November 26, 2018

WACA Weekly

New Council Execs in Cleveland, Minneapolis; USIP-WACA Peacebuilding Program at Naples CWA; CSIS Trade Guys Record Live for WACA; National Conference Survey and Photo Gallery; Travel with Councils (Philadelphia, Houston, and Dallas); plus Council Highlights

Global Minnesota and Cleveland CWA Hire New Leaders

Global Minnesota has selected former Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie as its new President. He will succeed Carol Byrne, recipient of the WACA Chairman's 2018 Individual Award, in January. Ritchie’s leadership experience spans government, nonprofit, education, and advocacy organizations. In addition to creating a public-private partnership to host a World’s Fair on health and wellness in Minnesota, he served as an endowed chair in agricultural food systems for the University of Minnesota.

The Cleveland Council on World Affairs today announced that Carina Van Vliet has been named CEO and will start in her new role on January 2, 2019. A CCWA member since 2015, Carina most recently was a regional manager for business development and communications at Jones Day. After moving to Cleveland in 2014, she served as a senior adviser to the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Carina served as a political affairs officer at the United Nations from 2006 to 2014, covering Latin American and Middle East issues, disarmament affairs, and women, peace, and security issues. She also co-authored an economic history textbook and taught economics in China. 

Naples Council on World Affairs Hosts USIP

Naples Council on World Affairs presents Peacebuilding for National Security, featuring Ambassador William Taylor, Executive Vice President of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), on Monday, December 3. This event is the third Council program in the WACA-USIP Engage America series.

CSIS' Trade Guys Live Podcast from WACA 2018 Conference Session

CSIS for the fourth year in a row hosted an exclusive offsite briefing for a cohort of Council leaders and members at the WACA 2018 National Conference - but this time with a twist. The Trade Guys (Bill Reinsch and Scott Miller) recorded their weekly podcast in front of our live audience. On the agenda was the midterm elections and how the new Democratic majority in the House might affect the dynamics of trade policy. They also discussed tariffs, the USMCA, and more. Jack Caporal guest hosted. Listen to the podcast here.

Save the Date: WACA 2019 National Conference

Mark your calendars now! The World Affairs Councils of America will return to The Mayflower Hotel for next year's National Conference: November 6-8, 2019.

Reminder: 2018 Conference Survey - We Welcome Your Feedback!

All attendees of the WACA 2018 Conference should have received an email earlier today requesting that you take part in a survey. For those who missed it (attendees only), please click this survey link to participate - it should take you no longer than 10-15 minutes. Your responses, comments, and recommendations will help us plan the 2019 National Conference.

The survey will be close automatically at 11:55 pm ET on Friday, November 30, 2018.

Braving the New World Order

November 7–9, 2018

The Mayflower Hotel – Washington, DC

Check Out Our Photo Gallery

Click on the following links to see photos from this year's Conference - and feel free to download them!

**You will need to create a Dropbox account in order to access and engage with the below photos, except for the "General Conference Photos" link. It's fast - and free - to create an account!**

WACA 2018 General Conference Photos

WACA 2018 Conference FPA OAS Reception

WACA 2018 Conference State Secretary Michaelis and Transatlantic Panel

WACA 2018 Conference Dambisa Moyo

WACA 2018 Conference Peter Singer

WACA 2018 Conference 1918 Society Dinner

WACA 2018 Conference Leadership Day

We'd love to see your own Conference photos, too! Please submit your photos in the shared Dropbox folder below. (By uploading your photos to this folder, you give permission to the World Affairs Councils of America to post online and use your photos in our communications.)

WACA 2018 Conference WACs Photo Contributions