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    • October 24, 2023
    • 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
    • Hall of Nations
    • 68
    Register

    The San Diego World Affairs Council presents the

    Distinguished Speaker Series

    Ambassador Marc Grossman

    Presenting:

    "Blueprints for a More Modern US Diplomatic Service: US-Turkey Relations & How Implementing 'Blueprints. Can Enhance Diplomatic Efforts"


    About Ambassador Marc Grossman

    US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (2011-2012)
    Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2001-2005)
    Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (1997-2000)
    US Ambassador to Turkey (1994-1997)

    Ambassador Grossman served as the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the State Department's third ranking official, until his retirement in 2005, after 29 years in the US Foreign Service. As Under Secretary, he helped marshal diplomatic support for the international response to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. He also managed US policies in the Balkans and Colombia and promoted a key expansion of the NATO alliance. As Assistant Secretary for European Affairs, he helped direct NATO's military campaign in Kosovo and an earlier round of NATO expansion. In Turkey, Ambassador Grossman encouraged vibrant US-Turkish political, military, and economic relations.

    Ambassador Grossman was a Vice Chairman of The Cohen Group from July 2005 to February 2011.

    In February 2011, President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton called Ambassador Grossman back to service as the US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ambassador Grossman promoted the international effort to support Afghanistan by shaping major international meetings in Istanbul, Bonn, Chicago and Tokyo. He provided US backing for an Afghan peace process designed to end thirty years of conflict and played an important part in managing US relations with Pakistan. Ambassador Grossman returned to The Cohen Group in February 2013.

    Ambassador Grossman is the Chairman of the Board of the Senior Living Foundation of the Foreign Service. He also serves as a Trustee of the University of California Santa Barbara Foundation and is a member of the Board of the C&O Canal Trust.

    Raised in Los Angeles, California, Ambassador Grossman has a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an M.Sc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

    • November 02, 2023
    • 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
    • National University
    Register


    The San Diego World Affairs Council and National University present the
    Distinguished Speaker Series

    Le Ly Hayslip

    in conversation with Professor Gregory Daddis

    Presenting:

    "Beyond the American Lens: The Legacy of War, Transgenerational Trauma, Reconciliation, and Healing"


    Thursday, November 2nd, 2023

    11:30am - 2:00pm

    National University 

    9388 Lightwave Ave, San Diego, CA 92123

    San Diego World Affairs Council is pleased to partner with National University to engage the public on this timely topic, as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from VietnamThis program will be structured as a guided conversation between Daddis and Hayslip, including ample time for participant questions and answers. 

    About Le Ly Hayslip

    Le Ly is an internationally known Vietnamese-American author, philanthropist, peace activist, and speaker. She grew up in Ky La (now known as Xa Hoa Quy), Vietnam during the American-Vietnam War. She wrote two best-selling memoirs—When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace, based on her painful and ultimately triumphant journey from a traumatizing childhood in war-ravaged Vietnam to her new life in America. Having grown up in Central Vietnam as a woman, Le Ly shares a perspective that is unique when it comes to the Vietnam War. She received raving reviews for both books, including from The New York Times and The Washington Post. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places was included in the 1990 edition of Reader’s Digest’s Today’s Best Nonfiction. Her memoirs, having been published in 17 different languages throughout the world, are now used in several universities as course material to study women in history, the American/Vietnam War, and other topics. In 1993, the books were adapted into the film “Heaven & Earth,” directed by the award-winning director Oliver Stone and starring Hiep Thi Le and Tommy Lee Jones. 

    Le Ly’s life as a humanitarian began after she arrived in the US in 1970 and became a US citizen, but returned to her native Vietnam in 1986. Her shock from the devastation, poverty, and illness left by the war became the impetus for her two philanthropic organizations, East Meets West Foundation and Global Village Foundation. Both organizations dedicate their efforts to humanitarian relief, education, and development to help rebuild Vietnam through providing basic needs (shelter, clean water, medical facilities, education), establishing revolving loan programs, and finding homes for several hundreds of orphaned children. Hayslip continues to lead groups and delegations in cultural and anthropological studies in her home village.

