A New Year of Opportunities, Leadership, Accomplishments, and Challenges

As I mentioned in my message before the holidays, a key priority as President and Partner Director of AFS-USA is to ensure that all staff and volunteer members of our organization are kept in the loop on matters of importance to the success of our work, from our accomplishments to our challenges. Whether it’s an update on new program initiatives, insights into host family and student recruitment goals, or internal operational priorities, an informed volunteer force is stronger and more invested in our strategic and operational success. I look forward to updating you regularly (even frequently) and, likewise, I encourage your feedback, questions, and suggestions toward making AFS-USA a stronger and more vibrant organization.

Recent Achievements of Note

In the short time since I took the helm of leading AFS-USA, we’ve already enjoyed a number of accomplishments, including but by no means limited to the following short list:

• Our NH 2018 Semester students have traveled home.
• Host family and school placements were completed for the SH 2019 Semester students. Congratulations to the Team Development staff for ensuring that all of these students were provided with a host family placement before their departure for the United States!
• The Northwest California Area Team has welcomed a group of Global Prep students from Argentina who’ll be experiencing a month-long program with host families, school participation, and a great number of enrichment activities. Congratulations to TDS Kathi Kozik and the team for making this program happen.

• AFS-USA was recently named the 3^rd Top-Rated Youth Travel Organization of 2018 on GoAbroad.com. In an increasingly competitive world, reaching a top ranking on a trusted review site helps us rise above the rest, improves our brand awareness, and measurably increases our application numbers. Of course, none of this would be possible without all of the staff and volunteers involved in delivering top-notch study abroad experiences! Enjoy the article here.

Staffing and Leadership

AFS-USA is a very dynamic organization but it can also be quite complex, especially as it relates to how our staff teams and departments are organized. Since the holiday break, I’ve been considering a number of ideas around how we might improve the cross-functional dialogue to help us make better management decisions. I hear repeatedly, from both volunteers and staff, that the organization works in “silos” and that one department doesn’t know what another one is doing. I’ve had a number of conversations that have helped me to better understand how we can work more efficiently and with greater cross-functionality.

Gathering all of this information and feedback has helped me to identify some necessary changes to how we are organized so that we can benefit from a more cross-functional communication and management platform. In response, I have created a team of Senior Directors to serve as the AFS-USA Senior Leadership Team. Together with the Executive Team (Susan Goldberg, Marlene Baker, Keri Dooley, and John Duban), both groups will be accountable for our business operations and the achievement of our organizational priorities. The members of the Senior Leadership Team and some of their adjusted responsibilities are:

Mary Jo Brock – Mary Jo has taken over the management of Volunteer Development in addition to continuing her excellent work leading the Organizational Development effort. Mary Jo will serve on this team as the Senior Director of Organizational and Volunteer Development. Her extensive experience working with volunteer teams will be an invaluable asset to this group.

Melvin Harmon – Melvin, as previously mentioned, has taken over the oversight of Participant Support in addition to his existing responsibilities for program innovation and sending (CEPI). As the Senior Director of Customer Experience, Participant Support, and Program Innovation, Melvin will also be working closely with me on various projects and strategies that relate to the President’s priorities, strategic directions, and related communications.

Willie Thompson – Willie will be serving as the Senior Director of Digital Products and Business Analysis. Willie will continue to manage our business intelligence and the development of tools and digital products upon which we rely for both delivering programs and services as well as achieving optimal organizational performance. Willie’s leadership in these areas will enable staff and volunteers to work smarter and with more efficiency, enabling a more transparent and dependable base of business intelligence.

Steve Thrush – Steve has been promoted to Senior Director of Hosting Programs and Operations and will be taking on a number of the operational responsibilities I previously held as the Chief Operating Officer. Steve will have more responsibility for Program Management and engagement with our AFS Network Partners. Steve’s team will also oversee the operations for all inbound short programs and the line management of inbound short-program staff.

Robin Weber – Robin, as Senior Director of Risk Management, Compliance, and Quality Assurance, will also serve on this team. Robin’s experience in leading AFS-USA’s compliance with our own quality standards, as well as her responsibility for maintaining regulatory adherence, will provide valuable guidance to the Senior Leadership Team’s work.

My Priorities

I also want to share some of my priorities for the coming month:

• Improving communication with AFS-USA volunteers, staff, and the AFS-USA Board of Directors is a top priority and I am investing a lot of time toward making that outreach happen.
• I will be working closely with our Board’s executive leadership on advancing the Strategic Plan 2.0 and I look forward to providing a more comprehensive update on the Strategic Plan 2.0 as it takes shape.
• I will be working closely with the National Council to support the 2019 goals for the council and with whom I will start shaping the plan for the National Volunteer Summit which will take place in the fall of 2019.
• I have several external outreach initiatives planned for January and February which include meeting with key donors and organizations that we believe can aid in advancing AFS-USA’s visibility and strategic priorities.
• I will be attending the Hosting Conference in Dallas in early February and look forward to meeting with volunteers and Team Development Specialists.
• An AFS-USA Board meeting is scheduled for February 22-23 in the AFS-USA office in New York.

Going Forward

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve enjoyed the many messages and conversations I’ve had with so many of you since my appointment as President and Partner Director. Your experiences, achievements, best practices, and, yes, challenges and disappointments, will continue to influence me in the important work ahead of me. I look forward to keeping you informed of my plans, priorities, and initiatives as we work together to build a stronger and more impactful AFS- USA.

As always, I appreciate all that you do for AFS every day. My door (or email inbox) is always open, so feel free to share your questions, thoughts, and suggestions with me.

With kind regards,

Tara