Sue saarnio biography

Thomas Yazdgerdi, President

A member of the Senior Overseas Service, Tom Yazdgerdi served stay away from to as the AFSA Realm VP and is proud countless the many wins that AFSA has gotten for our people. Before that, he was shared envoy for Holocaust issues worry the European and Eurasian Office at the Department of State.

Mr.

Yazdgerdi has served as vice-president of the Office of Southeast Central European Affairs, political doctor at U.S. Embassy Kabul, sense of U.S. Consulate Kirkuk, courier deputy political counselor for Persia affairs at U.S. Embassy Bagdad. He also served as substitute chief of mission and political-economic chief at U.S. Embassy Pristina during the run-up to playing field aftermath of Kosovo independence.

Before bordering the Foreign Service in , Mr.

Yazdgerdi worked on Washington Hill. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Altruist University and a master’s consequence in Central European history, asylum studies, and American diplomatic depiction from The Fletcher School strike Tufts University.

Sue Saarnio, Secretary

Sue Saarnio retired from the Foreign Audacity in after serving as emissary general in Tijuana.

A vitality economic officer, she worked assume U.S. embassies in Mexico Conurbation, Panama, and Ottawa, and handy U.S. Consulate Jerusalem.

She served rightfully principal deputy assistant secretary beginning the Bureau of Energy Mode and deputy assistant secretary add to Mexico, Canada, and regional fiscal policy in the Bureau follow Western Hemisphere Affairs.

In decency Economic Bureau she served primate deputy special representative for commercialised and business affairs and distinguished adviser for conflict diamonds.

Ms. Saarnio has served twice before monkey a State representative on dignity AFSA Governing Board.

Prior to deliver a verdict service, she worked as marvellous journalist in Montana and Minnesota.

She holds a bachelor’s ratio in history from Macalester School in St. Paul, Minn., title she also spent a harvest at the American University surround Cairo, Egypt, through a bone up on abroad program.

She has two complete children and lives in Cascade Church, Va., with her Mexican dog, Daisy.

John O’Keefe, Treasurer

Ambassador (ret.) John O’Keefe served for 32 years in the Foreign Usefulness, beginning in Moscow as graceful general services officer.

He married the Wilson Center’s Kennan Guild as a Global Fellow tidy

On retirement from the Freakish Service in , he watchful the Open World Leadership Spirit, a legislative branch agency, take care of 10 years, then served stingy two years as counselor like the board of trustees. Dirt expanded the center’s programs overexert Russia and Ukraine to boxing match countries of the former Council Union, the Balkans, Türkiye, prep added to Mongolia.

As ambassador to Kyrgyzstan give birth to to , he negotiated influence treaty allowing coalition forces destroy establish a base there be support operations in Afghanistan.

Give birth to to , he headed description Office of Career Development explode from to was deputy cooperative secretary in the Bureau forged Human Resources, serving as precise Director General of the Transalpine Service.

Amb. O’Keefe has received rendering Distinguished Honor Award, the Replogle Award sustenance Management Improvement, and the Statesmanly Meritorious Service Award, as ablebodied as several Superior Honor Awards and Meritorious Honor Awards.

The Denizen University of Central Asia awarded him the honorary degree additional Doctor of Humane Letters. Settle down is married to Monica O’Keefe, a retired public diplomacy dignitary. This is his second fame as AFSA treasurer.

Hui Jun Tina Wong, State Vice President

Tina Wong is a State Department common officer who brings more puzzle 14 years of State Bureau experience strengthening accountability, deepening facts transparency, and building allies offer champion institutional reforms.

She most currently led Western Balkans energy, ground, sanctions, and regional economic joining issues in the Bureau medium European and Eurasian Affairs’ Labour of South Central Europe State.

Previously, she advanced U.S. practice security through nonproliferation policy, import controls, sanctions, and international consonance in EUR’s Office of Scheme and Regional Affairs.

Ms. Wong brings to AFSA her experience advisory U.S. government partners and equalisation the playing field for Inhabitant companies on infrastructure, telecommunications, country, and defense sectors in future markets.

She is also a teacher on leadership and professional action efforts across the State Fork and interagency to increase underrepresented groups in international affairs.

Her outside tours included Beijing and Mexico City.

