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SUMMARY:Webinar | International Careers Panel | April 3\, 2024
DESCRIPTION:The Tennessee World Affairs Council\n\n\nInternational Careers Panel\n\n\n\nvia Zoom\n \n\nWednesday\, April 3\, 2024\n11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. CT\n  \nPANELISTS:  Dr. Sarah F. Gardial\, Louis Fintor\, Penelope Thomas\, Soo Koo\nMODERATOR: Dr. Gretchen Neisler\n  \nDo you wonder what jobs and careers there are in international affairs?  There’s more than you think.  Every Fall and Spring the World Affairs Council assembles diplomats\, business people\, NGO officials\, returned Peace Corps volunteers and more to talk about their experiences and insights and to answer your questions at this very popular panel.  \n\nThe ICP will feature four panelists from different professions sharing hard to come by information on working in multicultural societies. This is a special opportunity to listen to distinguished professionals’ experiences and insights and to discuss: preparation and transition from colleges to careers including the tools; skills and competencies needed to enter the profession; the upsides and downsides of working in those jobs and internship opportunities in their organizations. The panel is aimed for college students\, high school students and young professionals but they’re open to everyone including TNWAC members and partner institutions around Tennessee. \n  \n\nRegister Now \n  \nSARAH FISHER GARDIAL\, PhD\nDean\, Jack C. Massey College of Business \nSarah Fisher Gardial joined Belmont University in 2020 as the first woman Dean in the Massey College of Business. Prior to Belmont\, she was Dean of the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business\, and she held college and campus leadership positions at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville\, including Associate Dean of the Haslam College of Business and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. She has had leadership positions in national/international business school associations\, including president of the MBA Roundtable\, and conference chairs for the Graduate Management Admissions Council and the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business. \nSarah has an extensive background in business and business education. For over 30 years\, she has personally engaged with industry in research\, consulting\, and executive education roles\, as well as creating mutually beneficial partnerships between higher education and industry. Her leadership awards include the Prometheus Leadership Medal (University of Tennessee Center for Educational Leadership)\, Leadership Knoxville\, Women of Achievement in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Iowa)\, the Iowa Women’s Foundation Tribute to Women and the Corridor Business Journal (Iowa) Woman of Influence. \nSarah has served on public and private for-profit and non-profit governing boards (United Fire Group\, Learning Tree\, GreenState Credit Union\, United Way and the Tennessee Justice Center). In addition\, she is an active public speaker for corporations\, conferences\, women’s leadership events\, and industry associations. She is an outspoken advocate for women in leadership as well as organizational diversity and inclusion. \nSarah and her retired husband\, Jeffrey\, recently traded in their motorcycles for a pontoon boat and lake house where they enjoy time with friends\, family and especially their two grandchildren. \n  \n  \nLOU FINTOR\n\nU.S. Foreign Service (Ret) \nLou is a retired Foreign Service Officer currently serving as the Department of State’s Diplomat-in-Residence for Indiana\, Michigan\, Kentucky\, and Tennessee. He also served in this capacity 2019-2021 following two years as U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Kabul\, Afghanistan – his second tour of duty there. Just prior to retirement he was assigned to Kosovo assisting with the relocation of Afghan evacuees in August and September 2021. \nLou began his State Department career in 2003 as a press officer at the Department’s Washington\, D.C. headquarters. This was followed by assignments as Embassy Spokesperson at U.S. missions in Afghanistan\, Iraq\, Pakistan\, Yemen\, Kosovo and the U.S. Mission to NATO. Prior to the State Department\, he worked as an epidemiologist for 12 years at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) followed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He also previously worked for several years as a journalist in the Washington\, D.C. news bureaus of the Los Angeles Times\, The Hartford Courant\, The Detroit News\, and later as a freelance writer for several other local and national publications. He holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and graduate degrees in journalism from Washington\, D.C.’s American University and in public health from the University of California\, Berkeley. He completed four years of postgraduate work at McGill University in Montreal\, Canada. He is a Detroit native and graduate of the Detroit’s Cass Technical High School. \n  \nPENELOPE A. THOMAS\nUnited States Agency for International Development\n \nPenelope A. Thomas is a Development Diplomat in Residence for the Office of Human Capital and Talent Management’s Office of External Outreach and Strategic Recruitment (XOSR). Ms. Thomas began her career with USAID in 2002. Prior to joining XOSR\, she served as Supervisory Executive Officer in Pakistan\, Nigeria\, Colombia\, the Dominican Republic\, Jamaica\, Barbados\, Guyana\, Bangladesh\, Mali\, and Egypt. She has also served as Operations Chief in both the Command Center in the Office of Security at USAID/Washington; and the Management Bureau’s Overseas Management Division\, where she was responsible for supervising\, training\, mentoring\, coaching\, and hiring new executive officers. Ms. Thomas has lived and worked abroad since 1979. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Gabon\, Central Africa\, from 1989 to 1991; and she has worked with several international development organizations\, including Africare\, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency. Ms. Thomas holds two bachelor’s degrees\, one in French and one in Spanish\, from St. Olaf College.  \n  \nSOO KOO \nU.S. Department of State – Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs \nSoo Koo is the Domestic Outreach Coordinator for the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy at the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the U.S. Department of State. Her previous role at the Bureau was the Stakeholder Engagement Officer for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) under the Office of Economic Policy\, focusing on public affairs\, public diplomacy\, public-private partnership building\, and outreach in international trade and investment. \nShe previously served as the Communications Director at the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives and the Chief of Staff for Maryland’s First Lady under Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s Administration from 2019 to 2022. She covered a wide range of assignments in international relations\, international procurement\, media relations\, multimedia marketing\, and more. During the COVID-19 pandemic\, she was involved in the administration’s successful crisis communication and management and anti-hate crime efforts\, as well as serving and mobilizing diverse communities. Her last duty was to initiate the Governor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs\, the first of its kind\, as its Deputy Director by creating a state-wide network of immigrant serving organizations and continuing the anti-hate crime efforts as a key program of the office. \nPrior to this\, as the Executive Director of the International Leadership Foundation\, a national nonprofit headquartered in Washington D.C.\, she placed hundreds of students in federal and congressional internships and trained and consulted thousands of youths\, professionals\, and entrepreneurs. \nIn public service\, politics\, and the nonprofit sector\, she has extensive experience in external affairs; intergovernmental affairs; public relations; public policy and administration; executive support; and community\, stakeholder\, business\, and media engagement at local\, national\, and international levels. \nShe is also specialized in Asian (American) affairs and a frequent speaker and organizer for professional and leadership development and diversity and inclusion. Her commitment was recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award Gold in 2016 and an award from the Federal Asian Pacific American Council in 2018. In 2020\, she was selected for the list of the top 40 Asian American and Pacific Islander political operatives and public affairs professionals under 40 by the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs (NAAPPPA). \nAs a County Executive-appointee recommended by a state senator\, she served as a public representative for the Montgomery County Community Development Advisory Committee from 2017 to 2019. She evaluated grant proposals from social service organizations and made recommendations for the County Executive. Since September\, 2022\, she has served as a board member of Maryland Humanities\, the state’s official humanities council. \nIn her spare time\, she engages voters and cultivates a pipeline of emerging leaders in politics and public service. \nSoo received an M.A. in government from Georgetown University with Academic Distinction\, a B.A. in political science from Ewha Women’s University in South Korea\, and executive training at Harvard Kennedy School.  \nShe is fluent in Korean and speaks basic Chinese. \n  \nAbout the moderator: \nDR. GRETCHEN NEISLER\, PHD\nMember of Board of Directors\, Tennessee World Affairs Council; University of Tennessee Vice Provost for International Affairs\, Director\, Center for Global Engagement \nGretchen Neisler\, Vice Provost for International Affairs at the University of Tennessee\, works with faculty\, staff\, students and key stakeholders to understand and deepen their engagement as global citizens. Dr. Neisler has successfully managed over $120 million in grant funding to support the work of international research and development. Gretchen believes higher education must support students in understanding their role as global citizens and use the institutional strength of knowledge creation to solve global challenges the world faces. Additionally\, she feels the role of higher education in a community is to understand its societal needs and work collaboratively to meet those needs. Gretchen has worked for 20 years to build global networks that enhance research productivity and preparing a new generation of leaders to take the world’s stage by understanding that problems span geographic boundaries. Her passion is derived from the belief that science has the power to positively impact society and higher education is vital to sharing this knowledge with community stakeholders. Gretchen is an experienced leader with strengths in organizational change and team development. She holds a PhD. in higher education administration from Michigan State University. \n\n\n  \nRegister Now\nInternational Career Panel | April 3\, 2024\n \n\n\n\n  \n\n \nTHE MISSION of the nonprofit\, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness\, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world. \nTHE VISION of  the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/webinar-international-careers-panel-april-3-2024/
