[pjb]

All tasks are showing because Availability = Remaining and not = Next, which would only show the first available.

No go on programmatically changing color with OF but somebody here may have already made an apple script to change the font of a selected action. I use the "Complete and Await Reply" script to mark the item as done but change the context to "Waiting for". You could use a variant to specifically change it to "Waiting for the secretary". Then make up a Waiting For Secretary perspective to have a quick view of outstanding items.