    About Professor Gregory Daddis

    Gregory is the Director of the Center for War and Society and the USS Midway Chair in Modern U.S. Military History.  Originally from the Garden State of New Jersey, he holds a bachelor of science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a master’s degree from Villanova University, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduating from West Point, he served for 26 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a colonel. He is a veteran of both Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom and his military awards include the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, and the Meritorious Service Medals. His final assignment in the army was as the Chief of the American History Division in the Department of History at the United States Military Academy.

    Daddis specializes in Cold War history with an emphasis on the American war in Vietnam. He has authored five books, including his most recent with Cambridge University Press, Pulp Vietnam: War and Gender in Cold War Men's Adventure Magazines (2020). Daddis also has published a trilogy on the American war in Vietnam with Oxford University Press: Withdrawal: Reassessing America’s Final Years in Vietnam (2017), Westmoreland’s War: Reassessing American Strategy in Vietnam (2014) and No Sure Victory: Measuring U.S. Army Effectiveness and Progress in the Vietnam War (2011). Additionally, he has published scholarly articles in some of his field’s leading journals, to include The Journal of Cold War StudiesThe Journal of Military History, and The Journal of Strategic Studies.




    • January 11, 2024
    • 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Hall of Nations, Balboa Park
    Register

    The San Diego World Affairs Council Presents the 

    Distinguished Speaker Series

    featuring:

    UCSD PROFESSOR ADAM ARON

    ”The Essential Role of Social Mobilization in Confronting the Climate Crisis: Implications for Global Action”


    Thursday, January 11th, 2024

    6:00pm - 8:00pm

    Hall of Nations, Balboa Park

    2294 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101

    Why, despite all we know about the causes and harms of global heating, has so little effective action been taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and what we can do to change that? UCSD Professor Adam Aron's latest book explains the mechanisms and impacts of the climate crisis, traces the history and reasons behind the lack of serious effort to combat it, describes some people’s ongoing skepticism and how to shift it, and motivates an urgent program of action. 

    Professor Aron argues that the pathway to stopping dangerous global heating will require a much larger mobilization of advocacy and activism to impel decision makers to abandon fossil fuels, and transition to renewable energy and electrification embedded in a political and social framework guided by justice principles. .

    About Professor Adam Aron

    Adam is a Professor in the Psychology Department at UC San Diego. His research and teaching focus on the social science of collective action on the climate crisis. His climate activism has been through the Green New Deal at UC San Diego where he has worked on several campaigns such as ElectrifyUC and has also produced the documentary Coming Clean. Before switching to the climate crisis, Adam had a successful career in cognitive neuroscience. Adam attended Waterford Kamhlaba (United World College of Southern Africa), received a BSc and BA (hons) at the University of Cape Town before earning his PhD from the University of Cambridge, and was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA.

