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2013 National Conference Sponsors

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Our Sponsors

 

Akmaaq

 

Aviation Leasing

 

Barclays Capital

 

Booz Allen Hamilton

 

 1918 Society Members

 

Carnegie Corporation of New York

 

Carlson & The Carlson Family Foundation

 

Cisco

 

Chevron

 

The Claremont Group

 

Duke Energy

 

El Paso Corporation

 

ExxonMobil

 

The Gambrinus Company

 

German Marshall Fund of the U.S.

 

Goldman Sachs

 

Heydar Aliyev Foundation

 

Hutchins Family Foundation

 

IRELI

 

Johnson + Sterling

 

Merrill Lynch -

Mr. Michael Phillip

 

NATO

 

Northrop Grumman

 

Raytheon

 

Steelcase, Inc.

 

Tomassian, Throckmorton & Inouye LLP

 

Thomson Reuters

 

Turkish Cultural Foundation

Week of July 15th
   
The World Affairs Councils of America will host its 2013 National Conference, Six Top Issues for 2014November 13-15, 2013 at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel

Take Advantage of Special Early-Bird Rate for Members
Prices:
$455 World Affairs Council Member ($495 after September 1)
$545 Non-Member 
$430 World Affairs Council CEO/Staff/Board Member 

 

Councils, a flyer is available for your use to promote the National Conference to your members, which Ian J. Byrne has sent out. If you did not receive it, please send an email to ibyrne@worldaffairscouncils.org.  

 

Held annually for over two decades, the World Affairs Councils of America's National Conference engages our regional leaders and members drawn from the business, civic, and education communities with leading policy-makers and experts. The National Conference launches the National Network's year-long discussion of the Six Top Issues for 2014 selected by our network leadership across the country and helps plan our programming for the coming year. 

 

The Six Top Issues selected by the National Network's leadership as the most important national security issues for the coming year are: 

  • Cybersecurity
  • U.S. Energy Independence
  • Global Economic Realignment
  • Middle East
  • Global Environment Issues
  • U.S. Education 

Last year's conference kicked off with an exclusive, off the record discussion with then-CIA Director General David H. Petraeus at Wednesday evening's opening dinner. Past conferences have featured distinguished panelists including Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Singaporean Ambassador to the U.S. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, former National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley, and many more. For more information on the WACA Annual National Conference, click here.

 

Please join us! Conference registration and hotel reservations are now open. 

  

Register for 2013 National Conference

  

Reserve Hotel Room at The Liaison

 

Staying at The Liaison 

We have secured a special group rate at The Liaison Capitol Hill of $225/night. 

 

To book rooms at this rate, click here or call 1-866-233-4642 and reference "National Conference - World Affairs."

 

The Liaison is the closest hotel to the U.S. Capitol. The Smithsonian, the National Mall, Union Station, and dozens of the country's most visited museums and monuments are within walking distance.

 

Celebrity chef Art Smith, who creates his award-winning Southern-modern "food for the soul" for the Liaison's restaurant Art and Soul, will be the chef for the National Conference. Perhaps best known as Oprah Winfrey's personal chef, Smith is well known for his fine-tuned, artisanal farm-to-table menu. First Lady Michelle Obama is known to have dined there with friends. 

 

Tentative Agenda

Wednesday, November 13

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM: Fall Leadership Meeting for Council CEOs and Staff/Annual Membership Meeting

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Opening Dinner  

 

Thursday, November 14

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Main Plenaries

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM: Embassy Receptions

 

Friday, November 15

7:30 AM - 8:45 AM: 1918 Society Breakfast

9:00 AM - 3:00 PM: Main Plenaries

Conference concludes at 3:00 PM 

 

Thank You to Our 2013 National Conference Sponsors
 

Raytheon
 

Taiwan Leadership Mission: Deadline Friday, July, 19

The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to announce that The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office has agreed to host a Leadership Mission to Taiwan from September 7-14, 2013.

 

Note: Flights will leave on September 7, arriving in Taipei on September 8. Upon return, flights will depart on September 14 and arrive back in the U.S. on the same day. 

The Leadership Mission will include 8-10 delegates. We are currently accepting applications for participants. The deadline to apply is July 19, 2013. Click here for more information.

 

Egypt: Political Islam in Crisis? with Shadi Hamid

Hot Topics The World Affairs Councils of America hosted Dr. Shadi Hamid, Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center and fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, live from Doha, Qatar for a Hot Topics Conference Call on Egypt: Political Islam in Crisis? last Friday, July 12. The call was moderated by Dr. Lori E. Murray, Distinguished Chair for National Security at the U.S. Naval Academy, and President Emeritus of WACA. Thank you to all of those who joined. A recording of the call is available on our homepage here

 

Over the weekend, Dr. Hamid published an op-ed in The Washington Post titled, In Egypt, one coup leads to another.

 

Would you like to learn more about the Middle East? Register for our 2013 National Conference, Six Top Issues for 2014, November 13-15, 2013 at The Capitol Liaison Hotel in Washington, DC. The Middle East is one of our Six Top Issues for 2014.

 

Register for the 2013 National Conference

 

Save the Date: Academic WorldQuest 2014

The 2014 Academic WorldQuest National Competition will take place Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, DC. Read about the 2013 Academic WorldQuest National Competition here.

 

CONTEXT: Egyptian Democracy: Is the Ouster of Morsi a Step Forward or Backward?

Many observers see the military's removal of President Morsi from office as a step backward for democracy and the rule of law. We spoke with a former Egyptian official who believes the opposite and sees the current situation as an example of democracy in action. Moushira Khattab provides context on the evolution of Egyptian politics. Click here to watch.

 

WACA-U.S. Department of State Partnership 

The World Affairs Councils of America is partnering with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to provide exciting opportunities for World Affairs Councils members and their families to promote relationships between the United States and other countries of the world. Enrich your family and community by joining our "C2C" - Culture2Culture, Country2Country and Community2Comunity initiative. Volunteer to host an international exchange student starting this fall.

 

Many people ask what they can do to make things better for themselves, their children, their communities, and the world. By sharing your home and heart with an international high school exchange student, you will make a difference. What begins as an exchange of kindness, customs and culture within a family extends throughout a high school and community to touch thousands of lives. The Department of State needs host families from all over the U.S. - from large cities to small towns. If you or someone you know would be interested in hosting a student, please visit http://hosting.state.gov for more information and to fill out a short form so that a local representative can contact you.

  

Spotlight on Turkey Study Tours 

The secound group of teachers participating in this year's Spotlight on Turkey program are on the ground participating in a study tour of the country. Teachers from the Vermont Council on World Affairs, World Affairs Council of Connecticut, World Affairs Council of New Hampshire, World Affairs Council of Seattle, Montana World Affairs Council, South Dakota World Affairs Council, Minnesota International Center are currently traveling in Turkey and will return July 27. More Information

 

Not My Life Programs Underway

Our newest national program series focusing on human trafficking and modern-day slavery is underway. The program features screenings of the documentary film Not My Life by Robert Bilheimer and Worldwide Documentaries at over 35 World Affairs Councils. The program is made possible by a generous grant from Carlson & The Carlson Family FoundationClick here to see the participating councils. This month's events include:

 

July 17 -- International Relations Council Kansas City 

 

July 17 -- World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

 

July 18 -- San Diego World Affairs Council

 

July 27 -- San Diego World Affairs Council

Weekly Highlights
Council leaders to lecture on Travel the World tours from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia:

 

Mimi Gregory, Naples World Affairs Council and Francophile, travels to Paris, Alsace and Burgundy. September 24-October 4, 2013.

Ambassador Marilyn McAfee, Jacksonville Council, lectures aboard a private jet trip to South America. November 2-22, 2013.

Dr. Carla Thorson, Vice President Northern California, Expedition to Antarctica aboard deluxe L'Austral. January 31-February 13, 2014. 

  

Kay Maxwell, Executive Director, World Affairs Forum, Stamford, CT. Myanmar (Burma). February 7-20, 2014.

  

Jim Falk, President, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth and honorary consul to Morocco for Texas returns to lead our Moroccan Discovery tour for a second year.  February 15 - 28, 2014.

 

Maria Zammit, World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads, Journey Through India.  March 6 - 23, 2014.

  

Contact www.wacphila.org/travel or call 800-942-5004 x209 or x217.

  

 
Denotes programming that focuses on one of the World Affairs Councils of America's Six Top Issues for 2013. Learn more about our Six Top Issues.  
   

Tuesday    July 16

The World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C hosts the "Author Series with Christian Caryl." More information

  

The Minnesota International Center hosts "Culture through Cuisine - Greece." More information

  

The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire hosts a screening of "War Witch", for "Crossroads International Film and Discussion Series: Fighting Freedom." More information

  

The World Affairs Council of Dallas/ Fort Worth hosts Stuart Bowen for "Learning from Iraq." More information
 

Wednesday  July 17

The International Relations Council of Kansas City hosts a screening of "Not My Life." This program is sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America and made possible by a generous grant from Carlson & The Carlson Family Foundation. More information

  

The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts a screening of "Not My Life." This program is sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America and made possible by a generous grant from Carlson & The Carlson Family Foundation. More information  

  

The World Affairs Council of Northern California hosts Mustafa Akyol and Jeffrey Collins for "Understanding Unrest in Turkey." More information

 

The Peoria Area World Affairs Council hosts Dr. James Zogby for "The Arab Perspective of the Arab Spring." More information

 

The World Affairs Council of Oregon hosts Bruce Gilley and Olga Oliker, for "Champion Democracy." More information

 

The Vermont Council on World Affairs hosts "Cairo 678." More information

 

The Institute of World Affairs hosts "Global Action through Engagement", a workshop for high school students. More information

 

Thursday   July 18

The World Affairs Council of San Diego hosts a screening of "Not My Life." This program is sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America and made possible by a generous grant from Carlson & The Carlson Family Foundation. More information

 

The World Affairs Council of Northern California hosts Juliano Alves Pinto, for the program and cultural reception "The New Brazil: Exploring a Changing Culture." More information

 

The World Affairs Council of Sonoma County hosts Fouzia Saeed, for "Women changing the world." More information

The International Affairs Forum hosts a Tea Farm Walking Tour. More information
 
Friday   July 19 
The Pacific and Asian Affairs Council hosts the "2013 International Golf Classic." More information
 
Saturday   July 20
The Institute of World Affairs hosts "Global Action through Engagement", a workshop for high school students.More information
 

The World Affairs Councils of America 

1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036

Phone (202) 833-4557  Fax (202) 833-4555

Email waca@worldaffairscouncils.org Website www.worldaffairscouncils.org