WACA will host a new all-virtual conference, Conversations With The C-Suite: Powering Global Recovery and Change, featuring more than 12 top CEOs on September 28-October 2.

This event is free and open to the public. Please view the full C-Suite agenda.

You only need to register once for the entire forum, not for each individual event. If you are able, please support WACA for the work that went into producing this special forum with a tax-deductible donation with your ticket order.

Pick your favorite event from the agenda below and follow that registration button to register for the entire Conversations With The C-Suite virtual forum!

FP Virtual Dialogue: Transformational Leadership in U.S. Policy and Business

Janis Bowdler, President, JP Morgan Chase & Co. Foundation; Brent McIntosh, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Treasury; Martin King, CEO, PMI America; Liz Schrayer, President, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition; Andrew Sollinger, Publisher, Foreign Policy

Please help us wish our Communications and Marketing Associate Rachel Pastor all the best as she pursues a new opportunity at Network Designs. Rachel has been a great asset to the WACA team since Spring 2019.

The Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2020-2021 Academic WorldQuest National Competition is scheduled to be held in Washington, DC on April 16-17, 2021 at the United States Institute of Peace.

WACA has arranged a group hotel block at The Westin DC City Center (1400 M St. NW, Washington, DC). See the reservation link here to book your discounted room(s). The hotel block deadline is Monday, March 29, 2021.

The national competition is attended by 200-250 of the nation's most promising high school students each year, along with their parents, teachers, and chaperones. The 4-hour AWQ competition is a unique opportunity for students to visit the nation's capital, perhaps for the first time. A weekend of substantive programming is included to enhance the experience.

To confirm your Council's participation in the 2020-2021 AWQ season, please fill out and submit this Pledge Form by November 30, 2020. Stay tuned for the official AWQ 2020-2021 Study Guide!

WACA encourages all Councils to host a local Academic WorldQuest program for high school students in your area. Please read WACA's 2021 Operations Paper to learn more about launching an AWQ competition. Additionally, please use these materials to promote the AWQ program to teachers, students, and sponsors for the 2020-2021 AWQ season: Teacher's Guide and AWQ Flyer. There is no minimum or maximum number of teams that are required for local AWQ competitions, and WACA encourages Councils to engage as many regional high schools as possible.

Save the Dates! WACA 2020 National Conference: November 16-20

WACA will host its annual National Conference on November 16-20. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 National Conference: New Frontiers in Diplomacy and National Security will be held virtually via Zoom webinars.

Keep checking WACA newsletters and the National Conference page on the WACA website for all 2020 Conference announcements regarding topics, speakers, working agenda, and other important information. We look forward to "seeing" you in 2020!

The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia is excited to announce that registration for our 2020-21 Fall High School Programs is now open! Programming includes the 2020 International Student Summit, our Fall signature simulation program taking place virtually in December, 2020. This program will explore the complicated and timely topic of restarting the global economy post COVID-19. In addition, this week we will be launching our new, monthly Speaker Series for students. This first speaker program will cover the important topic of food insecurity both in the United States and locally in Philadelphia. Lastly, registration is open for our first Debate Series program, scheduled for October, 2020. Students participating in this program will debate the merits of the United States taking an internationalist or isolationist approach to foreign policy both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

As students and instructors across the U.S. return to an online or otherwise modified classroom, WACA partner, the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) is extending its offer of having one KEI staff member speak with students virtually. This opportunity comes at no cost, and KEI experts are well-versed in a variety of topics related to the Korean Peninsula; including security, politics, economics, and culture as well as broader trends in the Indo-Pacific region.

This is one of the many ways KEI is adapting its outreach and programs to promote a better understanding of the U.S.-Korea relationship during these uncertain times. As a reminder, all of KEI's publications and events are freely available on the KEI website, including Korea View, the weekly newsletter about developments in South Korea, and the new “Conversation” series.

If you are interested in having KEI visit your virtual classroom, please email kf@keia.org. Please be sure to include the title of the class, possible dates and times, topics to be addressed, the class size and composition (undergraduate or graduate), as well as any speaker preferences.

The Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth seeks a globally minded, dynamic, and innovative President and Chief Executive Officer who has the ability to connect to local, national, and global thought leaders - building on the Council’s decades of providing global education programs for its members, high school students, teachers, and the community at large.

Reporting to the WAC DFW Board of Directors, the President and Chief Executive Officer is responsible for ensuring that membership organization, volunteer board, and professional staff deliver on its mission of educating and engaging the local community in national and international affairs. The Council’s reputation and function as a neutral form for peer learning and civil discourse across disciplines, generations, and points of view requires careful attention and protection. The leader must be a creative thinker of significant intellectual curiosity and depth. The next President will inherit a strong organization with a healthy culture, a robust infrastructure, and an attractive programmatic agenda; and will have the opportunity to build on a premier brand and enhance the Council’s visibility. Read the full description and application details here.

The Council is seeking a new President and CEO as the incumbent Jim Falk is stepping down after 19 years of successful service that saw the membership grow from 350 to more than 4,000. WACA thanks Jim for his many years of leadership at WAC DFW and on the WACA National Board of Directors.

Monday 9/28 

World Affairs Council of Austin hosts The Honorable Claire McCarthy, Consul General of Ireland in Austin, for “Conflict in Diplomacy: Learning to Listen.”

Tuesday 9/29 

World Affairs of Dallas/Fort Worth, World Affairs Council Orange County, and World Affairs Council of Jacksonville host author Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize winner, to discuss his book “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations.”

World Affairs Council of Seattle hosts Ambassador The Honorable William Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Tom Collina, Director of Policy at Ploughshares Fund, for “Nuclear Policy and Presidential Power.”

Tennessee World Affairs Council hosts David Plazas, Opinion and Engagement Director for USA TODAY, for “Global Nashville.”

World Affairs Council of Greater Houston hosts photographer Bob Gomel, Life Magazine, to discuss his documentary “Eyewitness.”

Alabama World Affairs Council hosts Lieutenant General (ret.) James Hecker, President of Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, for “U.S. Global Military Operations: A Joint Staff Perspective.”

Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall hosts Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State, for “A Conversation With California Secretary of State.” 

World Affairs Council of Atlanta hosts J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, for “COVID-19: What We Know So Far.”

World Affairs Council of Maine hosts Susan Thornton, former Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific Affairs, for “U.S.-China Relations and the International Order.”

International Relations Council hosts Melanie Nakagawa, Head of the Climate Initiative at Princeville Global, for “Energy, Environment, & Climate Change.”

World Affairs Council Connecticut hosts a panel of experts for “Battle Fronts: Global Security Forum 2020.”

Montana World Affairs Council hosts Jim Ludes, Executive Director of the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University, for “The House of Mirrors: Elections, Pandemics, and Disinformation.”

Wednesday 9/30  

World Affairs Council of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky hosts Linda Robinson, Senior Researcher at RAND Corporation, for “Ending America’s Forever Wars.”

World Affairs Council of Greater Reading hosts Ron Granieri, Executive Director of FPRI’s Center for the Study of America and the West, for “NATO: The American Perspective.”

World Affairs Council of Philadelphia hosts a panel of experts for “Health is More Than Healthcare: Food as a Social Determinant of Wellness.”

World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh hosts a panel of experts for “Understanding U.S. - Korean Relations Today.”

World Affairs Council of Greater Houston hosts Paul Williams, Chief Technology Officer of Clarity Consulting Corporation, for “Global Cyber-Security Threats Facing the U.S.”

World Affairs Council Inland Southern California and San Diego World Affairs Council host Michael Auslin, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, for “Will the Sino-U.S. Cold War Go Hot?”

Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council hosts author George Packer, Staff Writer at the Atlantic, to discuss his book “Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century.”

World Affairs Council of Jacksonville hosts General (ret.) Vincent Brooks, former Commander United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea, for “How Long Should We Stay in Korea?”

World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana hosts author David Rundell to discuss his book Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads.

WorldBoston hosts Vered Barzilay, Founder and Director of Out of the Box, for “(Way) Out of the Box: Space Entrepreneurship for Young Learners.”