    Info on his latest book here: www.aronclimatecrisis.net 


Past events

September 20, 2023 Lunch & Learn Series "The Rise of Terrorism in Africa" with Dr. Chayanika Deka at Royal India on Miramar Road
July 20, 2023 Distinguished Speaker Series "U.S. Policy Towards the Horn of Africa" with Ambassador Michael Hammer
May 09, 2023 Distinguished Speaker Series - Ibrahim Al-Marashi presents: "Iraq's Future, 20 Years after the 2003 War"
April 20, 2023 Engage America 2023: The U.S. - Mexico Cross Border Sewage Crisis
April 11, 2023 Distinguished Speaker Series - Joël Fort presents "Yemen: A Tragedy Under the Radar"
March 30, 2023 Dinner with Diplomats Series - Ambassador Kenneth Juster - "A US-India partnership: The Emergence of a Leading Global Power"
February 18, 2023 Distinguished Speaker Series- Krzysztof Szczęsny and Emily Schroen - "The Humanitarian Response to the War in Ukraine" - in partnership with Americans for Ukraine
December 06, 2022 Annual Members Meeting, Honoring Dr. M.C. Madhavan, & the Distinguished Speaker Series Featuring Carl Nettleton
November 02, 2022 Distinguished Speaker Series - Ambassador Todd Chapman - "Is Democracy at Stake? Brazil's Electoral Battles"
October 25, 2022 Distinguished Speaker Series - Gregory A. Daddis, Ph.D. - "Facing Frustration and Failure – What We Can Learn from the American Experience in Vietnam"
September 15, 2022 Distinguished Speaker "Dinner Series" - Richard Feinberg, Ph.D. & Diplomat
May 17, 2022 Distinguished Speaker Series - Corinne Goria - "Sewn together: Global storytelling for Social Justice"
April 19, 2022 "Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)"
March 29, 2022 U.S. Foreign Policy Amid Global Crisis with Dr. Richard Haass
March 22, 2022 The Binational (US/Mexico) Fresh Water Crisis
March 15, 2022 Distinguished Speaker Series - Ambassador George A. Krol - "Thirty Years After the Fall of the USSR"
March 10, 2022 Social Media & the Future of Democracy, presented by the NCRC
January 27, 2022 Distinguished Speaker "Soft Power" Series - Stephen B. Nix - "Ukraine’s History and European Future"
January 11, 2022 Reflections on Afghanistan with Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann
December 07, 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series - Trygve Olson - "Belarus: The long road to freedom."
October 26, 2021 Furthering North American Collaboration
October 13, 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series - Peter Núñez - "Politics has Affected Border Security, Immigration, and Drug Trafficking"
September 21, 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series - Jack Devine & Jonathan Ward, Ph.D. - "Russia & China - Preparing America for Our Greatest Strategic Challenge"
August 05, 2021 A Talk on World Hunger with Kenro Oshidari, United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) - the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize recipient
July 08, 2021 U.S. Soft Power in Foreign Policy Series - Daniel Miller - "A Cowboy in Mongolia - In Search of the Sacred in the Steppes”
June 10, 2021 U.S. Soft Power in Foreign Policy Series - Col. Christopher Conlin - "Iraq: Iron Hand, Velvet Glove, Glass House - Employing Soft Power in Hard Places"
May 13, 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series - Anish Goel, Ph.D. - "India in South Asia: Fraught Regional Relationships"
May 12, 2021 U.S. Soft Power in Foreign Policy Series Part IV
April 21, 2021 U.S. Soft Power in Foreign Policy Series Part III - Forging Public-Private Partnerships in Health Systems Strengthening
April 20, 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series - Richard Nuccio, Ph.D. & Giles Dickenson-Jones - "Myanmar: Development, Democracy, and Despair"
March 31, 2021 U.S. Soft Power in Foreign Policy Series Part II
March 16, 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series - Audie de Castro, Esq. - "Trade and Tourism in the Philippines"
February 16, 2021 Distinguished Speaker Series - David Pasquini on "The United Kingdom: A Year of Global Leadership"
February 11, 2021 Healing the Political Divide: A Path Forward Virtual Event
January 21, 2021 Human Rights Movements in China and China’s Responses
January 14, 2021 “THE CHINA NIGHTMARE: THE GRAND AMBITIONS OF A DECAYING STATE”
January 07, 2021 Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison
December 17, 2020 The History of the Ottoman Empire and its Subsequent Breakup after WWI
December 10, 2020 Ambassador in Baku: Politics, Petroleum, & Nagorno-Karabakh
December 10, 2020 "Foreign Policy Changes after January" with Ambassador Ronald Neumann
November 19, 2020 “Bulgaria: Political, Economic, and Commercial Crossroads Today”
November 19, 2020 NCC Online Presentation
November 18, 2020 CAMPAIGN 2020 DECONSTRUCTED
November 10, 2020 US-China Relations after the Election: The Specter of Decoupling
November 10, 2020 FREE WEBINAR - The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution
November 10, 2020 The Wall Street Journal & Infragard San Diego Present: “360 Degrees Of A Ransomware Attack: Decision Points in Defense, Response and Mitigation”
November 09, 2020 Global Minnesota in partnership with WACA presents The Man Who Ran Washington:The Life and Times of James A. Baker III
October 24, 2020 Annual Membership Meeting (Zoom) and Presentation by Ambassador Bindenagel on behalf of Wunderbar Together
October 22, 2020 "U.S. Relations with Pakistan and The South Asia Region"
