“We were already one of the biggest proponents of America First,” said Randy Chester, a veteran of the U.S. Agency for International Development who was forced to retire early in the wake of the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID — an act ostensibly done because of the agency’s anti-America First ideologies.
Today, Chester is the vice president and USAID liaison for the American Foreign Service Association, or AFSA, which is working to keep the mission — and memory — of what was once the world’s premier aid agency alive.
It also doesn’t want to forget the people behind that mission. AFSA recently held its annual awards ceremony to honor exceptional foreign service work. That includes its constructive dissent awards, for those who challenged policies they disagreed with. “There is no democracy without dissent, and the U.S. Foreign Service must remain a leader in the encouragement of respectful yet provocative constructive dissent,” AFSA said.
About the author
Anna Gawel
Anna Gawel is the Managing Editor of Devex. She previously worked as the managing editor of The Washington Diplomat, the flagship publication of D.C.’s diplomatic community. She’s had hundreds of articles published on world affairs, U.S. foreign policy, politics, security, trade, travel and the arts on topics ranging from the impact of State Department budget cuts to Caribbean efforts to fight climate change. She was also a broadcast producer and digital editor at WTOP News and host of the Global 360 podcast. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
