The World Affairs Councils of America will host its 2013 National Conference,
Six Top Issues for 2014,
November 13-15, 2013 at the
Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel.
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
- K-12 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. Click here to see last year's speakers and agenda.
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
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
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
Welcome FY2014 WACA National Board
Today, July 1, marks the beginning of the new FY2014 board term. The World Affairs Councils of America would like to welcome its new and returning board members Dixie Anderson, Executive Director, World Affairs Council of Western Michigan; Jim Falk, President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth; Ward Fredericks, Chairman, World Affairs Council of the Desert; Nancy F. Hamlin, President World Affairs Council of Rochester; Lee Pasquarella, Board Member, World Affairs Council of Seattle; Donna Suddeth, Board Member Emerita, Naples Council on World Affairs; Ljubomir (LJ) Stambuk, President, World Affairs Council of Charlotte; Nigel Sutton, Director International Business Development, Raytheon Corporation; Patrick Terrien, President and CEO, Columbus Council on World Affairs; and Serge Tomassian, Managing Partner, Tomassian, Throckmorton & Inouye, LLP.
Also, a very special thank you to our outgoing board members Ken Furst, Board Member, World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts; Claudia McBride, President, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia; and KJ Singh, Johnson & Johnson; for their time, dedication, and contributions to the World Affairs Councils of America.
Click here to see the full FY2014 WACA National Board.
WACA Executive Committee Elected for FY2014
The World Affairs Councils of America's National Board elected the following Executive Committee slate:
Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Chair
Dixie Anderson, Vice Chair
Alex Lari, Vice Chair
Ward Fredericks, Treasurer
Bill Clifford, Secretary
Diana Sedney, At-Large
Noel Lateef, At-Large
Joyce Davis, At-Large
Sky Foerster (Governance)
The National Board of Directors also endorsed the recommendation made by outgoing Director and Development Committee Chair Ken Furst that the Chair of the Development Committee be added to the Executive Committee as a member. The proposed change to the national bylaws is now out to network members for comment due July 15.
Taiwan Leadership Mission: Deadline 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.
Accepting Applications for President & CEO
The World Affairs Councils of America is seeking nominations and applications for the position of President & CEO, a full-time position based in Washington, DC. As you know, the President & CEO of the World Affairs Councils of America plays a leading role in strategically planning, creatively steering and energetically implementing and expanding the national association's educational mission of engaging the American public on global issues.
The WACA National Board and the WACA Search Committee, chaired by Dixie Anderson, Vice Chair of the National Board and Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, plan to proceed in a way that is transparent, expeditious and brings us the best candidate.
Since the WACA Network is national, we have concluded that we should start our search with a focus on the WACA network as our most logical group of potential candidates. Therefore, we would like to present the opportunity to the WACA network to express an interest in the position of WACA national president.
We are asking for expressions of interest from the WACA National Network by July 12, 2012. Please include: a cover letter and resume/CV. Send submissions to Dixie using this email:
info@worldmichigan.org. Of course, all submissions will be treated confidentially.
If you have any questions and would like to discuss the position in more detail, please contact Dixie at (616) 776-1721 or
da@worldmichigan.org.
CONTEXT: Egyptian Protests: Will the Military Step In?
Widespread and intense protests in Egypt raise serious questions about the stability and future of President Mohamed Morsi's government. To gain insight into the situation, we spoke with a former Washington Post Cairo Bureau Chief about the current crisis and its implications for future democratic reforms. 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.