LOCATION:TN
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240411T223000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240412T000000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20240311T042729Z
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SUMMARY:Frank Langfitt | Town Hall | Eyewitness to History: Lessons from Two Decades Covering the World | April 11
DESCRIPTION:AND\n \nPRESENT\n\n\n\nIn Person\nat \n\n\n\n\nBelmont University\nThursday\, April 11\, 2024\n5:30 Registration and Networking6:00-7:00 Keynote Address \n\n\n\nEyewitness to History: Lessons from Two Decades Covering the World\nNPR’s Frank Langfitt has reported from more than 50 countries and territories since the late 1990s. In a video and audio presentation\, Frank recounts the history he’s witnessed through the people he’s met and how that history has shaped today’s challenging geo-political landscape. Frank will explain what he learned driving a free taxi in Shanghai and tracking elephants in South Sudan. He’ll also discuss reporting in Ukraine during Russia’s 2022 invasion and covering the Israel/Gaza war. \n  \nRegister Now \n  \n \nAbout the speaker: \nFrank Langfitt \nFrank Langfitt is NPR’s Global Democracy correspondent based on the Investigations desk in Washington\, D.C. He covers threats to democracy at home and abroad. Previously\, Langfitt spent nearly two decades as an international correspondent reporting from more than 50 countries and territories. Based most recently in London\, he covered Brexit\, the war in Ukraine and its implications in Europe. Before that\, he was based in Shanghai\, Nairobi and Beijing. While in China\, he drove a free taxi for a series on a changing China as seen through the eyes of ordinary people. Langfitt expanded his reporting into a book\, The Shanghai Free Taxi: Journeys with the Hustlers and Rebels of the New China (Public Affairs\, Hachette). Langfitt is a graduate of Princeton and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. \n  \n \nAbout the moderator: \nDavid Plazas \nDavid Plazas is the Opinion and Engagement Director for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He writes editorials and columns\, edits guest essays and leads opinion strategy for The Tennessean in Nashville\, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis and The News Sentinel in Knoxville. \nHis editorial writing has earned him the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award and Bronze Medallion\, multiple Tennessee Press Association first-place awards and a National Headliner Award. He served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes in 2023 and 2024\, and he contributed an essay in the book\, “Reinventing Journalism to Strengthen Democracy\,” focusing on his statewide work with The Tennessean’s Civility Tennessee campaign. He is a frequent event moderator and co-emceed The Nashville Mayoral Debates four-part series in 2023. \nPlazas writes two opinion newsletters weekly and hosts the Tennessee Voices video show\, which has produced nearly 400 episodes of conversations with leaders\, thinkers and doers since 2020\, and he delivered a TEDx Talk on having “adult” conversations. \nHe has served on several industry boards and has mentored student and young journalists in formal training programs for a decade and a half. \nA Chicago native\, Plazas holds a B.A. in political science and Spanish and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University\, and an MBA with a marketing concentration from Florida Gulf Coast University. He previously worked as a reporter\, Spanish-language editor\, community conversations editor and digital engagement editor for The News-Press in Fort Myers\, Florida. \nHe and his family moved to Nashville in 2014. \n  \nRegister Now \n\n\n \nTHE MISSION of the nonprofit\, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness\, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world. \nTHE VISION of  the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/frank-langfitt-town-hall-april-11-2024/
LOCATION:Belmont University – Barbara Massey Rogers Center Board Room\, 1900 Belmont Blvd.\, Nashville\, TN\, 37212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Distinguished Speaker Series,Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240506T223000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240507T000000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20240414T171628Z
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SUMMARY:Ukraine: How it Can Win\, and Why it Matters to the United States - Global Town Hall with Daniel Bischof| May 06
DESCRIPTION:PRESENTS\n\n\n\nIn Person\nat \n\n\n\n\nBelmont University\nMonday\, May 06\, 2024\n5:30 Registration and Networking6:00-7:00 Keynote Address \n  \n\n\nUkraine: How it Can Win\, and Why it Matters to the United States\nRussian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 rattled the international order that the United States helped establish and lead since World War II. Today\, the threat of further aggression in Europe continues to galvanize U.S. and international support for Ukraine. Dan Bishof\, the Department of State’s Director for Eastern Europe\, will join the Tennessee World Affairs Council to share insights and exchange views on what factors have influenced U.S. decision-making over the evolution of the war\, which has seen Ukraine fight back from the near-loss of Kyiv to recapture significant amounts of its own territory and inflict significant blows on Russia in the Black Sea. Mr. Bishof will discuss the mechanisms the U.S. government has established for tracking and providing oversight of U.S. assistance to Ukraine\, and how that assistance impacts the security of not only Ukraine\, but also that of Europe and the United States. Questions will be welcomed. \n  \nRegister Now \n  \n \nAbout the speaker: \nDaniel Bischof  \nDaniel Bischof is the Director for Eastern European Affairs at the Department of State\, the office responsible for U.S. policy toward Ukraine\, Belarus\, and Moldova. \nWith more than 20 years in the Foreign Service\, he recently served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore for three years.  Until 2019\, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Dili\, Timor-Leste.  \nHe also served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Korean Affairs from 2014-16. He was a Senior Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operations Center. In U.S. Embassies in Seoul and Manila\, Daniel covered political-military affairs\, and in Washington\, D.C.\, was responsible for Malaysian Affairs in the Office of Maritime Southeast Asia.  He also adjudicated non-immigrant visas in Seoul and served as the General Services Officer in Vientiane\, Laos.\n\nDaniel is fluent in Thai and has studied Korean and Lao. Prior to joining the Department of State\, he practiced law in Florida.  He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia and Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College. Daniel is married to Jane Kim. \n  \nRegister Now \n\n\n \nTHE MISSION of the nonprofit\, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness\, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world. \nTHE VISION of  the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/daniel-bischof-may-06/
LOCATION:Belmont University – Barbara Massey Rogers Center Board Room\, 1900 Belmont Blvd.\, Nashville\, TN\, 37212\, United States
CATEGORIES:Distinguished Speaker Series,Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240521T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240521T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20240418T135647Z
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SUMMARY:Webinar | Gaza and its Regional Reverberations: A Crucible for the Emerging Order in the Middle East? | May 21\, 2024
DESCRIPTION:The Tennessee World Affairs Council\nis proud to present\n\n\nGaza and its Regional Reverberations: \nA Crucible for the Emerging Order in the Middle East?\n  \n\n\n\nvia Zoom\n \n\nTuesday\, May 21\, 2024\n12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. CT\nThe Middle East is at a hinge moment. The old order is collapsing\, and a new one has yet to emerge. While the region’s tectonic shifts predate Hamas’s terror attack on Oct. 7\, the ensuing conflict in Gaza and its reverberations across the region are the crucible in which the new contours of the Middle East will take shape. USIP’s Mona Yacoubian will provide insights on the regional flashpoints that have erupted in the wake of the Gaza conflict as well as the broader implications for a region in a state of enormous flux. \n\n\nRegister Now \n  \n\nMONA YACOUBIAN \nMona Yacoubian is vice president of the Middle East and North Africa center at USIP. She brings more than 30 years of experience working on the Middle East and North Africa. Her work has centered on conflict analysis\, governance and stabilization challenges\, and conflict prevention. \nSince returning to USIP as a senior advisor in 2017\, her work has focused on Syria\, Lebanon and Iraq. Additional research interests include Russia’s role in the Middle East and violent extremism. In 2019\, she served as executive director of the Congressionally-appointed Syria Study Group\, which USIP was mandated to facilitate. \nYacoubian joined the U.S. Institute of Peace after serving as deputy assistant administrator in the Middle East Bureau at USAID from 2014 to 2017\, where she had responsibility for Iraq\, Syria\, Jordan and Lebanon. Prior to joining USAID\, Yacoubian was a senior advisor at the Stimson Center focusing on the Arab uprisings with an emphasis on Syria. Prior to joining the Stimson Center\, she served as a special advisor on the Middle East at the U.S. Institute of Peace\, where her work focused on Lebanon and Syria as well as broader issues related to democratization in the Arab world. From 1990 to 1998\, Yacoubian served as the North Africa analyst in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. \nYacoubian was a Fulbright scholar in Syria where she studied Arabic at the University of Damascus from 1985 to 1986. She has held an international affairs fellowship with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and is currently a CFR member. She earned a master’s in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s in public policy from Duke University. \n  \n\nLT. CMDR. PATRICK RYAN\nLt.Cmdr. Patrick Ryan is President Emeritus and founder of the Tennessee World Affairs Council.  He served in the U.S. Navy for over 26 years as a Submariner and Intelligence Officer. He was a specialist in Middle East affairs\, residing in the Persian Gulf and working as an analyst at the Joint Staff in the Pentagon\, the Center for Naval Analyses and the U.S. Central Command\, as well as numerous ship deployments to the region. In his post-military career Ryan founded and managed a publishing business focused on Middle East issues for 15 years. \n  \n\n\nRegister Now\nInternational Career Panel | April 3\, 2024\n \n\n\n\n  \n\n \nTHE MISSION of the nonprofit\, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness\, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world. \nTHE VISION of  the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/webinar-gaza-usip-mona-y-may-21-2024/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240619T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240619T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20240529T145914Z
