AAFSW - Key Persons
Alfredo was on his first posting outside of Mexico when he met his current wife, the Foreign Born Spouse that drew him to us. This was his posting to Guangzhou, China, and the lady was his Tai Chi instructor Shunying. Shunying faced many of the challenges FBS members will find familiar, including learning a new language as well as a new culture. Alfredo can identify with the challenges of the foreign born in the United States.
Ann La Porta has been a member of AAFSW since 1978. Over the years she has worked with the Forum Committee on projects such as obtaining mental health benefits for family members, especially those impacted by crisis situations. More recently she worked with EFM employment issues during the Trump administration and was a part of the committee for SNEA (Special Needs Education Allowance) reform. She co-founded the Evacuee Support Network in 1984 and has been a lead person for that whenever she was posted in DC. By profession she is a lawyer who has focused on child welfare issues in DC. Overseas she worked with Maori land rights issues in New Zealand and a Rule of Law project in Mongolia.
AAFSW playgroup. Anna made many friends at foreign-born spouse gatherings. Livelines has
Anna grew up in Northwestern China, and met and married her Foreign Service husband while
they both worked in Beijing. When the Bysfields moved back to DC in 2003, they didn't have
any family or friends in the area. Luckily, they found the AAFSW Housing Office when they
were looking for a place to rent. Not only did they find a great property through the Housing
During 32 years serving the Foreign Service, Anne served as CLO, newsletter creator/editor, post Commercial Officer, in numerous International Women's Clubs, created two NGOs, and was awarded the Avis Bohlen Award.
Anne was Executive Assistant at DACOR Bacon House dealing with maintenance, a major renovation project, guest rooms, and special events. Later, she was elected to the Board of Governors/Trustees where she served two terms. She served on the Executive Committee and continues on the House and Garden Committee.
Anne is a longtime AAFFSW member having served as President, Art and BookFair Treasurer, and Art and BookFair Chair. During her presidency, Anne testified before Congress on the future of the Foreign Service, served on the committee that transformed Around the World in a Lifetime (AWAL) into the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF). She was principal drafter for the AAFSW SOSA (AAFSW Secretary of State's Award for outstanding service abroad) and helped draft the Leslie Dorman Award, given to individuals for sustained outstanding service to the AAFSW. Anne presented Leslie with the first award.
Beginning her career with a Fortune 500 US hydrocarbons company in Algeria, Celine subsequently served as Executive Director for an African nation's national park system, and then worked for a Swiss-based bank on corporate and client development before moving on to a US corporate governance research firm. In Colombia, she transitioned to a series of consultancies with the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service (FCS), researching intellectual property rights, pharmaceutical and medical companies operating in this emerging market.
Celine began her career with a Fortune 500 US hydrocarbons company in Algiers, where she joined her former husband at his first overseas post. Celine subsequently served as Executive Director for an African nation's national park system, and then worked for a Swiss-based bank on corporate and client development before moving on to a US corporate governance research firm. In Colombia, she transitioned to a series of consultancies with the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service (FCS). Celine's long interest in corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues led her to Paris where she completed the coursework for a master's degree in Corporate Social Responsibility Management. In Mexico, she then conducted gap analysis audits, guiding internal sustainability teams of multinational manufacturing companies into compliance with international standards. Celine currently writes reports, and other communication materials for international development practitioners and the public in humanitarian assistance.
Her Master in Advanced Studies (MAS) complements her undergraduate studies at University Paris IV-Sorbonne, a MBA and professional development at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. Celine moved back to Washington, DC in 2016.Celine's long interest in corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues led her to Paris where she completed the coursework for a master's degree in Corporate Social Responsibility Management. She then conducted gap analysis audits in Mexico, guiding internal sustainability teams of multinational manufacturing companies into compliance with the international standard ISO26000. Celine currently writes trilingual success stories, reports, and other communication materials for international development practitioners and the public for the Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC), a joint initiative between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and The American Red Cross Headquarter.
Her Master in Advanced Studies (MAS) complements her undergraduate studies at University Paris IV-Sorbonne, a MBA and professional development at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia. Celine moved back to Washington, DC, in 2016.