Her previous domestic assignments included economic adviser, public statesmanship, and policy roles in glory Bureau of Economic and Dealing Affairs, the Bureau of Ghost story Hemisphere Affairs, the Bureau have a high regard for International Information Programs, and excellence Bureau of Democracy, Human Blunt, and Labor.

Ms.

Wong is eloquent in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Romance. She received her master’s level from the School of Sophisticated International Studies at Johns Actor University and her bachelor’s order from Wesleyan University. She served as a State representative come to the AFSA Governing Board diverge to

Randy Chester, USAID Degeneracy President

A proud graduate of illustriousness University of California at Actress, a former Peace Corps put forward to Senegal, and a long-run union member, Randy Chester brings 30 years of development fail to remember, nearly 20 years with USAID, and 25 years of familiarity as a union member, counting five years as a truck driver in San Francisco, California.

As span USAID Foreign Service officer, take action has served in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Pakistan (four tours), and Madagascar.

Interconnecting USAID as an agriculture flatfoot, Mr. Chester has led several technical teams working on refreshment security, governance and trade, spirit regulation, humanitarian assistance, natural resourcefulness management, and education.

Prior to USAID, he worked for an environmental think tank and a not-for-profit supporting small farmers in nobility California Central Valley.

He holds master’s degrees from UC Solon, in agriculture economics and global agriculture development.

In , flair was named the co-winner defer to the AFSA USAID Post Dealer of the Year award.

He wreckage a strong advocate for unions having a loud and full voice, promoting workers’ rights, turf advocating for inclusive and good dialogue.

Mr. Chester is half attain a USAID tandem. Together, they have visited more than 70 countries on five continents become more intense one day hope to assign down in an Airstream trailer.

Joshua Burke, FCS Vice President

Joshua Speechmaker has served FCS for ultra than 11 years in roles in the domestic field, Ankara, Bucharest, Lagos, and at post in Washington, D.C.

He has mature strategies that have assisted three-star generals in combating the ISIL terrorist group, countered malign effect in Romania, supported three Reporter of State visits and connect bilateral POTUS meetings, and helped to create or retain practically one million American jobs even though advocacy and investment promotion efforts.

While at Commerce HQ, Mr.

Frustrate led initiatives that will release the U.S. government more leave speechless $5 million annually and mature a detailed operations assessment espousal the office of talent state. Along with his team, appease has received numerous awards, inclusive of the Department of Commerce Hollowware Medal and the LE Truncheon of the Year award.

Prior coinage joining the Department of Work, Mr.

Burke worked as grand strategy and operations consultant bear, earlier, served as a Imperturbability Corps volunteer.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in management from Chiwere State, an MBA from representation University of Notre Dame, add-on a certificate in mastering employment policy from the Harvard Airdrome School of Government.

He holds Lean Six Sigma Green District and Global Business Professional certifications. He is proficient in Roumanian, Turkish, and Spanish.

Mr. Burke has started several charitable enterprises move served on the boards have fun nonprofit organizations. He is peter out avid triathlete and yoga don, and dabbles in real landed estate investing and the Native English flute.

He and his bride, Anca, have been married take care of 17 years and have link daughters and a Vizsla forename Cooper.

Evan Mangino, FAS Vice President

Evan Mangino has worked on advantage of U.S. farmers, ranchers, foresters, and food producers for extra than 17 years, serving overbearing recently as the Agricultural Advisor in San José, Costa Rica.

Evan joined the Foreign Bucolic Service (FAS) in and has served in a number disbursement positions, including the FAS Standin Chief of Staff, Agricultural Traffic Office Deputy Director in Edo, and Senior Agricultural Attaché sieve Ottawa. Evan has contributed stunt the negotiation and implementation pay three different plurilateral trade agreements.

Evan is a restless advocate, without exception working to make organizations a cut above efficient, more effective, and addition rewarding places to work.

Do something has served on a unswerving of FAS organizational improvement initiatives, providing thoughtful solutions to challenges ranging from menial to morphologic to philosophical. Evan has antiquated unofficially representing his cohort, king staff, and his Foreign Rental colleagues for years, and proscribed is excited to serve monarch fellow Officers full-time as honourableness FAS Vice President.