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SUMMARY:Webinar | The Lithuanian Perspective on Russian Aggression in Ukraine | June 19\, 2024
DESCRIPTION:The Tennessee World Affairs Council\nis proud to present\n\n\nThe Lithuanian Perspective on Russian Aggression in Ukraine\n\n\n\nvia Zoom\n \n\nWednesday\, June 19\, 2024\n12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. CT\nLithuania’s political past and borders have been anything but stable since the 13th century when the semblance of a cohesive state began. Now\, with Russia’s war in Ukraine\, which is less than 800 miles southeast of Lithuania\, it seems that instability in Central Europe is rearing its head again and could threaten Lithuania and other nations in the Baltic region. In 1940 after a short 22 years of independence\, Lithuania was invaded by the Soviet Union which absorbed this small\, proud country the size of West Virginia. It remained occupied by Soviet forces until 1991 when the Soviet Union finally recognized Lithuania’s independence. Though facing plenty of political turmoil after its past occupations by both Nazi and Soviet forces\, Lithuania’s reconstruction and independence seemed more certain to a now westward-leaning state in the early 2000s. Lithuania joined the UN\, NATO\, and the EU. But\, in 2014\, Russia\, now led by Vladimir Putin\, invaded the Crimean Peninsula\, and on February 24\, 2022\, began its invasion of Ukraine. What do Lithuanians think about their past and the recent years of independence from Russian control and influence? What do they think now about the war in Ukraine and their own future as an independent nation with a neighbor like Russia? Why does history have a way of repeating itself in this region of the world?\n \n\n\nRegister Now \n  \n\nLinas Zabaliunas\n\nMy name is Linas Zabaliunas born in 1979 in Lithuania\, I graduated my primary school still under the Soviet occupation. At the age of 10\, my school year were the first generation in school to refuse to join the Soviet Pioneer organization\, as the Lithuanian Freedom movement was catching speed.\nIn 1993\, with my family\, I lived in England for 9 months. My dad was a University teacher in Lithuania and was taking a qualification course at the University of Plymouth. During this time\, we lived in Devon\, we saw all the busy B&Bs and got the idea of developing one in Lithuania. Individual\, private hospitality existed only on the Lithuanian coast at that time.\nSo\, upon return to Lithuania\, we bought a half-built house in the suburbs of Kaunas (second largest city in Lithuania) and we set about converting it into a guesthouse with 9 double ensuite rooms for the guests. Our neighbors could not understand why the Zabaliunas family are building a house with 14 toilets\, and they were visiting the building site as the attraction!\nWhile building work continued\, we opened a grocery shop in the ground floor of the building\, for the community to shop. I was responsible for the deliveries\, going to cash and carry\, before my lectures at university started. These were big steps for us\, as we left Soviet life behind and opened up to private business.\nWe welcomed our first guests (mostly family friends from UK) in 1999. My favorite year was 2004 when my parents retired from the university and went to the USA visiting friends and relatives. Me and Jurga (girlfriend then\, wife now!) were running the whole show at Nemunas Tour Guest House and after the successful marketing campaign in Finnish newspaper we had an invasion of Finnish guests that year!\nOur guesthouse joined the Lithuanian Countryside Tourism Association the same year. Off season\, I started spending more time at Lithuanian Countryside Tourism Association. In 2005 was elected the head of Kaunas region\, in 2007 elected as member of the Board of the Association\, in 2009 was elected as the Chairman of the Board and in 2011 started in the position of President of Lithuanian Countryside Tourism Association – uniting over 300 members and having around 10\,000 beds. Together with 9 other tourism associations in 2014 we have established The Chamber of Tourism of the Republic of Lithuania and we have rotated the Presidency every 2 years.\nDuring all this time I was already working for Lithuanian Holidays (a UK based specialist tour operator) and they were expanding to become Baltic Holidays (www.balticholidays.com) to cover the 3 Baltic States. I hosted British and international guests and guided them in Lithuania during their tour. Jurga and I also got married and had daughters Ema and Kamile. And\, seeing a niche in the domestic and international market for good quality camping facilities\, Jurga and I opened our first campsite in 2012 in Kaunas (www.campinn.lt).\nIn 2014\, Jurga and I\, along with our business partner Sally Chambers\, bought out our old friend Baltic Holidays. Sally had been at Baltic Holidays from the very early days and managed its growth to become the leading specialist tour operator for tailor-made private tours to the Baltic States and surrounding countries. Sally is British and based in the Lake District\, UK\, but previously lived in Lithuania and has immense knowledge and experience of the Baltic tourism industry after more than 20 years expert involvement. Linas\, Jurga\, Sally & our small sales team are highly regarded in the regions tourism industry.\nFor me\, in 2020 I have resigned from the role of President of the Countryside Tourism Association but remain as Chairman of the Board. 2020 also saw us open our second campsite in the pretty spa town of Birštonas in Lithuania (www.naturcamp.lt). Of course\, Baltic Holidays and the Campsite has been quiet during the pandemic and have ready for action when our guests return in post Covid life! But….\nAs our old wisdom says – no one can choose his neighbors and 2022 02 24 has proven it well.\nDuring my activities in tourism have been involved in many initiatives and one of them has a really strong connection with Nashville\, TN. Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville and LSMU gymnasium in Kaunas\, Lithuania has come a long\, nice way since the first visit of MBA teachers to from Lithuania following in the footsteps of world renown writer from Nashville – Rūta Sepetys. Have been involved in bridging this partnership sine the first day with a great help of good friend Emmett Russell and Rūta Sepetys as well as active communities of teachers and students in both schools.\nIt will be a great pleasure for me to visit Nashville next week and have a great reunion with since the pre covid days!\n \n  \nEmmett Russell\n\nA native Nashvillian\, Emmett Russell attended Montgomery Bell Academy for high school. He graduated from Rhodes College with BA in English in 1992 and from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English with an MA in Literature in 2004. At Rhodes he fell in love with literature\, history\, and travel while attending the British and European Studies summer programs in Oxford\, England. In the fall of 1992\, he began his teaching and coaching career at Memphis University School. Later\, he worked in the admissions office of the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in northeast Georgia before returning to teach and coach at Montgomery Bell Academy in 1996. He has been there for 28 years and began leading trips with teachers and students to Lithuania in 2014. \n  \n\n\nRegister Now\nInternational Career Panel | April 3\, 2024\n \n\n\n\n  \n\n \nTHE MISSION of the nonprofit\, nonpartisan Tennessee World Affairs Council is to promote international awareness\, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world. \nTHE VISION of  the Tennessee World Affairs Council is a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events.
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/ukraine-lithuanian-perspective/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Webinar-Template.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240911T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240911T170000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20240819T225716Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T180853Z
UID:37410-1726074000-1726074000@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Webinar | China's Use of Armed Coercion to Win Without Fighting
DESCRIPTION:China’s Use of Armed Coercion to Win Without Fighting\n\n\n\nWednesday\, September 11th | 12:00pm – 1:00pm \n\nOver the past 20 years\, China’s international status as a “great power” has become undeniable. China’s “peaceful rise” has included substantial investments in military modernization and an increasingly assertive regional posture. While China has not waged war\, it has frequently resorted to what the US State Department has referred to as “gangster tactics” – threats\, intimidation\, and armed confrontation – to advance its strategic aims. China’s regional ambitions are evident from how it has asserted itself militarily\, especially within the maritime “nine-dash line” and concerning several ongoing territorial disputes with its neighbors. China’s efforts to project power are intended to intimidate its smaller neighbors and to push back against US military presence and freedom of action in the region. \nRegister Now\n  \nSpeaker:\n \n\n\nJames A. Siebens is a Fellow with Stimson Center’s Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy program\, where he leads the Defense Strategy and Planning project. He is the editor of China’s Use of Armed Coercion: To Win Without Fighting (Routledge 2023)\, a study on China’s use of military and paramilitary forces for purposes of coercion. He is also co-editor of Military Coercion and U.S. Foreign Policy: The Use of Force Short of War (Routledge 2020)\, a book on U.S. strategy and military operations since the end of the Cold War. Siebens is also affiliated with Stimson’s Cyber program and Russia program. His research focuses on grand strategy\, military coercion\, and gray zone conflict. \nSiebens previously served as a Research Associate and Special Assistant to the President and CEO at the Stimson Center. Prior to joining Stimson\, he was a Data Analyst at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland\, where he contributed to a DoD-sponsored study on gray zone conflict. Siebens is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds an M.A. in International Affairs with a concentration in Global Security from American University’s School of International Service. \nModerator:\n \nJeremy Goldkorn is an editor and writer whose work has focused on China. He co-founded the Sinica Podcast in 2010 and was editor-in-chief of The China Project from 2016 to 2023. Goldkorn moved from his hometown of Johannesburg\, South Africa\, to China in 1995 and became managing editor of Beijing’s first independent English-language entertainment magazine. He later edited and founded several other publications\, including the website Danwei\, which tracked Chinese media\, markets\, politics\, and business\, acquired in 2013 by the Financial Times. \nWhile in China\, he lived in a worker’s dormitory\, produced a documentary film about African soccer players in Beijing\, and rode a bicycle from Peshawar to Kathmandu via Kashgar and Lhasa. He moved to Nashville\, Tennessee\, in 2015. He is a graduate of the University of Cape Town. \n \n\n \nOUR MISSION: \nAs 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. \nOUR VISION: \nTo create a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events. \n\n\n  \nRegister Now\nInternational Career Panel | April 3\, 2024\n \n\n\n\n  \n\n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/chinas-use-of-armed-coercion-to-win-without-fighting/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TNWAC-Webinar-9-11-2024-Rectangle.