State Department
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From helping dogs in India find new homes in the U.S. to obtaining shoes for a school of Bulgarian children, award-winning volunteers help Foreign Service transform "tea and crumpets" image.
November 13, 2014 -
Diane Dillard picked up the pieces of the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon after it was bombed in 1983. Ambassador Bill Brown found himself at the heart of a Soviet Union spy scandal. And John Limbert survived the infamous 444-day Iran hostage crisis. In the inaugural edition of Federal News Radio's new feature, Federal Voices, we hear from each of them, in their own words, about what those experiences were really like and how they survived to tell the tale.
September 19, 2014 -
The State Department has five career tracks for its foreign service officers. The agency has online resources to make it easy for potential new employees to jump into one of those careers, but the biggest hurdle to finding new officers could be one the State Department can't control. Thomas Boyatt is former U.S. ambassador to Colombia. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained the difficulty of recruiting new officers.
August 28, 2014 -
One of the toughest jobs in the State Department these days might be ambassador to Russia. That job was conferred just days ago on veteran career diplomat John Tefft. He arrives in Moscow when tensions between Russia and the United States are as high as they've been since the Cold War. Bob Silverman is president of the American Foreign Service Association. He joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss how Tefft will have to go about his job.
August 05, 2014 -
U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Scott DeLisi said the State Department's Jonathan Gamdoni worked on the frontlines in coordinating efforts to counter The Lord's Resistance Army.
July 29, 2014 -
The Service to America Medals honor federal employees who go above and beyond their job descriptions to serve the public. For the next few months, Federal News Radio is speaking to the finalists. As a diplomat, you don't seek out the easy life. Jonathan Gandomi was the State Department's field representative for the Counter-Lord's Resistance Army Mission. He spent two years on an assignment that has frustrated the world, ridding Africa of one of its oldest and most brutal extremist groups. Gandomi joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss his experience in Africa that led to his 2014 Sammies nomination. View a photo gallery of all the Sammies finalists. Read a Q&A and related story.
July 14, 2014 -
Bill Lay, the State Department's chief information security officer, said his budget for cybersecurity doubled in 2014 to help address the recommendations outlined by the agency's inspector general.
July 02, 2014 -
The barriers for hiring interns are getting lower. Nowadays, you don't even have to give them a desk. The State Department is recruiting students from around the world to serve as virtual interns at several agencies. The students do real projects but sometimes from half a world away. Program Manager Bridget Roddy joined Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss the Virtual Student Foreign Service Program.
June 30, 2014 -
The State Department stands out among agencies cracking down on bad contractors. In 2009, it took just eight suspension or debarment actions. Last year, it reported 96. Corey Rindner is the procurement executive and suspension and debarment official at the State Department. He joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss what debarment and suspension are and are not.
June 24, 2014 -
Maybe the United States was never really finished in Iraq. Regardless, events of the past two weeks have returned that nation to a front and center position for Congress and the administration. Paul Bremer was U.S. Presidential envoy to Iraq in 2003 and 2004. A career diplomat, he was thrust into the spotlight as temporary head of the Iraqi government after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Most of the questions this week have been about military options now that the government is under threat. Bremer joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss how this situation affects the State Department both here and in Baghdad.
June 20, 2014 -
Recent headlines suggest federal agencies do not always look kindly on whistleblowers in their ranks. Most recently, the Veterans Affairs Department stands accused of tamping down dissent over mismanagement of its health care system. But an awards ceremony at the State Department today is honoring some federal employees for sticking out their necks and challenging their leaders. The American Foreign Service Association is giving four career diplomats the Constructive Dissent Award. Ambassador Jonathan Addleton, currently regional USAID mission director for the Central Asian Republics, is one of the honorees. He joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss what led to his nomination.
June 18, 2014 -
Over a three-decade career, State Department employee Thomas Browne has changed the way the U.S. and 70 countries across the world view drug addiction, treatment and prevention.
June 02, 2014 -
The Service to America medals honor federal employees who go above and beyond their job descriptions to serve the public. Federal News Radio will be speaking to finalists. A colleague describes him as the world's leading expert on drug-addiction treatment and prevention. As the deputy director of the State Department's anti-crime programs, Thomas Brown has helped shape drug treatment in 70 countries. He's a finalist in the career achievement category of the 2014 Sammies awards. Read a Q&A with Thomas Browne.
June 02, 2014 -
In this edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller shares news and buzz about the IT and acquisition communities.
May 23, 2014 -
NSA, State and nearly every other agency are developing "fixes" to protect unauthorized employees from taking data. Experts say employees need to understand why the rules are in place and how they benefit both the organization and worker. OMB says one way to improve the situation is by reducing the number of federal employees with security clearances-an initiative that already is underway.
May 21, 2014