TOMORROW: Cover to Cover with Dr. Quick

Somewhere in nature, a killer virus is boiling up in the bloodstream of a wild animal, preparing to jump to a human being. This not-yet-detected germ has the potential to wipe out millions of lives over a matter of weeks or months. That risk makes the threat posed by ISIS, a ground war, a massive climate event, or even the dropping of a nuclear bomb on a major city pale in comparison. 

In The End of Epidemics, Dr. Jonathan Quick, Harvard Medical School faculty member and Chair of the Global Heath Council, examines the eradication of smallpox and devastating effects of influenza, AIDS SARS, and Ebola. Analyzing efforts to contain these diseases and citing firsthand accounts of failure and success, Dr. Quick proposes a new set of actions which he has coined, "The Power of Seven," to end epidemics before they begin.  

Register for the call

Join us for February's Cover to Cover tomorrow, February 13, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

KNOW NOW: A New U.S. Strategy for Sudan

Ambassador (Ret.) Mary Carlin Yates recently returned from Sudan, where she served as U.S. Interim Chargé d'Affaires (2011-2012). The goal of the January trip was to make progress on assessing a re-engagement strategy between the U.S. and this geopolitically significant state, at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East. 

"We are at a critical time, and the progress towards re-engagement and having a strong bilateral relationship beneficial to both nations hangs in the balance as Khartoum's government and president flirt with closer relations with Russia," Ambassador Yates told WACA and WorldOregon in an email. 

Register for the call.

Read Sudan: A Strategy for Re-Engagement by Ambassador Yates and Kelsey Lilley, and join Derrick Olsen, President of WorldOregon, as he hosts Ambassador Yates for this KNOW NOW call on Tuesday, February 20, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

Councils Are Hiring!

World Affairs Council of Hampshire is conducting a search for its new executive director. See the job announcement.

Global Minnesota is also hiring. See the posting for their new Corporate and Foundation Giving Officer.

WAC St. Louis Names New Executive Director

Please join WACA in wishing a warm welcome to Robert Foster, the new Executive Director of World Affairs Council of St. Louis. Foster brings more than 30 years of professional association and communications experience to the position. He previously served as Executive Director of the American Optometric Student Association. 

Read the press release.

WACA would also like to congratulate Robert Fischer on his retirement after 16 years of service at the Council's helm. Bob, currently a member of the WACA National Board, has been named Executive Director, Emeritus of WAC St. Louis.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to Speak at WAC Atlanta

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - Africa's "Iron Lady" - overcame abuse, imprisonment, and exile to become the first elected female head of state in Africa. President of Liberia from 2006 until this year, Sirleaf turned her country around after 25 years of violence and misrule by securing peace in Liberia, promoting economic and social development, and strengthening the position of women - all of which earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

The World Affairs Council of Atlanta will host President Sirleaf for a special breakfast, "Madame President: From Liberia's Leader to Nobel Laureate," on Thursday, February 15. Details

FPA Centennial Panel: Women in Development

This Thursday, February 15, the Foreign Policy Association, founded in 1918, will host a centennial year panel. Co-hosted with Brown Brothers Harriman,  a firm that is celebrating its bicentennial this year, this panel - "The Critical Role of Women in Social and Economic Development" - features:

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka 

UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women

Françoise Girard 

President of the International Women's Health Coalition

Mary "Nina" Henderson 

Director of the Foreign Policy Association and of CNO Finanacial Group

Katalin Bogyay 

Ambassador of Hungary to the UN

Isobel Coleman 

Former U.S. Ambassador of Management, Reform, and Special Political Affairs to the UN

See more details.

Amb. Kenton Keith to Speak at 

WAC Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky

World Affairs Council of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, WACA's Council of the Month, will host Kenton Keith, former U.S. Ambassador to Qatar (1992-1995), tomorrow, February 13. Amb. Keith will discuss "Iran Versus Saudi Arabia." The evening will also include a reception and dinner prior to Amb. Keith's remarks. Details