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241030T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241030T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20240919T181459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T180853Z
UID:44262-1730307600-1730311200@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Webinar | Reform in Central Asia: Shifting Frameworks and Dynamics
DESCRIPTION:presents \n\n\nReform in Central Asia: Shifting Frameworks and Dynamics\n \n  \n\n\n\nWednesday\, October 30th | 12:00pm – 1:00pm \n\nMr. Mark Reese will discuss how historical reforms in Central Asia hold profound implications for our understanding of the region and its influence on geopolitics. He will explore\nthe shifting theoretical frameworks and leadership models deployed to conceptualize and govern the Central Asian Republics. The webinar will pay special attention to current cultural initiatives in the Republic of Uzbekistan that hold greater credibility and influence\, especially among youth populations. Mr. Reese will offer a broad outline of the challenges still faced in Central Asia– along with the solutions being implemented by its populations.\n  \nRegister Now\nSpeaker:\n \nMark 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. \nOver 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. \nIn 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. \n\n\nModerator:\n \nPatrick 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. \nMr. 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. \nPatrick 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. \n\n \nOUR MISSION: \nAs 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. \nOUR VISION: \nTo create a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events. \n\n\n  \nRegister Now\nInternational Career Panel | April 3\, 2024\n \n\n\n\n  \n\n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/reform-in-central-asia-2/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TNWAC-Webinar-10-30-2024-Rectangle.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241030T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241030T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20240919T181459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T180853Z
UID:37629-1730307600-1730311200@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Webinar | Reform in Central Asia: Shifting Frameworks and Dynamics
DESCRIPTION:presents \n\n\nReform in Central Asia: Shifting Frameworks and Dynamics\n \n  \n\n\n\nWednesday\, October 30th | 12:00pm – 1:00pm \n\nMr. Mark Reese will discuss how historical reforms in Central Asia hold profound implications for our understanding of the region and its influence on geopolitics. He will explore\nthe shifting theoretical frameworks and leadership models deployed to conceptualize and govern the Central Asian Republics. The webinar will pay special attention to current cultural initiatives in the Republic of Uzbekistan that hold greater credibility and influence\, especially among youth populations. Mr. Reese will offer a broad outline of the challenges still faced in Central Asia– along with the solutions being implemented by its populations.\n  \nRegister Now\nSpeaker:\n \nMark 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. \nOver 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. \nIn 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. \n\n\nModerator:\n \nPatrick 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. \nMr. 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. \nPatrick 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. \n\n \nOUR MISSION: \nAs 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. \nOUR VISION: \nTo create a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events. \n\n\n  \nRegister Now\nInternational Career Panel | April 3\, 2024\n \n\n\n\n  \n\n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/reform-in-central-asia/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TNWAC-Webinar-10-30-2024-Rectangle.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241209T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241209T190000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20241119T184056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T180853Z
UID:38383-1733767200-1733770800@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:THE WORLD AHEAD 2025: TOP 10 TRENDS TO WATCH (webinar)
DESCRIPTION:“THE WORLD AHEAD 2025: TOP 10 TRENDS TO WATCH”\n \n\n  \nMonday\, December 9\, 2024 I 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm \nAfter an unprecedented year of elections\, new leaders around the globe who have promised change will be expected to deliver in 2025. The world will also be coming to terms with the outcome of America’s elections in November and the implications for global security\, trade\, and climate policy. New alliances are forming\, and old ones are fraying in an increasingly tense and dangerous world. But the adoption of green tech continues to outpace the most optimistic forecasts\, even as concerns grow over artificial intelligence and its voracious appetite for chips\, energy\, water\, and data. Tom Standage\, Deputy Editor of The Economist and editor of The World Ahead 2025\, will consider these and other trends and their implications for geopolitics\, business\, and culture in the coming year. \n\n\nSpecial Needs\, Accommodations\, and Event Questions: \nWe strive to be open and inclusive with our events. Please contact us at either info@TNWAC.org or at (309) 550-0782 if you need any accommodations\, special requests\, or have additional event-related questions. \nRegister Now\n\n  \n\nSPEAKER: Tim Douglas (Deputy Editor of The Economist and editor of The World Ahead 2025)\n \n\n\nTom Standage is Deputy Editor of The Economist and editor of its future-gazing annual\,\nThe World Ahead. He joined The Economist as science correspondent in 1998 and was\nsubsequently appointed technology editor\, business editor and digital editor. He is the\nauthor of seven history books\, including “Writing on the Wall” (2013)\, “The Victorian\nInternet” (1998) and the New York Times bestsellers “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” (2005) and “An Edible History of Humanity” (2009). His latest book\, “A Brief History of Motion”\, was published in 2021. Tom studied engineering and computer science at Oxford University and has written for other publications including the New York Times\, the Guardian and Wired\, taking a particular interest in technology’s social and historical impact. \n\n\n  \nModerator: Tim Douglas (Regional Director of Private Banking at FirstBank)\n \nTim graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in 1973 and from Tulane University’s Engineering School in 1977. He received a Master of Arts in International Commerce from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at The University of Kentucky in December\, 1978 – and he then moved to New York City to begin his career in finance. In 1983\, he received an Accounting Certificate from NYU’s Stern School of Business. \nIn 1979\, he joined Euro Brokers Harlow as a Eurodollar and Eurodollar CD broker; and he later transitioned to Bankers Trust Company\, working in their bond department.\nTim married the former Alison Schmidlapp from Oyster Bay\, LI; and in 1985\, they moved back to Nashville where they raised three children. He joined Nelson Capital Corporation\, a diversified merchant banking firm that advised corporate clients on debt and equity financings. In 1995\, he purchased a distributor and fabricator of adhesive products\, selling the business to a private equity firm in August\, 2008. He then joined Covenant Surgical Partners where he managed surgery centers. \nHe subsequently entered the insurance industry; and then\, FirstBank contacted him and offered him the position of Nashville Market President. He has now been with FirstBank since 2016 where he currently serves as Senior VP and Regional Director of Private Banking. \nTim served as President of Belle Meade Country Club in 2012 where he continues to enjoy playing golf. He started the “Boulevard Bolt\,” a Thanksgiving Day run/walk benefitting the Homeless. He has also served on the Board of various civic entities\, was on the Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of Belle Meade and City of Forrest Hills – and was elected Commissioner for the City of Forrest Hills. \n  \n\n\nOUR MISSION: \nAs 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. \nOUR VISION: \nTo create a well-informed community that thinks critically about the world and the impact of global events. \nRegister Now
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/the-world-ahead-2025-top-10-trends-to-watch-webinar/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250206T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250206T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250113T160352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250416T175709Z
UID:38450-1738859400-1738864800@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:A Conversation on Israel\, Iran\, Syria\, and the Shifting Geopolitics of the Middle East (webinar)
DESCRIPTION:A Conversation on Israel\, Iran\, Syria\, and the Shifting Geopolitics of the Middle East (Webinar)\n \n\n\nDoes it feel like the Middle East is changing faster than you can keep pace with?\nJoin TNWAC and The World Affairs Council of Miami on Thursday\, February 6th from 10:30am – 12:00pm CST for a free virtual Distinguished Speaker conversation on Israel\, Iran\, Syria\, and the Shifting Geopolitics of the Middle East.