October 20, 2020 "North Korea in the Next Administration’s Foreign Policy"
October 15, 2020 Webinar with John Brennan and Janet Napolitano
September 30, 2020 “WILL THE SINO-US COLD WAR GO HOT? How Asia’s Geopolitical Clash will Dominate the Next Administration”
August 25, 2020 SDWAC warmly welcomes the International Rescue Committee (IRC) of San Diego Executive Director, Donna Duvin "From Harm to Home: Arc of the Refugee Crisis: Global Challenges, Local Solutions”
August 20, 2020 The San Diego World Affairs Council is honored to support the National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) presentation - Race: “A Path Forward” How do we talk about race in a way that unites and strengthens us as a community?
August 20, 2020 The San Diego World Affairs Council is honored to co-sponsor for the first time an exciting virtual event with Friends of Liberia* “Liberty Brought Us Here: The True Story of American Slaves Who Migrated to Liberia”
August 20, 2020 The San Diego World Affairs Council invites you to register for "U.S. & Germany: Strained Alliance?" with German Ambassador to the U.S., Emily Haber
August 13, 2020 San Diego World Affairs Council is honored to support WAC-Orange County's presentation: “Becoming Kim Jong Un: Insights Into North Korea’s Dangerous and Enigmatic Dictator” with Dr. Jung H. Pak
July 22, 2020 Where Does the Money Come From? Financing International Terrorism featuring Dr. Ian Oxnevad
July 13, 2020 The World: A Conversation with Dr. Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations “Making Sense of a World in Crisis — Through the Eyes of a Foreign Policy Expert”
June 18, 2020 The Scientist and the Spy
May 20, 2020 CHINA'S CHALLENGES IN A POST-COVID WORLD
March 20, 2020 *Postponed* Honoring M.C. Madhu Madhavan
January 15, 2020 "From Dictatorship to Democracy? Myanmar's Uneasy Transition" A Conversation with Dr. Nuccio
December 19, 2019 An Overview of the Mexican Consulate in San Diego with Consul General Gutierrez
November 21, 2019 "Putin and Trump 2.0: The Perils of Presidential Diplomacy" Remarks from Ambassador John Beyrle
October 29, 2019 "Kashmir: Where Identity Rises Above Territory" Remarks by Professor Dipak Gupta
October 14, 2019 "From Soft Power to Hard Truths: Human Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy" Remarks by Bennett Freeman
September 23, 2019 "America...and the Great Power Competition" Remarks by Vice Admiral Charles Martoglio
August 28, 2019 "Fusion Energy Research and the Creation of Miniature Stars for Electricity"
July 31, 2019 "Global Engagement and the Modern Public Research University" featuring Chancellor Khosla
June 22, 2019 REGISTER NOW! 2019 SDWAC Annual Membership Meeting
May 07, 2019 "Perspective on current U.S. Navy strategy, undersea capabilities and the Submarine Force in San Diego."
March 21, 2019 “U.S. Trade Policy toward China: heading toward trade war or deal?"
February 23, 2019 2019 Annual Dinner
January 24, 2019 “Global Climate Change: Evidence, Scientific Basis, and Selected Impacts”
December 11, 2018 “Health and Peace-building in Africa”
November 15, 2018 “Nicaragua: Revolution and Restoration”
October 15, 2018 “U.S. policy towards India and the Indo-Pacific”
September 26, 2018 “What Diplomats Do and Why It (Still) Matters”
August 30, 2018 Fighting for Cyber Supremacy in an Age of Extremism
July 26, 2018 U.S. trade policy and the economics of trade in today’s technology-driven global era.
June 26, 2018 "Why Mexico's Election, NAFTA and U.S.-Mexico Relations Are Important to You."
June 16, 2018 REGISTER NOW! Annual Membership Meeting
May 23, 2018 May 23, 2018 -- Ukraine: Russian Interference and How the U.S. Can Bolster Ukrainian Security
April 27, 2018 Annual Dinner and Presentation on "Middle East Meltdown: Causes and Consequences"
April 03, 2018 SOLD OUT! Immigration and Border Issues: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be
February 21, 2018 Mexico's Upcoming Elections and What They Mean for the U.S.
January 24, 2018 "China in the Wake of the Party Conference"
December 06, 2017 Is the Turkish Partnership Doomed?
November 28, 2017 Movie Screening: America's Diplomats
November 02, 2017 Russia: Preventing Peace on Its Periphery
October 19, 2017 NAFTA: A Make or Break Moment?
October 06, 2017 Three Elections and a Brexit: The Unraveling of Europe?
September 22, 2017 South Sudan: Crisis and Conflict in the World's Newest Country
August 28, 2017 U.S. Alliances in the Indo-Pacific: A Practitioner's Perspective
August 14, 2017 Life as a Military Officer in the Middle East
July 25, 2017 Tijuana Day Trip
July 12, 2017 Trade Routes and the Evolving Geopolitics of the Middle East
June 29, 2017 Fiber Optics: History, Security, Applications and More
June 22, 2017 Dealing With a Dangerous and Challenging World -- The Physics and Economics of Defense
June 17, 2017 Rising Tensions on the Korean Peninsula: How Does This End?
June 15, 2017 Guantanamo Bay -- Al Qaeda’s Nuremberg: An Inside Look at 9/11 Justice
June 08, 2017 Is the Syrian Regime Survival Guaranteed in Moscow? Origins and Prospects for Relations Between Syria and Russia
June 01, 2017 North County Chapter Annual Meeting
May 01, 2017 Economic Sanctions
April 29, 2017 The Philippines Under President Duterte: Nagging Questions and an Optimistic Outlook
March 18, 2017 Growing the Game: Baseball's Plans for Global Expansion
February 13, 2017 Annual Dinner