Dr. Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen, the 2020 Eleanor Dodson Tragen Award recipient, served as the elected President of the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW)
from August 2016 to August 2020. She has also been appointed the AAFSW Fun for Funds
Joanna is a consulting geophysicist and gemologist leading expeditions in countries such as Myanmar, Morocco, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Iceland, etc., and places such as the Galapagos, Easter Island, Amazon, Tahiti, Hawaii, and Alaska, etc. She participates in the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the Washington D.C. Conference of the National Council for Science and Environment (NCSE), which brings together scientists and policy makers to discuss the integration of Science, Business, Education, and Regulations. In March 2017, Joanna was invited to the "Our Task's Earth 2100" Conference, which addressed the future of soil and food through regenerative agriculture and ecosystem restoration solutions.
Dr. Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen has been associated with the Department of State since 2001, living in Argentina, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. Her involvement with the Department of State allows her to explore how education, population size, and geo-cultural politics affect environmental international policy and strategies, development projects worldwide, and practices implemented around the world regarding energy resources, the climate, and waste management.
Joanna has been remarkably supportive of all AAFSW members: she is the first AAFSW President that gave awards to all commendable AAFSW volunteers directly during the annual AAFSW Volunteer Appreciation Lunch and the annual Awards' Ceremony, established the Fun For Funds Committee (2016) to help raise funds for AAFSW's worthy causes, and eagerly advanced all EFM efforts such as for Cox Fellowship recommendations, new businesses, and job-training workshops. During her tenure as the elected 2016-2020 AAFSW President, Joanna increased the number of the AAFSW Standing Committees, with AAFSW Board Member Chairs who can vote during the AAFSW Board meetings, from seven in 2016 to eleven in 2020, delivering a bigger, stronger, and more inclusive AAFSW to the next elected AAFSW President who succeeded her. Further, Joanna teamed up with FSYF and DACOR to promote joint events with AAFSW, designed the very successful 2017 Art and Book Fair advertisement seeking volunteers plus the new AAFSW stand-up posters and AAFSW Membership forms, contributed improvements to the monthly AAFSW Global Link Newsletter and AAFSW Website, helped judge the 2017 Avis Bohlen Award plus many of the SOSA entries, annual FS Scholarships and CCE-EFM grants, championed all AAFSW efforts for the support of evacuees such as from Russia, Venezuela, China, etc., and successfully chaired the first virtual AAFSW Board Meetings via Zoom in April 2020 and June 2020.
Jenny Kocher was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She graduated from the Universidad Externado de Colombia with a degree in Hotel and Tourism Management. Jenny has since lived in Beijing, Guangzhou, Lima, and is currently in Washington DC with her Foreign Service husband and two children.
With the State Department, she worked in various Consular EFM roles and especially enjoyed her time assisting American citizens abroad. Volunteering is also very important to Jenny, and she has served on the board of various NGOs domestically and abroad (Caminar Latino, Comunidad, and Guangzhou Women's International Club). Foreign Service life has taught her to be flexible and expect the unexpected.
Jenny currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia, with her family and enjoys traveling and new cultures. She is currently a realtor, property manager, and certified Zumba instructor. She speaks English, Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi.
"I am very honored to be part of the AAFSW team. I believe that as a foreign-born spouse with our background, experiences, and capabilities we make daily contributions to our community."
Job Titles:
- Second Vice President
- Service Family Member
Melanie McFeeters has been a Foreign Service family member since March 1991. Overseas posts include Bonn, Surabaya, Jakarta (twice), Paris, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and Brussels. Her husband also served at the Embassy in Baghdad twice. She received a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland and has worked in banking in Germany, in the Human Resources/Employee Relations office at the Department of State, as the Global Employment Assistant (GEA) in Korea, as CLO in Malaysia and for the Tri-missions in France and Belgium.
She also volunteered as Social Welfare Chair for the Expatriate Women's Association in Surabaya, and for the Employee Associations in Jakarta and Seoul as Treasurer/ Activity Chair respectively. Melanie has submitted candidates to AAFSW for consideration for the SOSA awards while serving in KL, and Jakarta. She also volunteered with AAFSW's annual Art and BookFair. She has three children and is currently posted to Malaysia where her husband, Brian, is serving as U.S. Ambassador.
Patricia Linderman served as volunteer AAFSW president from 2011-2015. You may also know her from the books she has co-edited, Realities of Foreign Service Life, Volumes 1 and 2, with royalties going to AAFSW, as well as A Cup of Culture and a Pinch of Crisis, a collection of essays about cross-cultural food experiences, which benefits the non-profit Tales from a Small Planet, www.talesmag.com.