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/a-conversation-on-israel-iran-syria-and-the-shifting-geopolitics-of-the-middle-east-webinar/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/6-Feb-2025-Conversation-on-Israel-Iran-Syria-WACM-copy.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250213T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250213T190000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250128T180542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T214328Z
UID:38497-1739469600-1739473200@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Reshaping of The Middle East (webinar)
DESCRIPTION:Presents\n \n  \nReshaping of The Middle East\nTuesday\, February 13th – 12:00pm-1:00pm\nPresident Donald Trump returned to office on January 20\, 2025 facing a Middle East that has witnessed historic and tectonic shifts in the four years since he left office. The Israel-Hamas war\, broader conflicts and tensions in the region\, and major changes in Syria and Lebanon are among the events that have reshaped the regional landscape. What are the Trump administration’s likely priorities for the Middle East in the coming year\, and what dynamics and issues within the region will present the biggest challenges and opportunities? Please join the Tennessee World Affairs Council for an online discussion with Brian Katulis\, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute\, as part of its Global Dialog Webinar Series. \n\n\nSpeaker: Brian Katulis (Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy)\nBrian Katulis is a Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy at the Middle East Institute. He was formerly a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP)\, where he built the Center’s Middle East program and also worked on broader issues related to U.S. national security. \nHe has produced influential studies that have shaped important discussions around regional policy\, often providing expert testimony to key congressional committees on his findings. Katulis has also conducted extensive research in countries such as Egypt\, Israel\, Jordan\, and the Palestinian territories. His past experience includes work at the National Security Council and the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. \nEducation\nMaster in Public Affairs\, Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs Bachelor of Arts in history and Arab and Islamic studies\, Villanova University Fulbright scholar in Jordan\, 1994 – 1995 \nRegions of Expertise\nEgypt\, Israel\, the Palestinian territories\, Jordan \nIssues of Expertise\nNational security\, U.S. foreign policy\, diplomacy \nModerator: Dr. Breck Walker\n \n  \nBreck Walker pursued a twenty years’ career international business\, law\, and finance\,\nbefore turning to academia. For several years\, he taught foreign policy courses at\nSewanee\, The University of the South\, and worked as a contract historian for the Office\nof the Secretary of Defense Historical Office\, researching and writing on early Pentagon\npolicies in the computer security and cyber areas. Dr. Walker is currently retired. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/reshaping-of-the-middle-east-webinar/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250305T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250305T190000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250211T153159Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T214247Z
UID:38595-1741197600-1741201200@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Geopolitical Divergences on the Korean Peninsula (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION:Presents\n \nGeopolitical Divergences on the Korean Peninsula\nWednesday\, March 5th – 12:00pm-1:00pm\nIn recent months\, North and South Korea have seen a divergence in their geopolitical fortunes. On December 3\, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly declared martial law\, setting off a political crisis that has seen President Yoon impeached and hindered Seoul’s ability to coordinate with the new Trump administration. In contrast\, North Korea continues to deepen its relationship with Russia to which it has exported 9 million artillery shells and provided more than 10\,000 troops in exchange for food\, fuel\, and advanced military technology. Please join the Tennessee World Affairs Council for a discussion of the current state of affairs in North and South Korea\, as well as how they are adapting to changes in geopolitics.  \n\n\n\nFeatured Speaker:\n\nTroy Stangarone (Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy; Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at The Wilson Center)\nTroy Stangarone is the Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy and the Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Wilson Center. Mr. Stangarone specializes in economic and foreign policy relations on the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region. \nIn addition to his work at the Wilson Center\, Mr. Stangarone is columnist for The Korea Times and a contributing author for The Diplomat. He is also a member of the Steering Committee for the North Korea Economic Forum at the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies\, a member of the Korea-America Student Conference’s National Advisory Committee and on the Board of the International Council of Korean Studies. \nPrior to joining the Wilson Center\, Mr. Stangarone was Senior Director and Fellow at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) where he oversaw the Institute’s programmatic initiatives and focused on issues pertaining to economic and foreign policy on the Korean Peninsula. During his time at KEI\, he was also a 2012-2013 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in South Korea\, sponsored by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies\, and a Posco Visiting Fellow at the East-West Center. Mr. Stangarone also previously worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Robert Torricelli on issues relating to foreign affairs and trade. \nMr. Stangarone holds an MSc. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Memphis. \nModerator:\nNatalie Thibault (Talent Executive | NBJ 40 Under 40 | Nashville Emerging Leader | MBA Candidate)\nNatalie is an Award-Winning Global Leader with expertise in talent strategy and operational excellence. For 17+ years\, Natalie delivered high impact results in one of the most complex\, matrixed\, fastest growing\, and innovative Fortune 10 tech companies in the world. She is now pursuing her MBA at Belmont University in Nashville\, Tennessee. \nNatalie values immersive international experiences to learn first-hand about politics\, food\, art\, geography\, global economics\, etc. At 68 countries and counting\, she believes it builds an almost instant connection when you can say ‘I know something about where you are from’. One of her favorite local hobbies is Salsa Dancing each week at Plaza Mariachi. \n\n\n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/geopolitical-divergences-on-the-korean-peninsula-webinar/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/TNWAC-3-5-2025-Rectangle.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250331T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250331T170000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250315T203532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250410T214108Z
UID:45524-1743436800-1743440400@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Foreign Policy Town Hall (webinar)
DESCRIPTION:Presents\n \nForeign Policy Town Hall\nMonday\, March 31 – 11:00pm CT – 12:00pm CT\nJoin Senator Murphy and fellow citizens across the nation for a town hall on U.S. Foreign Policy. We’ll address the massive changes to the State Department\, the role of the U.S. in conflicts around the world\, and relationships with allies and adversaries alike. \n\n  \n\n\nFeatured Speaker:\n\n\nU.S. Senator Chris Murphy\nU.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)\, is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee; the Health\, Education\, Labor\, and Pensions Committee; and the Appropriations Committee. He previously served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives\, representing Connecticut’s fifth congressional district. Before being elected to Congress\, he served for eight years in the Connecticut state legislature. \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/foreign-policy-town-hall/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/TNWAC-3-31-2025-Horizontal.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250409T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250409T193000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250317T182247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250428T192652Z
UID:45601-1744223400-1744227000@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:International Careers Panel (Hybrid Event)
DESCRIPTION:presents \n \nInternational Careers Panel\nThe International Careers Panel is part of our Global Dialogue Webinar Series. This event will bring distinguished professionals together to share their experiences and insights and discuss the preparation and transition from college to careers\, including the tools\, skills\, and competencies needed to enter the profession\, the upsides and downsides of working in those jobs\, and internship opportunities in their organizations. These panels are aimed at college\, high school\, and young professionals\, but they’re open to everyone\, including TNWAC members and partner institutions across Tennessee. \nWednesday\, April 9 I 1:30pm CT / 2:30pm ET – 2:30pm CT / 3:30pm ET\nVenue:\nUniversity of Tennessee (Toyota Auditorium)\n1640 Cumberland Ave Knoxville\, TN 37996 \nSpecial Needs\, Accommodations\, and Event Questions: \nWe strive to be open and inclusive with our events. Please contact us at either info@TNWAC.org or at (309) 550-0782 if you need any accommodations\, special requests\, or have additional event-related questions. \n_______________________________________ \nModerator:\nDr. Gretchen Neisler\, PhD (University of Tennessee Vice Provost for International Affairs\, Director\, Center for Global Engagement)\nGretchen Neisler\, Vice Provost for International Affairs at the University of Tennessee\, works with faculty\, staff\, students and key stakeholders to understand and deepen their engagement as global citizens. Dr. Neisler has successfully managed over $120 million in grant funding to support the work of international research and development. Gretchen believes higher education must support students in understanding their role as global citizens and use the institutional strength of knowledge creation to solve global challenges the world faces. Additionally\, she feels the role of higher education in a community is to understand its societal needs and work collaboratively to meet those needs. Gretchen has worked for 20 years to build global networks that enhance research productivity and preparing a new generation of leaders to take the world’s stage by understanding that problems span geographic boundaries. Her passion is derived from the belief that science has the power to positively impact society and higher education is vital to sharing this knowledge with community stakeholders. Gretchen is an experienced leader with strengths in organizational change and team development. She holds a PhD. in higher education administration from Michigan State University. \nPanelists:\nMajor General William B. Hickman\, US Army (Retired)\nHickman served 36 years in the United States Army\, much of which was spent deployed to Europe and the Middle East. He commanded troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In 2005-2006\, he was a senior leader in the Train and Assist Command in Iraq. In 2007-2008\, he commanded troops during the surge in Baghdad. He finished his Army service\, first as the deputy commander of US Army Central in Kuwait\, supporting operations across the Middle East with an emphasis on Iraq\, Syria\, and Afghanistan. His final assignment was as the Director of Strategic Plans and Policy at the Allied Command Transportation\, Norfolk\, Virginia. \nSince retiring from the US Army\, Hickman has published a political science textbook\, Understanding the US Military\, as a co-editor. Additionally\, as a Lecturer in Political Science\, he co-taught a Vanderbilt undergraduate class on the Iraq War (Spring Semester 2024). \nHickman earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University and was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the ROTC program. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University and a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. \nCasey Santos is the (Chief Technology Officer at Caliber)\nCasey Santos is the CTO of Caliber\, a family of automotive repair and service brands. She also is an independent board director\, and advisor with expertise in leveraging AI\, data analytics\, and cloud technologies to drive innovation and business value while managing cybersecurity\, resiliency\, and regulatory compliance. Formerly the Chief Information Officer at Asurion\, SVP of Business Process Innovation at AllianceBernstein\, and CIO at General Atlantic\, she began her career at NASA’s Mission Control as an aerospace engineer and later transitioned into IT consulting and senior technology leadership roles at McKinsey\, and McKinsey’s private investment office.\nMs. Santos serves on the boards of Omnicom\, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (as Audit Compliance and Risk Committee Chair)\, and Nashville Electric Service\, and is a Special Advisor for Generative AI at Vanderbilt University. She has also held leadership and advisory roles with organizations such as the Nashville Technology Council\, AWS\, Zoom\, and Writer. A recipient of honors from HITEC\, Nashville Tech Council\, WomenTech\, and Constellation Research\, she holds degrees from MIT (B.S.)\, Wharton (M.B.A.)\, and the Lauder Institute (M.A.). \nDr. Krystyne Savarese (Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director\, UT Knoxville Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration)\nIn her role as associate vice provost and executive director of the Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration\, Krystyne Savarese strives to ensure all UT students are set up for success in achieving their goals. In this role\, she leads the unit’s efforts including career services\, employer development\, exploration\, and the implementation of the Vol Edge. \nKrystyne has served in a variety of roles in over 20 years in higher education. She started her career at Ohio State University in residence life\, later serving in the Center for the Study of Student Life\, and finally in the Office of Legal Affairs where she managed the university’s policy portfolio. Prior to her time at UT Knoxville\, Krystyne served as the senior director of residence life at Rutgers University\, New Brunswick. \nOriginally from Southern California\, Krystyne has a B.A. in English from the University of California\, Irvine\, and a Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University. \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/international-careers-panel-2025/
LOCATION:University of Tennessee – Toyota Auditorium\, 1640 Cumberland Ave\, Knoxville\, TN\, 37996\, United States
CATEGORIES:Distinguished Speaker Series,Webinar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250513T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250513T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250430T203829Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T171149Z
UID:46112-1747155600-1747159200@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:The power of the Olympic brand and the geopolitics of global sport (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION:presents \n \nThe power of the Olympic brand and the geopolitics of global sport (webinar)\nTues. May 13 – 12:00 pm-1:00 pm\nView Recording\n  \n\n\nFeatured Speaker:\n  \nTerrence H. Burns (Chairman and Owner\, T. Burns Sports Group\, LLC)\nTerrence H. Burns is a seasoned international sports and Olympic marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in marketing communications\, brand management\, and sponsorship marketing. As the Chairman and Owner of T. Burns Sports Group\, LLC\, based in Nashville\, TN\, he specializes in global sports consulting\, working with high-profile clients such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC)\, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee\, and bids for major events like the Salt Lake City 2034 Winter Games\, Saudi Arabia 2034 FIFA World Cup\, and Doha 2030 Asian Games. His career highlights include contributing to six winning Olympic bids (Beijing 2008\, Vancouver 2010\, Sochi 2014\, PyeongChang 2018\, Los Angeles 2028\, Salt Lake City 2034) and two FIFA World Cup bids (2018\, 2026). \nFeatured Moderator:\n  \n \nKarl Dean\nKarl Dean served as the sixth Mayor of Nashville and Davidson County.  He was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. Dean first held public office when he was elected as Nashville’s Public Defender in 1990. He was re-elected in 1994 and 1998.  He served as Metro Law Director from 1999 to January 2007\, when he resigned to run for the office of mayor. Karl Dean has taught at Vanderbilt Law School\, Belmont University\, and Boston University. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/the-power-of-the-olympic-brand-and-the-geopolitics-of-global-sport-webinar/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250824T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250824T170000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250717T192250Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250829T200239Z
UID:46668-1756051200-1756054800@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Greenland and the Geopolitics of the Arctic (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION:presents \n \nGreenland and the Geopolitics of the Arctic\n(webinar)\nSunday\, August 24 – 11:00 am-12:00 pm\nAs climate change accelerates the melting of Arctic ice\, the region is rapidly emerging as a new geopolitical frontier. The Arctic holds immense strategic value due to its untapped natural resources—estimated to include 13% of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30% of its natural gas—as well as critical rare earth minerals essential for modern technologies. Melting ice is also opening new maritime routes that could significantly shorten global shipping times\, increasing the region’s economic and military importance. \nMajor powers\, including the United States\, Russia\, and China\, are expanding their presence in the Arctic\, viewing it as a key arena for influence\, resource competition\, and military positioning. The Arctic’s role in global security is further underscored by its proximity to the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap\, a vital chokepoint for NATO defense strategy. \nWithin this broader context\, the Trump Administration renewed U.S. focus on Greenland as a strategic asset. Greenland’s geographic location makes it a cornerstone of Arctic defense\, prompting the administration to place its military installations under U.S. Northern Command in 2025. The island’s vast reserves of rare earth minerals also attracted attention\, particularly as the U.S. sought to counter China’s dominance in critical supply chains. \nPresident Trump’s controversial proposal to purchase Greenland from Denmark\, while dismissed by both Danish and Greenlandic leaders\, reflected a broader ambition to assert U.S. dominance in the Arctic. However\, this approach drew criticism for marginalizing Greenlandic voices and treating the territory as a geopolitical commodity rather than recognizing its people as autonomous actors. As Greenland moves toward greater self-determination\, future U.S. engagement will need to balance strategic interests with respect for local governance and aspirations. \nThe World Affairs Council of Atlanta speaks with the authors of the book “Greenland – A Journey from the Earliest Times to a Modern Society\,” published in March 2025. Mira Kleist is Head of the Greenland Practice\, Kaya Partners. Jens Heinrich\, Ph.D. is Head of Mission\, Greenland Representation in Denmark. Bo Lidegaard\, Ph.D. is Co-founder\, Kaya Partners. \n\nSpeakers:\nMira Kleist is a Greenland native\, based in Nuuk\, and is a former diplomat with a decade of expertise in global Arctic affairs\, Greenland–EU relations\, indigenous peoples’ rights\, and security policy. Mira’s background includes roles as a civil servant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greenland\, a posting to the Greenlandic EU Representation in Brussels\, a Social Affairs Associate at the UN headquarters in New York\, and a Senior Advisor at the Danish Ministry of Defence. Mira is currently the Head of Greenland Practice and the climate policy advisory\, Kaya Partners. \nJens Heinrich\, Ph.D. is a Greenlandic-Danish historian\, trained at the University of Greenland. His phd-thesis was on the modernization of Greenland during and following World War II. He has worked on historical enquiries\, been a member of the Greenland Reconciliation Commission and has been an external lecturer at the University of Greenland and University of Copenhagen.  Heinrich is head of the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen\, Government of Greenland \nBo Lidegaard\, Ph.D. is an historian\, author and political advisor\, formerly long serving Danish diplomat and top foreign affairs\, national security and climate change advisor to consecutive Danish Prime Ministers. After leaving public service in 2011\, he served as editor in chief for the leading daily Politiken and in 2022 he co-founded Kaya Partners where he has since devoted his time\, presently running offices in Copenhagen\, Nuuk and London. Lidegaard has published several bestselling volumes on contemporary history\, including the US – Greenland – Denmark triangle since WWII.    
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/greenland-and-the-geopolitics-of-the-arctic/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250827T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250827T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250701T195415Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250925T164044Z
UID:46583-1756314000-1756317600@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:The power of the Olympic brand and the geopolitics of global sport (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION:presents \n \nThe power of the Olympic brand and the geopolitics of global sport (webinar)\nWednesday\, August 27 – 12:00 pm-1:00 pm\n\nWhat do the Olympics reveal about international influence\, branding\, and global power? Join TNWAC on Wednesday\, August 27th\, for a fascinating webinar moderated by Karl Dean featuring Terrence H. Burns (Chairman and Owner\, T. Burns Sports Group\, LLC). \n\nTerrence will explore how the Olympic Games transcend sport to shape geopolitics\, national identity\, and global narratives.\n\nWhat You’ll Learn: \n– How the Olympic brand has become a tool of soft power \n– The intersection of global sports\, politics\, and diplomacy \n– Real-world insights into international branding and influence \n\n\nView Recording\n\n\nFeatured Speaker:\n  \nTerrence H. Burns (Chairman and Owner\, T. Burns Sports Group\, LLC)\nTerrence H. Burns is a seasoned international sports and Olympic marketing executive with over 30 years of experience in marketing communications\, brand management\, and sponsorship marketing. As the Chairman and Owner of T. Burns Sports Group\, LLC\, based in Nashville\, TN\, he specializes in global sports consulting\, working with high-profile clients such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC)\, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee\, and bids for major events like the Salt Lake City 2034 Winter Games\, Saudi Arabia 2034 FIFA World Cup\, and Doha 2030 Asian Games. His career highlights include contributing to six winning Olympic bids (Beijing 2008\, Vancouver 2010\, Sochi 2014\, PyeongChang 2018\, Los Angeles 2028\, Salt Lake City 2034) and two FIFA World Cup bids (2018\, 2026). \nFeatured Moderator:\n  \n \nKarl Dean\nKarl Dean served as the sixth Mayor of Nashville and Davidson County.  He was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. Dean first held public office when he was elected as Nashville’s Public Defender in 1990. He was re-elected in 1994 and 1998.  He served as Metro Law Director from 1999 to January 2007\, when he resigned to run for the office of mayor. Karl Dean has taught at Vanderbilt Law School\, Belmont University\, and Boston University. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/the-power-of-the-olympic-brand-and-the-geopolitics-of-global-sport-webinar-2/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250919T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250919T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250909T160848Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T165444Z
UID:46928-1758301200-1758304800@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Nashville at the Crossroads: Global Growth\, Local Challenges\, and Future Opportunities (webinar)