*Please note that the viewpoints expressed by speakers at SDWAC events are their own, and do not necessarily represent those of SDWAC. As a nonpartisan organization, SDWAC seeks to engage speakers who, together, represent a variety of viewpoints across the political spectrum in order to contribute to informed policy discussion and a meaningful exchange of ideas within the San Diego community. 


WACA MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

"Jobs Announcements" has been a busy section of this newsletter for well over a year now. Mobility increased during the pandemic for many reasons, including the Great Resignation, a global phenomenon. Certainly, World Affairs Councils are experiencing the still-tight U.S. labor market in one way or another - staff promotions, departures, new hiring, and rising costs, to name a few.
WACA is no stranger to employee transitions either. It is news of the bittersweet kind to share that Kathleen "KC" Euler will leave WACA to pursue a new career opportunity with the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center. As our Communications and Marketing Manager, KC provided the backbone to our e-newsletters (her last will be Wednesday's Weekly World News Update), much-improved social media engagement, and event support for the WACA Conference and Academic WorldQuest. She also shepherded our soon-to-be-launched CRM database, and mentored junior staff and interns. 

We will miss KC in the National Office and wish her great success in her new role. WACA last week posted online our Communications and Marketing job opening (also below), and I am encouraged by the dozens of applications so far that we will fill this position soon.
Meanwhile, I am very excited to share that Kaela Rider officially joined WACA last Thursday as Global Education Coordinator. This newly created role has been made possible with funding from our Academic WorldQuest endowment, and Kaela attended the AWQ National Competition in April as an observer and judge. Previously, she was a middle school social sciences teacher in Jacksonville, Florida, and I know she looks forward to serving as our AWQ lead and getting to know Council colleagues and your educational programs.

In attending to these transitions, I was not able to offer my take as I'd intended in this space on Putin's unconscionable war in Ukraine, having just passed its 100th day. This devastating crime of the century will unfortunately persist for some time. Councils are to be commended for their convening of all sorts of experts for their perspectives on what's happening on the ground in Ukraine and the war's reverberations in Europe and globally,

I look forward to discussing world happenings and Council happenings at our meetings later this week in Colorado Springs with many of you. Again, we will be in touch very soon with new staffing news, as well as announcements about the WACA 2022 National Conference in Washington, DC on November 16-18.

Thank you for all that you do,
Bill Clifford
President and CEO
The U.S. Agency for International Development contacted WACA to share the following opportunity with the Council network: On Tuesday, June 7 at 9:00 AM ET, USAID Administrator Samantha Power will deliver a landmark policy address to discuss how despite years of democratic decline and the rise of authoritarianism across the world, the current moment presents a pivotal opportunity to reverse these trends and create a more democratic, peaceful, and prosperous future.

With autocracies currently on their back heel, now is the time for the world’s free nations, multilateral institutions, private sector partners, and civil societies to demonstrate that democracies can deliver in a way that autocracies never will, and meet the challenges we face from food insecurity to COVID-19 to climate change.
Brian Moynihan
Chairman and CEO, Bank of America
Lynsey Addario
Pulitzer Prize Winning Photojournalist
Ana Maria Galvis
Executive Director, Fundación Baylor Colombia
Brigadier General Peter Zwack
Former U.S. Senior Defense official
WACA is pleased to announce Global Santa Fe as its June 2022 Council of the Month! Each month, WACA features one of its 90 Councils, highlighting their accomplishments and top-quality programming.

