{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Ky. Consular Center celebrates 17th anniversary &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"JQ6TPaBaaY\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/ky-consular-center-celebrates-17th-anniversary\/\">Ky. Consular Center celebrates 17th anniversary<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/ky-consular-center-celebrates-17th-anniversary\/embed\/#?secret=JQ6TPaBaaY\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Ky. Consular Center celebrates 17th anniversary&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"JQ6TPaBaaY\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/4-col-center-director.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":289,"description":"When the Kentucky Consular Center first opened in Williamsburg on Oct. 25, 2000, it employed 45 people to administer the U.S. Diversity Visa program. At the time, roughly half of the building, which is located off US25W near Exit 15, was filed with boxes of visa applications that were stacked to the building\u2019s high ceilings. Last Wednesday, the Kentucky Consular Center celebrated its 17th anniversary with a workforce nearly 10 times as large as the one it started with in 2000. The boxes stacked to the ceiling have largely been replaced with digital files as the facility still works to administer the U.S. Diversity Visa program, but has added other work to support the U.S. border security programs and operations at U.S. embassies around the world. Instead of boxes, the facility is now filed with office cubicles and workers doing a number of jobs electronically. \u201cThis place has lasted 17 years, and it has grown from 45 people to over 400 and probably on its way to 450 people because of the quality and hard work of the folks we have,\u201d Kentucky Consular Center Director Chris Beard told his staff gathered for the anniversary celebration last Wednesday. \u201cI know our reputation with the state department is that we have some of the finest workers and staff \u2026 We get things done and we get them done well.\u201d \u201cHappy 17th birthday KCC,\u201d added Deputy Director Virginia Combs. \u201cI have been here for most of those 17 years and I really appreciate the growth and the work that you all do.\u201d Adam Bryant, assistant operations manager, said that 50,000 out of the 55,000 Diversity Visas applications randomly selected each year from eligible countries are processed through the Williamsburg facility. Since the program has gone digital, the center only has about 20 employees working on Diversity Visa applications. &nbsp; Facial recognition work One other major area that the Kentucky Consular Center works in now is facial recognition, which is a program that was pioneered at the Williamsburg facility several years ago. The Diversity Visa program has a rule that you can\u2019t apply more than once a year, and the facial recognition program started out around 2006. Bryant said that over time, workers started to notice that they could see that the same photos or the same names were showing up so they developed a process for comparing the photos from the different applications. \u201cFrom that origin, things started going electronic, but that was the genesis where the whole facial recognition program got started. It was from here from this small little unit,\u201d Bryant noted. Workers in Williamsburg now do facial recognition work for about 250 diplomatic posts that are located overseas in addition to work checking for matches on U.S. passports from several states. Operations Manager James Jackson said that around 40 million facial recognition tests are conducted in Williamsburg each year. Kurt Marlow does about 2,000 facial recognition tests each day. Workers will open a file showing an applicant and other possible matches a computer has identified from pictures in the database. Marlow said that everyone has their own process, but he starts by checking the ears, which don\u2019t change much over time, and then goes onto other physical traits that aren\u2019t easily changeable. If Marlow isn\u2019t sure, he can call over other co-workers in the facial recognition department, and they will look at certain features in order to make a determination. Once Williamsburg workers determine whether the images are possible matches, they can\u2019t go back and look at the image again. It is then forwarded to another agency, which has demographic information that the Kentucky Consular Center doesn\u2019t have access to for another review, Combs said. Marlow noted that the government will periodically bring in representatives from other agencies, departments and so forth to examine how the facial recognition work is done in Williamsburg. \u201cThe folks, who do the facial recognition work here, are recognized as some of the best in the business. They really pioneered the work here over the years,\u201d Marlow said. \u201cThis is one key thing keeping U.S. passports for U.S. citizens and visas for foreigners \u2013 who want to come visit the U.S. \u2013 secure to make sure we don\u2019t have imposters or people buying false identification trying to get our travel documents.\u201d \u201cIt takes a very special person to do this job,\u201d Combs added. Beard noted that the facility does other work that supports the U.S. Department of State\u2019s Consular Affairs mission, which essentially is border security. \u201cWe want to make sure that our borders are protected, but we also want to make sure that we have open doors for travelers, who are coming here for legitimate purposes,\u201d he said. The facility also does a lot of back office work for embassies all around the world, Beard added. &nbsp; Blessed with good workers Combs added that one reason for the center\u2019s success over the past 17 years has been its workers. \u201cWe are extremely fortunate to have great people that work with us. On any type of exit testing they have done in past years, our workers always excelled,\u201d Combs noted. \u201cAny type of stereotypical notion that Kentucky workers are not the greatest workers that is not true at all. The work ethic is great. There is very little turnover. We usually have a waiting list usually. It is a great place to work. We are fortunate to have great contractors.\u201d"}