International Relations Council hosts Ambassador (ret.) Frank Wisner, Foreign Affairs Advisor at Patton Boggs, LLP, for “Peace in the Middle East.”

Montana World Affairs Council hosts Professor Johann Neem, Western Washington University, for “What is College for?”

Montana World Affairs Council hosts Professor Jacob Shapiro, Princeton University, for “Online Foreign Influence Efforts.”

Thursday 10/1  

World Affairs of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts Luis Campos, Counsel at Haynes and Boone LLP, for “Refugee Crisis in the Americas.”

World Affairs Council of Tacoma hosts John Lucas, Professor at Pierce College, for “Foreign Policy Discussion Group: October.”

Santa Fe Council on International Relations hosts Tim Phillips, Founder and CEO of Beyond Conflict, for “What Journalists Should Know About Polarization in the United States.”

Tennessee World Affairs Council hosts a panel of experts for “U.S. Foreign Policy Challenges: The Middle East.”

Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall hosts Professor Dan Schnur, University of Southern California, for “Politics in the Time of Coronavirus.”

World Affairs (Northern California) hosts Mary Magistad, Director of Audio Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, for “The New Silk Road -- China’s Challenge for Global Leadership.”

Colorado Springs World Affairs Council hosts Lieutenant General (ret.) James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, for “Threats to National Security and What the Intelligence Community Needs.”

World Denver hosts a panel of experts for “The New Nuclear Arms Race and the Future of Presidential Power.”

World Affairs Council of Atlanta hosts Paige Alexander, CEO of The Carter Center, for “Building on the Success of The Carter Center.”

WorldBoston hosts Lieutenant General (ret.) William Liquori, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Strategy, Plans, Programs, Requirements, and Analysis, for “The Evolution of the U.S. Space Force.” 

World Affairs Council of Western Michigan hosts Jennifer Staats, Director of the East and Southeast Asia Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace, for “The Future of Hong Kong.”

International Relations Council hosts Kirk Doan, Healthcare Attorney at Stinson, LLP, for “Comparative Healthcare Systems.”

Montana World Affairs Council hosts Emmy award-winning journalist Lynn Walsh, Assistant Director at the Trusting News Project, for “Misinformation and Disinformation: How Journalists Respond and How Can You Trust Information.”

Friday 10/2 

World Affairs Council of Hilton Head hosts The Honorable Doug Lute, former U.S. Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council at NATO, for “How the West Was Lost.”

Alaska World Affairs Council and Juneau World Affairs Council host Professor Yong Zhao, University of Kansas and Melbourne Graduate School of Education, for “The Future of Education in a Post-Pandemic World.”

World Affairs Council of Sonoma County hosts Professor David McCuan, Sonoma State University, for “The 2020 General Election: Chaos, COVID, and Crisis.”

Peoria Area World Affairs Council hosts John Phelan, Teachta Dala for the Carlow-Kilkenny Constituency, for “Ireland Today: Life, Politics, Economy, Brexit and More!”

International Relations Council hosts Gary Logan, former U.S. Armed Forces Chaplaincy Denominational Representative, for “Living and Working Abroad.”

World Affairs Council of Greater Houston hosts Stephanie Tsuru, Founder of SheSpace, for “Global Connections.”

WACA is continuing to upgrade and expand our Speaker Database 2.0. In this new iteration, we have expanded our list of speakers and made it easier than ever for you, as Council staff and board members, to engage with it. We want your speakers! Please submit your speakers through the "Submit Your Speakers" button on our website.

You need to have an account through our website in order to view and interact with the database and submit your speakers. To check if you have an account, please visit your Council Member page on the WACA website and see if you are listed as a staff or board member. If you are not, you will not be able to interact with the database yet. If you do not have an account or are having issues accessing the website and/or the Speaker Database, please email Rachel Pastor.

The World Affairs Councils of America is an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to engaging the public and leading global voices to better understand the world, America’s international role, and the policy choices that impact our daily lives and our future.

Your generous contributions will strengthen our capacity to support the World Affairs Council Network through educational and civic initiatives - any amount helps.