Global Santa Fe, formerly Santa Fe Council on Foreign Relations, recently rebranded its Council and redesigned its website. The name change, led by its Board of Directors, has been in the works for over a year. Together with the tagline, it’s a call to action for people in New Mexico to be globally informed citizens.

The organization celebrated its new brand at its annual Gala last month with a full house, a riveting guest speaker, and the celebration of local awardees. Global Santa Fe will be posting a video featuring Gala speaker, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, on their new website, globalsantafe.org, later this week. Read more about Global Santa Fe’s esteemed awardees, including Dialogue and Diplomacy Award winner and long-time WACA member, Jim Falk, who served as the organization’s Interim Executive Director, in this press release. Global Santa Fe’s current Executive Director Lisa Ellis assumed her new role in February of this year (read more here).

For more information, follow Global Santa Fe on their recently updated social media handles: FacebookTwitterLinkedIn, and Instagram
The World Affairs Councils of America's National Office is delighted to invite Member Council executives, staff, and board members to this year's Spring Leadership Meeting. Special thanks to Tracey Johnson, Executive Director of the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council, and Karen Burghart, Emeritus Director, we are bringing the Spring Council Leadership & WACA Board of Directors meetings to beautiful Colorado Springs on June 9-11, 2022

This year's Leadership Meeting will open Thursday, June 9 at 5:00 PM MT. The WACA Board of Directors meets Saturday, June 11 at 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM MT (10:00 AM - 12:30 PM ET).
On Thursday, June 16, WACA President and CEO Bill Clifford will speak at the International Affairs Forum in Traverse City, Michigan. In this Foreign Policy Mashup, Bill will consider the state of the Russian war in Ukraine, inflation, Taiwan, and authoritarianism around the world.

Bill will also meet with IAF Board members, the winners of Traverse City's Academic WorldQuest competition, and the community.

The event will also feature Stan Otto, career diplomat and IAF Board member; Karen Puschel Segal, Emeritus Member of the IAF Board; and Amb. Greta Holtz, Senior Advisor at the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Jim Bensley, Director of International Service and Service Learning at Northwestern Michigan College, will moderate the discussion.

The event begins with a 5:30 PM ET reception at the Dennos Museum Sculpture Court. The program is hybrid and available for virtual registration.
The World Affairs Council of Western Michigan will honor Ambassador (Ret.) Marie Yovanovitch with the 2022 Vandenberg Prize for Global Diplomacy on Friday, June 24 at 12:00 PM. The Vandenberg Prize is named after Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg, who was the inspiration for founding WAC Western Michigan 1949. Senator Vandenberg became an advocate for international ties in the wake of World War II and built support for the Marshall Plan and NATO.


The 2022 recipient of the Vandenberg Prize is Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. Amb. Yovanovitch served 33 years in the American Foreign Service, most recently in Ukraine (2016-2019). She has held senior positions in U.S. Embassies in Moscow, London, Kyiv, and Mogadishu. For her outstnading service, she has received two Presidential Distinguished Service Awards.

In addition, the Hillman-Orr Award for a local leader with a global perspective will be given to Eastern Floral CEO Bing Goei.
In The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future, Sebastian Mallaby shares the stories of venture capitalists at high profile firms. He explores the history of tech incubation in the Valley and ultimately worldwide. In his conversation with Jim Falk of Global Santa Fe, Mallaby considered the most iconic triumphs and infamous disasters in venture capital, including players like Theranos, weWork, Facebook, and Elon Musk.
In partnership with WACA, WorldQuest Weekly is produced by the Tennessee World Affairs Council, which offers customized subscriptions to the quiz for Council members. Most of the questions are drawn from both WACA's Weekly World News Update, and a curated news Twitter feed (@TNWAC). Contact pat@tnwac.org or visit tnwac.org/quiz for details.

