dr. Robert J. Muscat, Saturday, March 23rd from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, in person and by Zoom, in the main hall of the Takoma Village Cohousing complex (TVC) at 6827 Fourth St. NW in Washington, DC 20012. Click the heading for details and how to RSVP.
• USC Africa-US Forum on Monday, February 26, at 9 a.m. EST, on “Africa’s Engagement with Global Powers” at the USC Capital Campus, 1771 N Street NW, Washington, DC, in person or by video.  Click heading for details and RSVP.  Future USC Africa-US forums are:
• Monday, March 25: Africa and the Diaspora, and
• Monday, April 22: Africa and Freedom of Expression
• The US-Philippines Society and the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines will host a discussion at the on Monday, February 12, 1:30 to 2:30 pm, at the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines, 1600 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC, with USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health Dr. Atul Gawande on the Philippine healthcare challenges and opportunities for U.S.-Philippines cooperation through various USAID programs and initiatives.  Click here to register for this event.
• The Society for International Development (SID) is sponsoring a Virtual Career Fair on February 15, 2024.   They are offering free registration for UAA members:  go to this link and use this code that they created specifically for UAA members: Feb24CFUAA
• At 1:00 pm on January 31, 2024, an informal celebration of Sophia Helene Van Der Bijl’s life will be held at Robert A. Pumphrey Funeral Homes, 7557 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda. This will be followed by a WIS style after celebration at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery.
• A memorial service for Patricia Matheson is scheduled for 2 PM on February 24, 2024, at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church, 1724 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101, with a reception to follow. For those of you unable to attend the service will be livestreamed on the church website, www.lewinsville.org/live and will be hosted temporarily afterwards if you want to watch later, at www.lewinsville.org/funerals-memorial-services/
• Funeral for Dick McCall at 11 AM on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1545 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA.  Former USAID Administrator Brian Atwood will deliver a eulogy.  See his full obituary with other services here.
• USC Africa-U.S. forum Jan. 30, 2024, 9-11 AM on telemedicine and health care in Africa, at the USC Capital Campus, 1771 N Street NW, Washington, DC, in person or by video.  Click heading for details and RSVP.
• Celebration of Life for Thomas Hale Fox on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 10 AM at the All Souls Church Unitarian, 1500 Harvard Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20009.  Go to Thomas’s memorial website
• FYI from U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), Liz Schrayer:  8 numbers to watch in 2024.  The big question I’m asking is how America and our allies are going to be responding to these challenges. That’s the real story behind each of these numbers.
• AFSA Meeting with USAID Administrator Power, January 9, 2024.  This was the first meeting between current AFSA leadership and Agency leaders. The meeting provided AFSA an opportunity to express its gratitude for the Agency’s support of the USAID Foreign Service Officer (FSO) corps and to highlight opportunities for collaboration and continued engagement.
• A funeral service will be held for Lee Vance Walter at 10:00 a.m. on January 20, 2024, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA, with a celebration of life at 12:30 p.m. that day at the Mt. Vernon Yacht Club, 4817 Tarpon Lane, Alexandria, VA.  Lee passed away on November 30, 2023, after a battle with cancer.  Lee was an outstanding colleague and public servant with 18 years of service at USAID, including as the lead for LPA’s Legislative Reference Division since 2016.
• The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) draft Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Policy is now available for public review and feedback.  UAA members are invited to submit any feedback on the draft policy directly to USAID via this link no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on January 15th, 2024.
• The Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity: A U.S. Government Strategy for International Assistance (2019–2024) is currently being updated. The APCCA Secretariat is pleased to announce the public comment period for the draft Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity Strategy (2024-2028) to promote early childhood development; to support those most vulnerable children who are, or are at risk of, living outside of family care; and to protect children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Click here to view the draft APCCA Strategy.  Please click here to access, review, and provide feedback on the draft updated strategy. The feedback will be open until 5:00 p.m. ET, January 19th, 2024.