2024 Joanna Parys  

Joanna Parys of Embassy Kinshasa won the 2024 Champions of Career Enhancement for EFMs (CCE-EFM) Award for going above and beyond prescribed duties to make a lasting impact upon the assigned post. Parys’ commitment to EFM employment during tenure as HR EPAP for Embassy Kinshasa greatly benefited the Mission and its families. As the nomination notes, frequent post evacuations in past years left the EFM employment situation unpredictable and with low morale. By providing individual attention, support, and proactive follow-through, Parys created a positive and welcoming atmosphere, even during a year of political turmoil, war, and disease outbreaks. Parys’ creativity, advocacy, and dedication allowed the Mission to focus on strategic diplomatic efforts, knowing the Embassy community was cohesively supported by EFMs whose skills suited their roles. Even when specific individuals were not selected for a particular position, Parys’ knowledge of their skills, aptitudes, and desires enabled better matching of suitable candidates for projected positions.

2023 Rona Jobe, Washington, DC

Rona Jobe, CEO of LVL-Up Strategies and an EFM in Washington, DC for advocating for Eligible Family Members’ (EFMs) career progression. She has provided mentorship, guidance, and resources to EFMs and private companies to retain and hire EFMs, allowing them to find meaningful employment and advance their careers.

2022 Stephanie Anderson and Lauren McKinnon Steed

Stephanie Anderson (Berlin) and Lauren Steed (Guangzhou) are  the joint winners of the 2022 CCE-EFM Award. As creators and co-hosts of the podcast "Available  Worldwide," Stephanie and Lauren interview EFMs who share their challenges and successes with  portable businesses, teleworking and volunteer projects. Other achievements include a week-long virtual  "FS Education and Lifelong Learning Expo" showcasing professional services offered by 35 EFM small  businesses. The Expo reached nearly 900 viewers with thirty live videos, and the podcast has had more  than 3000 downloads in its first year. Both efforts have inspired EFMs around the world to launch new  businesses and other endeavors, and to think differently about how they define their career success and  personal identity

2021 Tim Stufft, Chisinau

Eligible Family Member Tim Stufft is an engineer and company vice president who has worked tirelessly to connect his fellow EFMs with remote, private-sector work opportunities in the fields of engineering and defense technology. While posted in Chisinau, he also founded a co-working group for mutual support among EFMs working remotely. His efforts have positively impacted perceptions about the work opportunities for EFMs as they accompany Foreign Service personnel at posts around the world.

2020 Janet Heg, Human Resources Officer, Djibouti

Janet Heg was assigned to Embassy Djibouti as the Human Resources Officer, and EFM employment was part of her portfolio.  She stated: "Because of my prior experience I knew how important those jobs were, both to the mission and to the employee and their spouse." She'd seen at previous posts how EFM employment was not always prioritized by HR and made it a priority to help EFMs find employment at post.

2019 Daniel Alvarez (EPAP), Shannon Bland (EFM Coordinator), and Dan Alvarez (Global Employment Advisor), Mexico City

Expanded Professional Associate (EPAP) Dan Kehoe, Eligible Family Member (EFM) Coordinator Shannon Bland, and Global Employment Advisor (GEA) Daniel Alvarez at U.S. Embassy Mexico City went above and beyond their job descriptions and routine daily activities to promote the cause of employment and career development for Foreign Service family members in Mission Mexico. 

Wholeheartedly dedicated to advancing the professional development of our EFMs, Dan, Shannon, and Daniel have created a multi-faceted EFM employment program that streamlines an inherently cumbersome recruitment process, educates EFMs on hiring preferences and authorities, and promotes professional growth and work options at post.

2018 Laura Sheehan, Regional Global Employment Advisor

Laura Sheehan is a 15-year Foreign Service spouse veteran serving in six overseas posts, she has worked inside and outside the mission, started her own business, volunteered, and started a family. Laura consults with family members, coaches clients on writing resumes and building interview skills, helps people launch their own businesses and has written a series of employment articles—to name just a few of her many duties. She consistently receives rave reviews from her clients for going above and beyond her job description.

2017 Judy Ikels, Division Chief, Office of Employee Relations, Department of State

Over the course of her 27 years as a Department employee, Judy Ikels’ commitment to support family member employment has significantly impacted the evolution of employment opportunities and career development for Foreign Service family members. She has served as a Community Liaison Office Coordinator, a trainer at the Overseas Briefing Center, the Deputy Director of the Family Liaison Office (FLO), as well as the FLO Employment Coordinator, Chief of Employee Programs and Chief of the Work Life Division in HR’s Office of Employee Relations.

2016 Cindy Jones, CLO, Budapest

Helping Foreign Service family members find work overseas requires “changing the mindset of the Embassy community to think outside of the box and embrace more creative ideas,” according to Community Liaison Office Coordinator (CLO) Cindy Jones, winner of AAFSW’s 2016 Champions of Career Enhancement for Eligible Family Members Award (CCE-EFM).  As CLO, Cindy organized dedicated language training for family members to broaden their opportunities. Working closely with the Management and Human Resources offices, Cindy successfully advocated for the conversion of two locally employed staff positions (including language reclassification) and the creation of a new part-time jobshare and a new contract position.

2015 Stephanie Arnold, Human Resources Officer, Dublin 

Stephanie Arnold, former Human Resources Officer (HRO) and Financial Management Officer in Dublin, is a firm believer in the value of EFM employment and she advocated for it at every turn. Whenever an office expressed the need for a new position or to fill a vacant one, I considered whether it would be well-suited to an EFM and if we had EFMs at post with the desired skill set. She considers her "significant breakthrough" as convincing the Irish government to grant blanket work permits to EFMs of American diplomats immediately upon arrival and accreditation in country, in the full spirit of reciprocity and as originally envisioned from the outset of the bilateral work agreement 17 years prior. 

2014 Jamie Armstrong, Human Resources Officer, Hanoi