2022 World Affairs Council of the Year
Network of Independent World Affairs Councils of America
presents
Wednesday, October 30th | 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Mark Reese began his thirty-year career in Central Asia as the first Peace Corps volunteer to serve in Kokand, Uzbekistan, from 1994-1996. Through the University of Washington, he subsequently established and managed a Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs program centered around Islamic studies and curricula reform in Uzbekistan through the Department of State’s Uzbekistan Partnership Program in Islamic Studies. Mr. Reese managed translation and cultural advisement task orders for a broad spectrum of government and private industry clients.
Over seven years, he conducted groundbreaking work through dynamic educational program development as Founding Director for the Center for Regional Studies at the United States Naval Academy. His flagship work surrounds his translation of Abdullah Qodiriy’s O’tkan Kunlar, the first full-length novel in the Uzbek language. For his efforts, the Republic of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev awarded Mr. Reese the Presidential Order of Do’stlik for furthering awareness of the Uzbek language and culture.
In 2023, he was awarded the Tourism Fo’ydasi for developing tourism content in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. As CEO of Suhbat LLC, Mark is currently engaged in strategic communications and cultural program development for a variety of clients in Central Asia.
Patrick Ryan is President Emeritus and founder of the Tennessee World Affairs Council. In 2007, Mr. Ryan organized a group of concerned citizens to launch Tennessee’s first World Affairs Council to bring global awareness to education programs and resources in communities and schools in the state. The Council, responding to the statewide interest in its programs, moved from its first home in Cookeville to Nashville, where it is hosted on the campus of Belmont University.
Mr. Ryan was born and raised in New York City. At age 17 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he served a 26-year career, assigned first in the Persian Gulf in 1973 followed by assignments in the Submarine Service where he attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Mr. Ryan received a BA degree at the University of South Carolina, in 1981, majoring in International Studies followed by commissioning in the Navy as an Ensign. Mr. Ryan served aboard numerous ships, headquarters staffs and overseas assignments before retiring in 1998 as a Lieutenant Commander. Among his assignments were the Joint Staff in the Pentagon, the Center for Naval Analyses, and US Central Command headquarters. He has lived and worked in Bahrain, Italy and Japan and has traveled to about 50 countries for work and leisure.
Patrick Ryan was the President and founder of Ryan & Associates, an editorial consulting firm based in Nashville, from 1999-2015, specializing in on-line global affairs information resources, especially covering developments in the Middle East. Mr. Ryan also serves as founding President of the Tennessee Submarine Memorial Association, on the National Geographic State Advisory Board and on the U.S. Global Leadership Council’s Tennessee State Committee.
OUR MISSION:
As a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, we aim to promote international awareness, understanding, and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world.
OUR VISION:
To create a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.