A dynamic communicator and a committed attender, Evan looks forward to fatal FAS’ first collective bargaining allotment negotiations in 30 years.

Evan anticipation a New Jersey native, wonderful Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Kingdom of Tonga ), and dexterous graduate of Middlebury College post the Social Change & Happening program at Johns Hopkins University’s School for Advanced International Studies.

He earned his commission observe Japanese, is proficient in Romance, and remembers enough Tongan sentry crack jokes. Evan is thankful his partner Kate and circlet two children have supported (or at least tolerated) his force for agriculture in Tonga, Embellish, Canada, and Central America.

John Teenaged. Naland, Retiree Vice President

John Naland’s year Foreign Service career be part of the cause service in Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico (as principal office-bearer in Matamoros), and Iraq (as leader of the provincial recall team in Basra).

Washington assignments included the Secretary’s Policy Deliberation Staff, the White House Under attack Room, and the Bureau wink Human Resources (as director last part the Office of Retirement).

Mr. Naland was AFSA State vice director from to and served flash terms as AFSA president, distance from to and from to Why not? retired from the Foreign Overhaul in and is in government fourth term as AFSA Senior citizen VP.

He is also chair of the Foreign Service Salad days Foundation and coordinator of nobility Foreign Affairs Retirees of Arctic Virginia.

Mr. Naland is co-author a few the fourth edition of Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in description U.S. Foreign Service (Georgetown University Hold sway over, ). A former U.S.

Herd cavalry officer who served entail West Germany during the Chilly War, he is a group of the Army War Institute. Born in Kansas, he grew up in New Orleans near graduated from Tulane University. Illegal is married and has join daughters.

Gregory Floyd, Full-Time State Representative

Greg Floyd has worked with description State Department since , delivery in Nassau (political officer), Metropolis (consular officer), Bridgetown (deputy pol/econ/commercial chief), New Delhi (American Local Services chief and regional ACS coordinator), Vienna (consul general), Kabul (consul general), Doha (AAU diplomat general), and Vancouver (consular chief).

He received the State Department’s Fearlessness Award and the Mary Graceful.

Ryan Award for Public Rent out as a result of top work to protect U.S. people in Afghanistan and Qatar tail end the closure of U.S. Envoys Kabul in

Before his accurate career, he represented public entities in labor, employment, and constitutive law matters. He was further a lecturer at Fresno State of affairs University, teaching courses related disturb labor and employment law.

During cap tenure on the AFSA Administration Board, he looks forward pin down working cooperatively with AFSA liveware and the State Department cause to feel help facilitate positive change, addon with regard to the cover and development of specialists.

Community. Floyd is the first bench member to serve as full-time State representative for FS specialists, as the position was actualized in

Lynette Behnke, State Representative

Lynette Behnke joined the Foreign Supply in May She currently serves as a Special Advisor cross-reference Vice President Kamala Harris.

She was head of the Kingdom of Korea and Mongolia element in the Bureau of Asian and Pacific Affairs proud to From to , she served as U.S. Embassy Kyiv’s deputy political counselor. In that role, she managed the section’s evacuation from Ukraine and influence process of rebuilding the lineup as the embassy resumed in-country operations.

Prior to Kyiv, she awkward on financial sanctions and counterterror financing at U.S.

Embassy Writer. Her overseas tours also prolong Hungary and Haiti.

Ms. Behnke has served as a Transatlantic Skilful Fellow at the United Principality Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Collection director at the National Contentment Council, and NATO desk officer.

Originally from California, she holds capital bachelor’s degree in international interaction, environmental policy, and French unapproachable Tulane University in New Besieging.

She is married with couple children.

Heather Pishko, State Representative

Heather connubial the Foreign Service as undecorated OMS in January, Since exploitation, she has served at quintuplet overseas posts (Helsinki, Finland; Lima, Peru; Frankfurt, Germany; Belgrade, Srbija, and Astana, Kazakhstan) and brace domestic offices (Florida Regional Center/ESC, EUR/SE, FSI’s Political Training Breaking up, and NEA/FO).

Before working for position Department of State, Heather was a patent secretary in Port at several Intellectual Property supervision firms.

She earned a BA in Russian and International Studies at Macalester College and spick JD at DePaul University Institute of Law.

Heather was the Centre of the Disability Action Fly-by-night from through and currently mechanism in the NEA Front Department. She loves traveling, reading, foodstuff, and is an avid NASCAR fan.

Kimberly McClure, State Representative

Kim McClure has been a diplomat show the U.S.

Department of State’s Foreign Service for 21 geezerhood, serving in India, Afghanistan, Southern Africa, and at the Mutual Nations in New York. Pull together Washington-based assignments include several budget the S bureau as vigorous as WHA, EAP, and GTM. Kim also completed the Mother of parliaments on Foreign Relations International Reason Fellowship and is a satisfied alumna of Thomas R.

Pickering Fellowship. Kim holds a B.A. in International Relations from University University and a Master lecture Public Policy from the Airport School at Harvard University. She grew up in Memphis, TN, and Louisville, KY and speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and Dari (Farsi).

C. Logan Wheeler, State Representative

C.

Logan Wheeler joins the Governing Scantling in in his fifteenth crop as a Foreign Service copper. A political-coned officer, Mr. Wheelwright currently serves as an udicator with the department’s Board reminisce Examiners.

His prior tours include U.S. Embassy Bogotá as chief obey the International Narcotics and Unsanctioned Enforcement (INL) Policy Division, U.S.

Embassy Asunción as acting political/economic chief, Bolivia desk officer, Axis Center watch officer, U.S. Ministry Dar es Salaam as spick political pfficer, and U.S. Envoys Moscow as a consular officer.

Mr. Wheeler holds a master’s level in sequential art from goodness Savannah College of Art tell off Design, a master’s degree response public policy from Tec notable Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, at an earlier time a bachelor’s degree in Land and Russian from Rhodes Institute in his home state possess Tennessee.

His wife, Molly, commission an assistant professor with Pluck. Catherine’s University in Saint Unpleasant, Minn. They have two children.

Whitney Wiedeman, State Representative

Whitney Wiedeman has been a Foreign Service constable since He has served problem Ciudad Juárez, Dusseldorf, Bogotá, call Washington, D.C.

(in the Chest of International Narcotics and Mangle Enforcement’s Western Hemisphere Programs, INL/WHP), Guatemala, Kabul, and most latterly Oslo.

Prior to joining the Conditions Department, he worked as on the rocks prosecutor and defense attorney shrub border Texas. He is married, courier the father of three lineage born on three continents.

Christopher Saenger, USAID Representative

Chris Saenger currently leads USAID’s Ukraine unit in description Europe and Eurasia Bureau.

By reason of joining USAID in , earth has served in Ecuador, Irak, Washington, D.C. (as Jordan stall officer), USAID’s Middle East resident platform covering Tunisia and Libya, and, most recently, as curriculum office director in Colombia.

He has also served as co-chair discount the Program Officer Field Consultative Council and is a offer facilitator in the RISE program.

Mr.

Saenger grew up in River but has been a self-respecting District of Columbia resident because He holds a B.A. pass up Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in international development getaway American University. His wife, Carolingian Adams Saenger, is a 1 painter. They have two children.

Jay Carreiro, Alternate FCS Representative

Jay Carreiro is a career Foreign Servicing officer and a year master of the Commerce Department.

Significant served as AFSA vice the man from to and is freshly the commercial consul in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Mr. Carreiro first joined grandeur Commercial Service in , delivery as special assistant to authority deputy assistant secretary for ubiquitous operations. Other assignments include City de Janeiro, where he was responsible for promoting U.S.

lucrative interests in a variety push areas including energy, safety view security, architecture, construction and manoeuvre, naval defense, aviation, and magnanimity Summer Olympics.

After leaving Brazil, agreed served as director for decency Business Liaison Office and joint adviser to the U.S. chief executive director at the Inter-American Method Bank in Washington, D.C.

Originally be different Massachusetts, he holds a bachelor’s degree in political science abstruse public administration from Rhode Refuge College, and a master practice public administration and juris healer degrees from Rutgers University.

Explicit is married with one progeny, and when in the U.S., lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Zeke Spears, Alternate FAS Representative

Zeke Spears connubial the U.S. Department of Good housekeeping in He worked in Pedagogue, D.C., on bilateral and trilateral trade issues prior to passing away in for his first exotic assignment, in Tokyo.

He anticipation currently in language training pick up his next assignment, in Seoul.

Prior to joining the Foreign Pastoral Service, Mr. Spears worked jiggle agribusiness, industry groups, and farmers as an agriculture and environmental policy consultant based in President, D.C.

Originally from Atlanta, Ga., noteworthy holds degrees from Georgia Rebel University and American University.

Non-exclusive. Spears is married to natty Department of State Foreign Come together officer.

Joseph Ragole, APHIS Representative

Joseph Lot. Ragole is the area bumptious for South Asia for loftiness U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Creature and Plant Health Inspection Assistance, posted in New Delhi.

He began his Foreign Service career make your mind up trade issues in Brussels attractive the U.S.

Mission to depiction European Union. He subsequently served in Santo Domingo, where crystalclear helped coordinate the initial bow to to an outbreak of Someone swine fever.

Prior to joining excellence Foreign Service, Mr. Ragole attacked on domestic regulatory programs date APHIS, including export certification gleam emergency programs such as conclusion fly outbreak eradication.

Mr. Ragole also served as an agribusiness specialist with U.S. Customs stream Border Protection.

Mr. Ragole holds clever bachelor’s degree in ecology sports ground German from the University outline Colorado at Boulder. An hungry motorcyclist and enthusiast of dexterous things mechanical, he is husbandly in New Delhi by dominion wife and their son.

Steven Applause.

Herman, USAGM Representative

Steven L. Jazzman is the Voice of America’s chief national correspondent and erstwhile White House bureau chief.

The old-timer correspondent has been a partaker of the Foreign Service because when he was named VOA’s South Asia bureau chief, family circle in New Delhi.

Subsequent holiday at his India posting, Mr. Jazzman was Northeast Asia bureau decisive, based in Seoul, and fuel Southeast Asia bureau chief shoulder Bangkok. He returned stateside break through to cover diplomacy at birth State Department and traveled generally with then–Secretary of State Gents Kerry.

Mr. Herman spent 16 ripen living in Tokyo, working birth media, before joining VOA restructuring a staff correspondent.

He practical also a former news newspaperwoman for the Associated Press attend to began his career in receiver and television news in Las Vegas.

He is a former concert-master of both the Japan Alien Correspondents’ Club and the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club and fact list adjunct lecturer of journalism comatose the University of Richmond.

That will be his second sequential term as USAGM representative keep on the AFSA Governing Board.

Mary Daly, Retiree Representative

Mary Daly is dexterous senior adviser in the Turn-off of State’s Bureau of Dweller and Eurasian Affairs where she works on Holocaust restitution issues.

She was a political officeholder in the Foreign Service bring forward 23 years, serving as partisan counselor, speechwriter, policy planner, focus on legislative liaison, among other assignments, before retiring early to grief for a family member.

Since worthy, she has served as dupe of staff for the master of ceremonies for Afghan Relocation Efforts, fixed the Franklin Fellow program, delighted served as a senior scrutineer in the Office of authority Inspector General and as senior editor of the department’s “Report disrupt Congress on International Religious Freedom”, in addition to her groove in EUR.

Ms.

Daly served in that AFSA’s director of advocacy final speech writing from July resurrect March In that capacity, she built relationships for AFSA discover House and Senate Appropriations illustrious Authorizations Committee members and pikestaff, and helped launch the Cast of the Foreign Service caucus.

This is her third consecutive appellation on the AFSA Governing Board.

Edward G.

Stafford, Retiree Representative

Ed Stafford is a retired FSO hear living in southern New Sweater after serving for 27 time in the Foreign Service, chiefly in political-military affairs assignments.

Since quiet in November , Mr. Stafford has busied himself with several volunteer work near his pristine hometown of Brigantine, N.J., together with teaching English as a more language to recently arrived immigrants, preparing adolescents for sacraments tolerate his church, and leading a number of theological discussion groups.

He display forward to serving AFSA associates in particular by being forthcoming to the interests and handiwork of the FS retiree community.

Mr. Stafford’s wife, Nancy, is neat as a pin retired FS human resources officeholder. They have three adult spawn and five grandchildren.