The American Academy of Diplomacy - First Line of Defense

2009 Annual Meeting
The Cohen Group
June 29, 2009
12 noon-2:00pm

The American Academy of Diplomacy (AAD) hosted its 2009 annual meeting at The DLA Piper/ Cohen Group, and had the pleasure of welcoming Ambassador Harry Thomas, Director-General of the US Foreign Service, as the keynote speaker.

Over forty Academy members, financial supporters, and friends gathered for a discussion focusing on the future of the US Foreign Service, in light of new positions and funding for the State Department and USAID. Of particular interest was identifying the short-term challenges of establishing new positions and absorbing additional funding, as well as the long-term, institutional challenges of managing growth in the Foreign Service.

Ambassador Thomas Pickering, Academy Chairman, made welcoming remarks, and Ambassador Ronald Neumann, Academy President, introduced Ambassador Thomas, who addressed the crowd and took questions from Academy members. The major themes discussed at the meeting were the importance of recruiting people into the Foreign Service, providing and funding the appropriate training for Foreign Service officers, and how the Academy could identify synergies between its membership and the Service to help in these areas.

Academy members also provided an update on various AAD activities and programs, such as its Leonard Marks Foundation Essay Contest, membership, estate-giving, and the Foreign Affairs Budget for the Future project.

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DIPLOMACY
1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 902
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202/331-3721
Fax: 202/833-4555
academy@academyofdiplomacy.org

Site Index