Throughout her 27 years as a Foreign Service family member, she has contributed to efforts to share honest, candid information about Foreign Service life. She was a founding volunteer with Talesmag, which went online with the "Real Post Reports" way back in 1999, and she has helped moderate Foreign Service online groups such as Livelines and FSParent since the early 2000s. As AAFSW's president, she organized EFM art and business fairs as well as informational events on topics such as third-culture kids, unaccompanied tours, dealing with grief after transitions, and building resilience. Seeing new online resources arising for the Foreign Service community but realizing that many people were unaware of them, she joined a volunteer team that created the Foreign Service Hub, which gathers governmental, non-profit and social media resources in a single site. Her information-sharing has also included humorous offerings, such as the musical play for AAFSW's 50th anniversary (co-authored with Francesca Kelly and edited/directed by Debbi Miller), featuring songs such as "Wake Me Up When the Packout Ends."
With a B.S. in biology and an M.A. in German, she has worked as a freelance writer, editor, translator and language teacher while accompanying her FSO husband and two sons to Trinidad, Chile, Cuba, Germany, Ecuador and Mexico. After losing 43 pounds in 2014 and discovering her inner athlete, she became a certified personal trainer and health coach, and she now offers transformational health coaching to clients in Northern Virginia and overseas, through her website FierceAfter45.com.
Patrick F. Kennedy was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Under Secretary for Management on November 6, 2007 and served in that position until January 27, 2017. Prior to assuming that position, he was Director of the State Department's Office of Management Policy, Rightsizing, and Innovation from May, 2007; Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Management from April, 2005 to May, 2007; and from February, 2005 to April, 2005 he headed the Transition Team that set up the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. From September, 2001 to May, 2005, he was U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform with the Rank of Ambassador. During that period he also served from May, 2003 to the end of November 2003 as Chief of Staff of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and from May, 2004 to late August, 2004 as Chief of Staff of the Transition Unit in Iraq.
In 1993 he became Assistant Secretary of State for Administration and served in that post until 2001. Concurrently, from August, 1996 to August, 1997 he served as the Acting Under Secretary for Management; during 1998, as Acting Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security; and from 1997 to 2001 as the Coordinator for the Reorganization of the Foreign Affairs Agencies.
From 1973 to 1993, he served in a number of positions in Washington and overseas, including as Management Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and as Executive Director and Deputy Executive Secretary in the Executive Secretariat. Mr. Kennedy is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, and a Sage at the Partnership for Public Service.
Job Titles:
- Program Chair
- International Leader
- Program Chair of the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide
Sheila Switzer is an international leader and diplomatic liaison who has dedicated her life to promoting cross-cultural understanding, appreciation, and respect between people around the world. Through her work and outreach, she has continuously created opportunities for local communities to interact with the diplomatic community and has helped enrich the lives of those in need globally.
Ms. Switzer was a diplomatic spouse for 28+ years, during which time she and her family served in posts throughout Europe and Latin America. In all countries to which she and her family were assigned, she brought together the diplomatic, national, and international communities, in an effort to develop a substantial volunteer force, and infused them with passion to provide the support needed at different institutions. By organizing successful fundraising events, she was able to help improve the lives of several hundred people, ranging from poor orphans' education needs to supporting residences for elderly citizens; providing help for mental health care institutions; assisting young single mothers, homeless people, and abused children; and sponsoring a young girl to compete in the Special Olympics.
Ms. Switzer has been the Program Chair of the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide (AAFSW) since 1998, and she is the Foreign-Born Spouses State Liaison (Spouses of American Foreign Service Officers, State Department). In these positions she has been a liaison between various embassies and has organized impactful programs that are of international, political, cultural and local interest: most notably the Ambassador Speaker Series and cultural events at the U.S. Department of State, embassies, Library of Congress, museums, and other special venues. She established and chairs the Family Crisis Fund
She is also an active member and Embassy Liaison of The Hospitality and Information Service (THIS) of Washington, DC; Board member and Embassy Liaison for the Welcome To Washington International Club (W2W); Board member of Washington International Piano Arts Council (WIPAC); Embassy Liaison for the National Association of Arts and Letters (NSAL), promoting and unifying nations through the arts; Past President of the Pan American Round Table of Washington (PAN) and organizer of their international programs.
Sheila has received many honors for her accomplishments: