World Affairs Councils of America

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Mark Your Calendars for 2015 Programs! 

 

In This Issue
1918 Society Conference Call
Cover to Cover
BoardSource Membership
WACA Wins DANDI Award
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1918 Society Conference Call

The World Affairs Councils of America will host former President of Mexico Vicente Fox for a 1918 Society Conference Call. The call will take place on January 15 at 2:00 PM ET.

1918 Society Members:
RSVP to ibyrne@worldaffairscouncils.org 
or reply to this email to receive 
dial-in information.

As an added benefit, 
1918 Society Members are welcome to 
invite up to three guests to join this call.


Vicente Fox served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. The first candidate from an opposition party to be elected president since 1920, he garnered 42 percent of the vote, marking the first time that the then-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party had lost a presidential election. Under his leadership, the country experienced a stretch of fundamental economic strength and stability. Full Bio

Save the date: The 1918 Society will convene a conference call on Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 2:00 PM with Scott Carpenter, Deputy Director of Google Ideas.

Become a member: For information on how to join The 1918 Society and benefits of membership, including participation in these conference calls, please contact Ian Byrne at ibyrne@worldaffairscouncils.org or visit our website.
Cover to Cover Author Series
The World Affairs Councils of America's January Author Series hosts journalist Thanassis Cambanis. His new book is Once Upon A Revolution: An Egyptian Story. WACA President and CEO Bill Clifford will moderate the call.

The call will take place 
Tuesday, January 20, at 2:00 PM ET.


In January 2011, in Cairo's Tahrir Square, a group of strangers sparked a revolution. Basem, an apolitical middle-class architect, jeopardized the lives of his family when he seized the chance to improve his country. Moaz, a contrarian Muslim Brother, defied his own organization to join the opposition.

These revolutionaries had little more than their idealism with which to battle the secret police, the old oligarchs, and a power-hungry military determined to keep control. Basem was determined to change the system from within and became one of the only revolutionaries to win a seat in parliament. Moaz took a different course, convinced that only street pressure from youth movements could dismantle the old order.

Thanassis Cambanis tells the story of the noble dreamers who brought Egypt to the brink of freedom, and the dark powerful forces that -- for the time being -- stopped them short. But he also tells a universal story of inspirational people willing to transform themselves in order to transform their society and the world.

Thanassis Cambanis a journalist specializing in the Middle East and American foreign policy, and a fellow at The Century Foundation. He writes a column for The Boston Globe Ideas section called "The Internationalist," and is a correspondent for The Atlantic. Cambanis contributes regularly to other publications including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and The National Interest. Full Bio

February 2015 Cover to Cover
Save the date: Our February Author Series will feature Sarah Chayes, Senior Associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program and the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment, on her forthcoming book, Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security. The call will take place Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 2:00 PM ET.


December 2014 Cover to Cover
The World Affairs Councils of America's December Author Series hosted 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winner Bret Stephens, foreign affairs columnist and deputy editorial page editor for The Wall Street Journal on December 16. His new book is America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder. The call was moderated by WACA President Bill Clifford. You can listen to a recording of the call here.
BoardSource Webinar: Jan. 29, 2:00 PM ET
Webinar 101: Elephants in the Nonprofit Boardroom
Do you serve on a board that knows it needs to fire its chief executive? Do you lie awake at night wondering how to deal with that troublesome board member who has too much time on his hands and spends it micromanaging you and others? Elephants in the Nonprofit Board Room will touch on the more common challenges faced by boards of all shapes and sizes. Whether you're a board member or a chief executive, you will leave this workshop with:
  • solutions to common boardroom challenges
  • practical strategies and ideas you can put to use immediately
  • comfort that you are NOT alone
Featured speaker: Stacey Wedding is the founder and chief strategist of Professionals in Philanthropy, a philanthropic consulting firm that assists generous individuals and organizations in creating lasting change in their communities, our country, and the world.

This webinar will take place on 
Thursday, January 29, at 2:00 PM ET. 


BoardSource Membership for WAC Members
As a leader within the WACA network, you are now eligible to become part of BoardSource's membership community of more than 26,000 nonprofit leaders across the U.S., which will make it easy for you to access the latest news, resources, and best-practices webinars in nonprofit board leadership, as well as practical experience and suggestions from other members of BoardSource's community.

The National Office encourages all Councils to take advantage and sign up for this complimentary BoardSource membership. Please share the link - with Council colleagues, staff, and all Board members - and enjoy an array of benefits that will help strengthen your Council's performance!

BoardSource is widely recognized as the leading organization promoting exceptional nonprofit governance and board service. We are grateful to WACA National Board Member Martha Jones, of the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville, for making this generous gift of BoardSource membership available to the network. Be sure to sign up today!
World Affairs Councils of America Wins 2014 DANDI Award
We encourage all Councils to post this exciting news on your Web sites and social media -- this is your award, too! The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to announce that it was honored with the Diversity and Inclusion (DANDI) Award in the international category. Accepting the honor at the 3rd Annual DANDI Awards Ceremony in New York City on December 1st, WACA President and CEO Bill Clifford said: 

"The World Affairs Councils of America believes everyone benefits when we create a public environment where a diverse community is challenged to share ideas about international issues while considering other points of view. For our Councils, which put a premium on civil dialogue, the commitment to the values of inclusion and diversity of thought and perspective makes us better learners, employees, leaders, and citizens."

See our short video, submitted following WACA's nomination for a 2014 DANDI Award.

For more on the DANDIs, visit their website here.

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