The AFS-USA Compliance Advisory Group develops recommendations and provides input on ways to ensure that AFS-USA achieves full compliance with all regulations and standards of the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET), the US Department of State (DoS), and the AFS Partner network. The Compliance Advisory Group will:
- Consult on changes or improvements to be made in compliance related processes and procedures which impact volunteers.
- Provide consultation and /review new compliance related materials created by the Risk Management, Compliance, and Quality Assurance (RMCQA) department for volunteers, host families and participants.
- Consult on RMCQA departmental planning.
- Develop and bring innovative ideas or ideas for improvements in the area of compliance to the RMCQA department.
- Inform the Annual Volunteer Summit planning committee about new ideas, policy/process changes, etc.
The Compliance Advisory Group works in support of the compliance related goals of the RMCQA (Risk Management Compliance and Quality Assurance) department, which are to:
- Provide easily accessible, high quality resources and training opportunities that will enable staff and volunteers to effectively fulfill their roles and perform their responsibilities in compliance with AFS Quality Standards, DoS regulations and CSIET standards.
- Improve the organization’s ability to monitor, track and document compliance with DoS regulations and CSIET standards, and communicate to stakeholders AFS-USA’s level of performance in these areas as determined by the: annual audit, the Partner Service Evaluation, the Customer Service Evaluation, the manual compliance checklist process, student survey and other evaluation and tracking tools.
- Communicate the standards and regulations proposed and created by the DoS, CSIET, and AFS International to all AFS-USA stakeholders and work with staff in other departments to achieve full compliance with these standards and regulations.
- Continue to strengthen the team of volunteers and staff dedicated to raising awareness of areas in need of improvement within the organization and facilitating this improvement in collaboration with other departments and advisory groups.
What is the composition of the advisory group?
This group includes both AFS-USA staff and volunteers. Volunteer representation is based on AFS volunteer experience, interest, and skills. Ideally the group will include volunteers from across the country, representing different types of teams in AFS-USA.
The group is accountable to the Senior Director, Risk Management, Compliance and Intercultural Education:
| Name | Role | Team |
| Austyn Bellissimo* | Volunteer | Northeast Ohio |
| Robin Weber* | Staff | Staff |
| Lauren Berry | Volunteer | Arizona |
| Lulu Bisgaier | Staff | Staff |
| Nicola Clark | Volunteer |
San Francisco Bay
|
| Kathie Hiebert-Dodd | Volunteer | New Mexico |
| Scott Hume | Staff | Staff |
| Tamara Jazbec | Staff | Staff |
| Dan Plofchan | Volunteer | Ohio River Valley |
*Advisory Group Co-Chairs
How much time is required?
- Monthly conference calls
- Regular email correspondence
How long are the terms of membership?
- Volunteer group members commit to being an active member for a minimum of one year, renewable up to four years.
- Group chair serves one-to-two years preceded by a minimum of one year as a group member.
How can I get involved?
To indicate interest in serving as a volunteer on the national level, please complete the National Council Committee and Advisory Group interest form here.
Additional Resources
2021 AFS Summit session: “Making Compliance Easy(ier).”
We can’t change the rules, but we can look for ways to explain the rules and make them easier for volunteers to follow.