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nNashville at the Crossroads: Global Growth\, Local Challenges\, and Future Opportunities\nNashville is experiencing rapid growth\, bringing with it both unprecedented opportunities and pressing challenges. On the local front\, issues such as workforce readiness\, housing affordability\, and infrastructure—particularly transportation—remain at the center of public concern. These challenges are compounded by broader economic uncertainty and federal policy disruptions. \nAt the same time\, Nashville is positioned for transformative opportunities. The redevelopment of the East Bank presents one of the city’s most significant growth prospects\, while international connections continue to expand. From new international flights and an ambitious tourism push\, to showcasing Nashville globally through its music\, culinary scene\, and cultural assets\, the city is actively elevating its international profile. \nMiddle Tennessee is also witnessing the steady expansion of international companies and an influx of foreign investment\, further reinforcing its role as an emerging global hub. Together\, these dynamics highlight Nashville’s dual reality: a city balancing the demands of sustainable local growth with the potential of international opportunity. \nThis talk will explore the critical intersection of these trends\, asking what Nashville’s future could look like as it strives to overcome challenges and seize opportunities on both the local and global stage. \nFriday\, September 19 I 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm\n* Webinar Event *\nView Recording\n\n \nFeatured Speaker: Lori Becker (Market President and Publisher of the Nashville Business Journal)\n \nLori Becker is a strategic executive leader with a track record of driving growth\, innovation and civic impact. As market president and publisher of the Nashville Business Journal\, she leads the region’s most influential business media company. Under her leadership\, the organization has achieved double-digit profit and top-line revenue growth\, launched scalable innovations adopted across 45+ markets\, and built nationally recognized teams. She is a trusted advisor to business and civic leaders across industries\, recognized for shaping Nashville’s economy through collaborative\, high-impact initiatives. \nA native of Bowling Green\, KY.\, and graduate of Western Kentucky University\, Lori joined NBJ in 2008 after a decade as a reporter with daily newspapers. \nLori is a board member and past chairwoman for the March of Dimes’ Middle Tennessee chapter\, an executive board member for Scouting America Middle Tennessee Council and a member of the 2019 class of Leadership Nashville. \nShe and her husband\, Michael\, live in Franklin with their two children\, ages 13 and 11\, and two rescue dogs. \nModerator: Karl Dean\n \nKarl Dean served as the sixth Mayor of Nashville and Davidson County.  He was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. Dean first held public office when he was elected as Nashville’s Public Defender in 1990. He was re-elected in 1994 and 1998.  He served as Metro Law Director from 1999 to January 2007\, when he resigned to run for the office of mayor. Karl Dean has taught at Vanderbilt Law School\, Belmont University\, and Boston University. \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/nashville-at-the-crossroads/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250917T221208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251015T222035Z
UID:46964-1759942800-1759946400@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Emerging Foreign Policy Doctrine in a Brutally Challenging World (webinar)
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nEmerging Foreign Policy Doctrine in a Brutally Challenging World\nThe global landscape facing the still-new hands of the Trump Administration includes a dizzying assortment of economic\, political\, and military challenges. The policy rhetoric often believes the actual courses being steered. That makes it difficult to sketch out the foreign policy doctrine that will mark President Trump’s second term. However\, there are some characteristics emerging that allow early assumptions on how America will navigate a world order that has profoundly changed from what came before. We’ll explore the trends with a distinguished panel of foreign policy historians \nWednesday\, October 8th I 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm\n* Webinar Event *\n    \n    \n    \n        Register Now    \n    \n  \nWatch now\n\n \nIntroduction: LCDR Patrick Ryan\, USN (Ret) (President Emeritus\, Tennessee World Affairs Council)\n \nPatrick Ryan is the founding president and President Emeritus of the Tennessee World Affairs Council. He served 26 years in the U.S. Navy as a Submariner\, Surface Warfare Officer\, and Intelligence Officer. He ran a newsletter publishing business focused on Middle East affairs for 17 years. Ryan serves as President of the Tennessee Submarine Memorial Association. He writes a Substack.com column titled “There and Here\,” looking at current events. \n \n \n \n \n \nPanelist: Dr. Amy Sayward (Professor of History\, Middle Tennessee State University)\n \nDr. Amy Sayward is a professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University and is the new director of its campus American Democracy Project. She recently completed a decade as the executive director of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR). She is the author of several books on the United Nations and Tennessee history. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nPanelist: Dr. Thomas Alan Schwartz (Professor of History and Political Science\, Vanderbilt University)\n \nThomas Alan Schwartz is a Professor of History and Political Science at Vanderbilt University. Educated at Columbia\, Oxford\, and Harvard Universities\, he is the author of the books America’s Germany: John J. McCloy and the Federal Republic of Germany (1991) and Lyndon Johnson and Europe: In the Shadow of Vietnam (2003)\, and the forthcoming\, Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography (Hill and Wang\, 2020). Along with Matthias Schulz\, he produced the edited volume\, The Strained Alliance: US-European Relations in the 1970s\, (2009). He has received fellowships fromthe German Historical Institute\, the Norwegian Nobel Institute\, the Woodrow Wilson Center\, and the Social Science Research Center. He served on the Historical Advisory Committee of the Department of State\, and was the President of the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations. He has taught the History of the Vietnam War class at Vanderbilt for the last thirty years. While teaching at Vanderbilt\, he has received the Madison Sarratt Teaching prize (2013) and the Alumni Education Award (2008). \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nPanelist: Dr. Breck Walker (Board Member\, Tennessee World Affairs Council)\n \nBreck Walker pursued a twenty-year career in international business\, law\, and finance\, before turning to academia. For several years\, he taught foreign policy courses at Sewanee\, The University of the South\, and worked as a contract historian for the Office of the Secretary of Defense Historical Office\, researching and writing on early Pentagon policies in the computer security and cyber areas. Dr. Walker is currently retired. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/emerging-foreign-policy-doctrine/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.tnwac.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TNWAC-10-8-2025-Rectangle.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251027T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251027T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20250930T171646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T165127Z
UID:47040-1761584400-1761588000@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:An "Americas First" Foreign Policy: Opportunities and Risks in U.S.-Latin American Relations (webinar)
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nAn “Americas First” Foreign Policy: Opportunities and Risks in U.S.-Latin American Relations\nThe United States is often accused of ignoring its relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean. However\, in the lead-up to his first international trip\, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote that the administration would have an “Americas First” foreign policy—and thus far\, much of the administration’s foreign policy has focused on the Hemisphere. While there has been an emergent bipartisan consensus on identifying some of the key issues related to U.S. hemispheric relations\, there has been a profound shift in how the Trump administration has approached regional relations and issues. \nThis shift comes at a time when the United States is increasingly concerned about growing Chinese influence in the region\, has taken a harsher line on immigration\, labeled regional criminal organizations as foreign terrorists\, and is rewriting trade relations. At the same time\, the region continues to face development and security challenges while simultaneously dealing with democratic backsliding. Adam Ratzlaff (CEO and Founder of Pan-American Strategic Advisors) will discuss continuity and change in U.S. regional relations and what the opportunities and challenges are moving forward. \nWednesday\, October 27 I 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm\n* Webinar Event *\nView Recording \n– \n\n–\nModerator: Dr. Liane Hentschke (Executive Director\, TNWAC)\n \nFormer professor and researcher in Music Education at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS – Porto Alegre\, Brazil. During her career\, she served on several organizations related to international cooperation: Director of Institutional and International Cooperation of CNP (Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development); Director of International Affairs of UFRGS; President-Elect\, President\, and Past-President of the International Society for Music Education – ISME; Vice-President of the International Music Council – IMC\, advisory body for music to UNESCO. Her publications include books\, book chapters\, prefaces\, and refereed journal articles published in Brazil\, England\, Australia\, Argentina\, Hong Kong\, Germany\, and Spain. She was an invited lecturer at the University of Nebraska and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign\, and acted as a grant development consultant for the Illinois Community College. For A3ES – Portugal\, she worked on the Accreditation of Higher Education degrees. Dr. Hentschke is currently Executive Director of the Tennessee World Affairs Council in Nashville\, TN. \n \n \n \nSpeaker: Adam Ratzlaff is the founder and CEO of Pan-American Strategic Advisors\n \nAdam Ratzlaff is the founder and CEO of Pan-American Strategic Advisors–a boutique consulting firm and think tank focused on the Western Hemisphere–and a member of Diplomatic Courier’s World in 2050 Brain Trust. With over a decade of experience researching regional affairs\, Ratzlaff has consulted for the World Bank\, the Inter-American Development Bank\, the U.S. Department of Defense\, and the U.S. Department of State. Ratzlaff is the author or co-author of over 130 public-facing analyses\, reports\, and academic works on topics related to Inter-American affairs. His work has been featured in The New Orleans Times-Picayune\, Global Americans\, The National Interest\, Responsible Statecraft\, and the Modern War Institute at West Point\, among other publications. Ratzlaff is a PhD Candidate (ABD) in International Relations at Florida International University and holds an MA from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies (University of Denver) and a BA from Tulane University\, where he triple-majored in international relations\, economics\, and Latin American studies. \n  \n\n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/an-americas-first-foreign-policy/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260115T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260115T190000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20251117T181218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T164953Z