Last week's winners (10/10)! Serge (Bloomfield Hills, MI), John (Annapolis, MD), Clarice (Indianapolis, IN), Danae (Coppell, TX), Carole (Portland, OR), Carole (Worcester, MA), Michele (Seattle, WA), Jonathan (Washington, DC), Clayton (Portland, OR), Bruce, and Mo (Estero, FL)
NEW! World Affairs Councils of America seeks to hire a Communications and Marketing Associate. Applications are due June 22. Learn more.
World Affairs Council of Philadelphia seeks to hire a Director of Education and a Manager of Education. Applications are due June 7. Learn more.
Vermont Council on World Affairs seeks to hire an AMERICORPS Vista Youth Program Coordinator. Learn more.
Global Santa Fe seeks to hire a Program Officer for International Exchange and an Associate Director of Development and Membership. Learn more.
World Affairs (Northern California) seeks to hire a Director of Events and Implementation. Learn more.
Monday 6/6

International Relations Council Kansas City presents "Eastern Europe and Russia Roundtable Meeting" (In person)

World Affairs Council of Philadelphia presents “Global Quizzo” (In person)

Tuesday 6/7

WorldOregon hosts Lynsey Addario, Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, for "Of Love and War: Humanity and Resilience on the Front Lines"

World Affairs Council of Charlotte hosts Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, for "2022 World Citizen Award" (In person)

International Relations Council Kansas City hosts Emily Schultheis, Fellow at the Institute of Current World Affairs, for "What's Happening in Germany?"

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts Anna Borshchevskaya, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, for "Russia's Foreign Policy: From Syria to Ukraine, Implications for the U.S." (In person)

World Affairs Council of Seattle hosts a panel of experts for "Final Mile Meeting: The Value of Exchange Programs" (In person)


World Affairs Council of Connecticut presents "The Diplomat" (In person)

Wednesday 6/8

World Affairs Council of Orange County hosts Brigadier General Peter Zwack, former U.S. Senior Defense official and attaché to the Russian Federation, for "Assessing Russia's Military Invasion of Ukraine"

World Affairs Council of Houston hosts Ana Maria Galvis, Executive Director of Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Colombia, for "Combatting Venezuela's Refugee Crisis in 2022" (In person)

World Affairs Council of New Orleans hosts Mykola Megits, President of the Institute of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Stephan Kieninger, Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center, for "Great Decisions: Russia's War in Ukraine and Energy and Food Security"

Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall hosts Dan Schnur, Professor at UC Berkley and Pepperdine, for "A Midterms Election Update: The LA Mayors Race, the Battle for Congress, and Much More"

International Relations Council Kansas City hosts Nancy Kriplen, journalist, for "ESU Happy Hour: The Eccentric Billionaire"

World Affairs Council of San Antonio hosts Arslan Hidayet, Uyghur activist, Providence Umugwaneza, Founder of the Kabeho Neza Initiative, and Varda Ratner, docent at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, for "A History of Genocide" (In person)

World Affairs Council of Greater Reading hosts Colonel Benjamin Ogden, Space Operations and Education Officer at the U.S. Army War College, for "The Challenges of Our Newest Service: A Look at the U.S. Space Force"

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts Mark Castro, Jorge Baldor Curator of Latin American Art at the Dallas Museum of Art, for "Private Tour of Octavio Medellín: Spirit and Form Exhibit" (In person)

World Affairs Council of Western Michigan presents "Annual Meeting of Members"

Thursday 6/9

WorldOregon hosts Michael Mandelbaum, Professors at Johns Hopkins School of International and Advanced Studies, for "The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy: Weak Power, Great Power, Superpower, Hyperpower"

World Affairs Council of Seattle hosts Anna Kaplan, Professor at American University, Anthony Pahigian, career U.S. diplomat, and Gavin Sundwall, Managing Director for Policy and Planning for the Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, for "On Expos: The 60th Anniversary of the Seattle World's Fair"

San Diego World Affairs Council hosts Robert Ying, Vice President of Science and Business Development at King Lee Technologies, for "Carbon Dioxide and Water: Power System of the Green Earth"

World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh presents "Sparking Bold Thoughts: Spring Soiree"

World Affairs Council of Hilton Head presents "Book Club on The Gates of Ukraine: A History of Ukraine"

Friday 6/10

World Affairs Council of Seattle presents "YLAI Professional Fellows" (In person)

Highlights of Past Events

“Bulgaria: Political, Economic, and Commercial Crossroads Today” PDF

“From Harm to Home: Arc of the Refugee Crisis: Global Challenges, Local Solutions" PDF

Check Out the Full Presentation Recording in DropBox HERE!

CONTACT US

Mailing Address

San Diego World Affairs Council (SDWAC)

PO Box 34010

San Diego, CA 92163

Emailsdwac@sdwac.org


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