AARO Committees
AARO’s Committees help Americans abroad. Join one and help your fellow Americans!
AARO does much of its work through Committees, small groups of AARO members working together to volunteer in a particular area or for a particular purpose.
Each Committee is independent and makes its own decision as to how it wants to operate (except for the Nominations Committee). Some have regular meetings, while others operate on a more ad hoc basis. Committees provide a good way for members to become more involved in AARO, where you can learn more about a topic that interests you and you can volunteer in a more focused manner.
Below are the Committees that are currently active, with a short description of what they do and the names of the Committee Chairs. Click on the links below to learn about them.
Committees working on key matters
Committees assisting in AARO operations
AARO welcomes members to join our Committees
There is no limit on the number of members on a Committee. If you have interest in any of our Committees, please contact AARO at
AARO Committees
Advocacy Committee
AARO’s Advocacy Committee works to implement AARO’s mission of seeking fairness for Americans abroad by eliminating or reducing cost and administrative burdens, obstacles to easy access and discriminatory treatment and securing the availability of benefits for its members. Its advocacy efforts therefore focus on issues of taxation and financial reporting, voting, citizenship, consular services and Social Security that impact Americans abroad.
These efforts include advocating for the reform of citizenship-based taxation and financial reporting requirements and their negative effect on financial account access, Medicare coverage and Social Security eligibility and benefits, and ensuring the right of all Americans resident abroad to vote and to have their voices heard through the creation of dedicated congressional committees or representatives.
AARO’s advocacy consists of informing AARO members on developments in the legal and regulatory framework governing these issues and ensuring that members of Congress, administrative agencies and relevant private organizations are fully informed of their effect in practice on the lives of Americans resident overseas, notably through intensive contact made during annual AARO’s Overseas Americans Week (OAW).
The committee works to garner support for legal and regulatory reform designed to deal with these concerns by focusing OAW discussions and continued pressure throughout the year on the passage of “Top Bills” and the adoption of its recommendations on regulations through its many official submissions to congressional committees and calls for comment on regulatory rule-making.
The Committee also uses “legal advocacy” to further its objectives by participating in the preparation of “amicus curiae” (‘friend of the court”) briefs filed on behalf of AARO in legal cases involving issues of major concern.
Advocacy Committee Chair – Advocacy VP, Fred Einbinder
Taxation Committee
The mission of the Tax Committee is to (1) remain current on tax matters of concern to Americans living abroad, (2) present information on topics of relevance to the community of Americans living abroad through our publications and conferences throughout the year, and (3) actively pursue redressing inequalities before our governmental representatives by raising awareness of laws and legislation which disproportionately burden Americans abroad and proposing and promoting more favorable laws and policies.
The Taxation Committee has for many years, advocated for an end to the United States’ citizenship-based taxation system (“CBT”), which unfairly burdens American citizens abroad, and aligning the United States with the universal practice of residency-based taxation. CBT imposes significant costs on tax preparation and reporting, often where no tax is due and many times leads to double taxation. Among other issues, the Committee also has advocated in the following areas: Due process prior to any revocation of passports due to tax delinquencies; exemption of small business owners from the Repatriation Tax and the “Global Intangible Low Tax Income” (GILTI) tax; and additional funding for the IRS to provide meaningful support for taxpayers abroad.
The Tax Committee is actively looking for a Chair.
Banking Committee
In recent years Americans living outside the United States have increasingly encountered problems opening and maintaining financial accounts both inside and outside the United States. These problems have related both to access to payments systems and to the ability to open and manage savings vehicles. The source of these problems has almost always been legislation, notably as embedded in the tax code, or regulatory measures that add to costs or create legal risks for financial institutions. This leads them to discriminate against “U.S. persons” or some subgroup(s) of them, such as those living outside the United States, to minimize costs and risks.
The Banking Committee has been created to work to mitigate these problems by focusing on:
- Advocacy – The Committee works to influence public policy to facilitate U.S. persons’ access to financial accounts on a basis that is non-discriminatory vis-à-vis both US residents and residents of host countries which serve as home to US citizens. Advocacy should be aimed at influencing both (i) the political classes and institutions which determine laws, regulations and how they are enforced and (ii) public debate carried out in the media which influences the political process.
- Practical support – Without endorsing any identifiable financial institutions the Committee provides such practical advice and suggestions as are feasible to AARO members who encounter problems opening, using or maintaining financial accounts.
Banking Committee Chair – Paul Atkinson
Citizenship Committee
The Citizenship Committee informs members about US laws and regulations affecting citizenship, including obtention of citizenship, passports, and visas for family members. The committee also supports advocacy in Washington at OAW on these issues.
Citizenship Committee Co-Chairs – Kathleen de Carbuccia and Pat Danahey Janin
Voting Committee
The mission of the Voting Committee is:
- To monitor voting legislation in the United States that might impact the right of overseas voters to vote in U.S. elections
- To advocate against voting legislation in the United States that negatively impacts the right of overseas voters to vote in U.S. elections
- To inform members and the general public about their right to vote and the means available for them to do so
- To assist overseas voters in registering and requesting ballots for U.S. federal elections
- To inform the appropriate authorities in Washington of problems encountered by overseas voters in the U.S. election process
- To formulate recommendations regarding possible improvements in the U.S. election process as it affects overseas voters
And to that end, the Committee collaborates closely with U.S. and Overseas Vote Foundations, the Federal Voting Assistance Program, the Election Assistance Commission, and the appropriate congressional committees, The Committee also collaborates in voting-related initiatives with partner overseas advocacy organizations.
Voting Committee Co-Chairs – Doris L. Speer and Ross Darrell Feingold
Social Security / Medicare Committee
The Social Security and Medicare Committee has two functions: To provide information to members and to advocate.