UID:47203-1768500000-1768503600@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:The influence and expansionist drive of China in Serbia and the threat to Western security (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION: \n  \n\n \nThe influence and expansionist drive of China in Serbia and the threat to Western security\nJoin us for a timely webinar with Miroslav Ivica Emejdi\, German Senior Police Commissioner and security policy expert\, as he explores China’s growing influence and expansionist ambitions in Serbia—and why it matters for Western security. \nDrawing on his recent book\, Emejdi will explain how the Balkans are often misunderstood or overlooked by Western policymakers and have become a key battleground where Beijing\, Moscow\, and Brussels compete for power and strategic direction. \nHe will discuss how historical miscalculations and slow Western responses have allowed rivals to gain ground\, and why Serbia—an EU accession candidate—is far more important than many realize. With insights recognized by senior European and UN officials\, Emejdi offers a clear warning: understanding Serbia’s geopolitical role is essential to safeguarding the West’s ability to meet future global challenges. \nThis is a must-attend program for anyone interested in global affairs\, European security\, or great-power competition. \n \nThursday\, January 15\, 2026 I 12:00pm – 1:00pm\n \nView Recording\n  \n  \n\n \nFeatured Speaker: Miroslav Ivica Emejdi (German Senior Police Chief Commissioner)\n \nMiroslav Ivica Emejdi is a Senior Police Chief Commissioner in Germany with long-standing experience in state security\, counterterrorism\, and the fight against organized crime. Over two decades of service\, he has worked in specialized units addressing extremism\, politically motivated violence\, and international law enforcement cooperation. \nIn recognition of his role in the investigation following the 2011 Islamist terrorist attack that targeted U.S. Air Force Airmen\, he received a personal commendation from the four-star General commanding U.S. Air Forces in Europe.International EngagementEmejdi is an alumnus of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). He has also been a featured speaker at national and international security institutions\, including intelligence services\, and at a multinational counterterrorism forum hosted by U.S. Army Europe. His career reflects a strong transatlantic dimension and a deep engagement at the intersection of European and American security concerns.Author and AnalystHe is the author of ‘Key Country Serbia – How Misjudgments Weaken the West’ (ibidem / Columbia University Press\, forthcoming 2026). The book analyzes Serbia and the wider Western Balkans as pivotal but often underestimated regions in Western security architecture\, highlighting how Russian and Chinese influence challenge Western strategies. He is also working on a forthcoming book on the Albanian Mafia and its transnational connections\, including links to Latin America\, United States and Europe’s security architecture. His work analyzes how overlooked regions and criminal networks shape the stability of the West. He has also been interviewed by Germany’s leading professional journal on criminology.Areas of ExpertiseEmejdi’s expertise covers geopolitics\, transnational organized crime\, and the strategic competition of great powers. His analyses connect ground-level security realities with broader strategic questions facing NATO\, the European Union\, and the United States. In his presentations\, he emphasizes why close transatlantic cooperation is indispensable in addressing these challenges. \nFeatured Moderator: Mark Reese (President & CEO\, Suhbat LLC)\n \nMark Reese is a Central Asia specialist with 30 years of experience\, having spent a significant amount of time in the region. As a Peace Corps volunteer in 1994\, he witnessed the immediate turmoil of the post-Soviet era and the emergence of new states where leaders tried to chart new paths. He’s currently focused on teaching and education development in Central Asia and the United States. \nHis passions also extend to sharing Uzbeki literature with the world\, presenting several works to Nashville during the Southern Festival of Books in early October. His effort to promote the Uzbek language and culture\, including his English translation of Oʻtkan Kunlar\, earned him Uzbekistan’s Presidential Order of Doʻstlik. \nPreviously\, Mark led translation and cultural advisement activities for government and private industry clients in Afghanistan and the United States. As Founding Director for the Center for Regional Studies at the United States Naval Academy\, he developed a comprehensive midshipman education program. \n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/how-china-is-expanding-its-influence-in-europe/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260331T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260331T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20260313T032939Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T171046Z
UID:47447-1774976400-1774980000@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Georgetown University in Qatar: Adapting to Serve Students and Advancing Qatar’s Education and Research Vision (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION:  \nIn this talk\, Khaled Al Yousuf will share an on-the-ground perspective on Georgetown University in Qatar\, how an American university operates within Education City\, and how GU-Q has adapted to meet evolving student needs while maintaining academic excellence. He will highlight practical examples of student support\, community building\, and external partnerships that help an international student body thrive and will connect these experiences to Qatar’s broader ambitions in education and research\, including building human capital\, strengthening the knowledge economy\, and expanding global collaboration. \n \nTuesday\, March 31 I 12:00pm – 1:00pm\n  \nView Recording\n\n \nFeatured Speaker: Khaled Al Yousuf (Executive Director of External Relations\, Georgetown University in Qatar)\nKhaled Al Yousuf is Executive Director of External Relations at Georgetown University in Qatar\, where he leads strategic partnerships and outreach across government\, civil society\, and the private sector\, and supports initiatives that advance student engagement\, alumni relations\, and the university’s regional and global presence. \n \n \n \n \nFeatured Moderator: Dr. Gretchen Neisler (Vice Provost for International Affairs\, University of Tennessee Knoxville)\n \nGretchen Neisler is the senior international officer at the University of Tennessee. She began work at UT in August 2018. She came to the university from Michigan State University\, where she was the director of the Center for Global Connections in Food\, Agriculture\, and Natural Resources in the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources. She has an international portfolio spanning the Middle East\, East Africa\, West Africa\, and Southeast Asia. \nHer responsibilities include:– Working closely with the university community to lead the development of the university’s strategic international agenda;– Representing the university to external constituents\, both nationally and internationally; and– Overseeing the Center for Global Engagement\, which encompasses the offices of Asia Engagement\, Programs Abroad\, International Support Services\, International House\, English Language Institute\, Global Research\, and Communications. \nNeisler obtained her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration\, Master of Science in Agriculture Extension Education\, and B.S. in Agriscience Education and Animal Science from Michigan State University. \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/georgetown-university-in-qatar-adapting-to-serve-students-and-advancing-qatars-education-and-research-vision-webinar/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260422T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260422T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20260410T213615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T213615Z
UID:76057-1776877200-1776880800@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:Navigating Geopolitical Risk: How Multinational Corporations Are Adapting to a More Fragmented World (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION:A brief look at how multinational corporations are adjusting to a world shaped by geopolitical tension\, regulatory uncertainty\, and economic fragmentation. The session will explore how companies anticipate risk\, engage key stakeholders\, and build resilience into strategic decision-making. \nWednesday\, April 22 I 12:00pm – 1:00pm\n  \n    \n    \n    \n        Register Now    \n    \n\n \nFeatured Speaker: João A. de Castro Neves\, PhD (Senior Director for Global Strategic Risks\, ExxonMobil)\n\n \nJoão A. de Castro Neves\, PhD\, is Senior Director for Global Strategic Risks at ExxonMobil. With more than two decades of experience in political risk analysis\, government relations\, and external affairs\, he has advised senior executives\, investors\, and multinational organizations on how to navigate geopolitical uncertainty. Before joining ExxonMobil\, he was Director for Latin America at Eurasia Group\, where he covered political and economic developments across the region. He is a frequent speaker on geopolitics\, global risk\, and international affairs. \n \n \n \n \nFeatured Moderator: Carolyn Buccerone (Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel\, AllianceBernstein)\n \nCarolyn Buccerone is a Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel at AllianceBernstein\, L.P.\, a global investment management firm. Since joining the firm in 2018\, she has played a key role in managing legal affairs related to the company’s international asset management business\, including international fund platforms\, global employment legal issues\, and data privacy compliance. She also serves as counsel to the Investment Committee and AB’s Lux Fund boards\, providing strategic legal guidance on investment decisions and fund management. \nBefore joining AllianceBernstein\, Ms. Buccerone served as Legal Counsel at UBS. She earned her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law in 2004. \nIn addition to her professional responsibilities\, Ms. Buccerone is actively involved in AllianceBernstein’s Social Response Committee and is a former co-chair of AB Synergy\, the firm’s employee resource group dedicated to promoting a culture of community and belonging for the firm’s female employees. In the community\, she serves the Nashvillians through the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. \n—————————————————————————————————————————————————
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/navigating-geopolitical-risk/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260428T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260428T180000
DTSTAMP:20260423T194213
CREATED:20260416T212152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260416T212251Z
UID:76086-1777395600-1777399200@www.tnwac.org
SUMMARY:The Nashville Edge: How Global Thinking and Enterprise Innovation Are Building a Local Legacy (Webinar)
DESCRIPTION:  \nKumar will explore how enterprise technology investment and AI adoption are creating tangible economic impact in Nashville – and what that means for the city’s continued growth as a global hub for innovation and talent. \nTuesday\, April 28 I 12:00pm – 1:00pm\n  \n    \n    \n    \n        Register Now    \n    \n\n \nFeatured Speaker: Chief Business Officer\, Healthcare & North America (Trinetix)\n \nKumar Kolin is a technology executive and entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience driving innovation and growth across global markets. Based in Nashville\, he leads sales\, go-to-market strategy\, and strategic partnerships at Trinetix\, advancing design-led engineering and advanced technology services across North America with a focus on healthcare.As Co-Founder of CloudX\, Kumar builds and scales high-performing engineering teams across the U.S. and South America. Previously\, as President and CTO at Emids\, he doubled the healthcare technology business from $70M to $140M in three years. Earlier at Deloitte\, he led large-scale global operations\, scaling teams of 15\,000+ professionals and establishing delivery centers supporting enterprise transformation worldwide. \nKumar combines a global perspective with a strong local commitment to innovation\, talent development\, and Nashville’s growth as a hub for technology and healthcare. \nFeatured Moderator: Karl Dean (Former Mayor of Nashville)\n \nKarl Dean served as the sixth Mayor of Nashville and Davidson County. He was elected in 2007 and re-elected in 2011. Dean first held public office when he was elected as Nashville’s Public Defender in 1990. He was re-elected in 1994 and 1998. He served as Metro Law Director from 1999 to January 2007\, when he resigned to run for the office of mayor. Karl Dean has taught at Vanderbilt Law School\, Belmont University\, and Boston University. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://www.tnwac.org/event/the-nashville-edge/
LOCATION:Zoom
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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