American Foreign Service Association William R. Rivkin Award

Ambassador Quinn was presented this award by the American Foreign Service Association for “his extraordinary contributions to the practice of diplomacy, exemplified by his intellectual courage and a zeal for creative dissent.” Quinn led the Group of 46, a band of mid-level Foreign  Service Officers concerned about declining excellence in the State Department, that confronted the Secretary of State in his office with a list of grievances. This protest led to the enactment of the completely revised 1980 Foreign Service Act, which enshrined a renewed commitment to excellence as the basis for promotion and job selection throughout the Foreign Service.