The Committee informs members of the existing rules and policies as they apply to Americans abroad, as well as changes to those rules and policies.
The Committee advocates on a regular basis and assists the team that goes to Washington each year for Overseas Americans Week to advocate for legislative and rules changes in the areas of Social Security and Medicare. The Committee encourages demonstration projects for extension of Medicare coverage abroad. The Committee also assists members and non-members alike who asked have specific questions through AARO’s “Ask an AARO Expert” service.
An example of the success in the advocacy of the Committee is the recent repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). There have been, in each Congressional session, bills introduced to create demonstration projects for the extension of Medicare abroad.
Social Security and Medicare Committee Chair – Doris L. Speer, AARO President
Consular Affairs Committee
This Committee monitors the service quality, fees, and other issues that arise from the provision of American Citizen Services at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. We maintain close contact with the State Department to bring to their attention relevant issues. If consular officials are not providing clear explanations about issues such as passing citizenship to children born overseas or how to renew a passport, or if consular officials can provide assistance to overseas Americans in emergency situations, we would like to hear from you.
Consular Affairs Committee Chair – Ross Feingold
Membership & Outreach Committee
Our Committee has two main missions: connecting with members and recruiting new members.
Our goal is to increase AARO visibility through online engagement (Facebook and LinkedIn) and with our presence at events hosted by AARO or organized with other American associations. We have monthly luncheon MeetUps at Breakfast in America and regular evening MeetUps at Mucha café in Paris. We attend the annual get-togethers at the American Embassy and BLOOM at the American Church.
To provide services for our members at large in 40 different countries, we participate in webinars on topical issues such as Social Security, Taxes, Financial Planning and Citizenship. We also provide backup for the Voting Committee by attending training sessions provided by the American Consulate in Paris and helping with absentee voting online and in person.
Please find our Social Media links below:
Membership Committee Chair – Kristi Carroll Lorin
Website & Social Media Committee
The Committee manages AARO’s online presence. Our main tool is AARO's website at aaro.org, but also includes other online resources such as press releases, videos of events, and articles written by outside authors. AARO’s social media presences on Facebook, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) are moderated by an AARO Director, the social media coordinator and AARO member volunteers. The Committee works closely with our webmaster, the editor of News & Views, and other AARO Committees to keep content updated and available to both AARO members and the public. All these activities work together to create a unified consistent message for AARO across the online world.
Website and Social Media Committee Chair – Charles Crouch
Events Committee
The Events Committee is dedicated to organizing informative, engaging, and community-focused events that support Americans living overseas. In line with AARO’s mission to advocate for the rights and well-being of U.S. citizens abroad, our events provide valuable resources, practical guidance, and opportunities to connect.
The Committee focuses on creating programs that directly benefit Americans abroad, addressing key topics such as:
- U.S. Administrative & Government Services – Helping Americans overseas navigate essential tools like Login.gov, ID.me, the STEP program, and other US tools and systems that aren’t optimized for Americans outside the United States
- Financial & Tax Considerations – Understanding U.S. tax obligations, banking challenges, and financial planning while living overseas
- Voting, Citizenship, & Civic Engagement – Ensuring Americans abroad can fully participate in U.S. elections
- Healthcare & Social Security – Accessing U.S. benefits and understanding options for medical coverage while abroad
- Community & Networking – Bringing Americans overseas together through educational and social events
Whether online or in-person, AARO events are designed to empower, educate, and support Americans abroad, helping them stay informed, connected, and engaged.
Events Committee Chair – Allison Grant Lounes
Communications Committee
AARO’s Communications Committee is led by the Vice President – Communications and has a wide scope communicating the broad range of AARO activities. It:
- Manages content by soliciting, editing and coordinating material for publication on the website, and aims for a weekly refresh of the AARO website with new content
- Manages content by soliciting, editing and coordinating material for publication in the News & Views, published bi-weekly as well as periodic supplementary updates that provide newsworthy and topical information
- Drafts press releases on significant actions taken by AARO or significant topics which need to be disseminated broadly to the press
- Ensures photo and content coverage of AARO events
- Manages the content posted by the persons handling AARO’s online presence on Facebook, X and LinkedIn
- Contacts bloggers, on-line magazines and other on-line media alerting them to AARO’s activities, positions and other content
- Drives traffic to the AARO website and provides value to members through links to interesting content on other sites and exclusive content only available to AARO members
- Conducts traffic analysis on website traffic and provide statistics to AARO’s Board members on a monthly basis
- Helps defray the cost of communication by seeking advertising for the website and News & Views
- Collaborates with organizations that provide relevant content addressing issues of concern to AARO members
Communications Committee must ensure that all content be non-partisan and timely, and reflect not only the broad range of issues of concern to AARO and Americans abroad but also a worldwide membership.
Although AARO does not at this time have a VP for Communications, several AARO Board members, volunteers and consultants perform most of the above functions: Charlie Crouch for the website; Elliot Bramham for the News & Views; Ross Feingold for X; Dianne Henning for AARO’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages; and Christine Cathrine for other functions. Doris Speer, AARO’s President, manages and oversees the majority of AARO’s communications.
Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee was created by internal regulations for the specific purpose of choosing new AARO Board members and officers. It consists of five persons, three of whom are AARO Directors, two of whom are volunteers from among the AARO membership. The membership of the Nomination Committee changes in the fall of every odd-numbered calendar year (for example, the fall of 2025, 2027, 2029 and so on).
The Nominating Committee has the following functions:
- To propose a slate of AARO Director candidates every even-numbered calendar year that will be presented to the AARO membership for vote at that Annual General Meeting.
- To propose a slate of AARO Officer candidates every even-numbered calendar year that will be presented to new AARO Board for vote.
- To propose candidates for vacancies on the Board of Directors on an ongoing basis.
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