The monthly get-together of our affinity group Unaccompanied DACORians, this luncheon gathers members who are widows, widowers, divorcees and other singletons together for camaraderie and discussion over lunch.
The DACOR cash bar opens at 12 noon and the group moves to a reserved area at Members' Lunch at 12:30 pm. Lunch costs $35/person and includes a biscuit/bread, two courses, and a cup of coffee/tea. Wine and other beverages may be purchased at the bar or at the table. Registrations are required for all participants.
Unaccompanied DACORians provides members of DACOR, who are single, a group where they feel comfortable and valued as members. Anyone who is single can join, to find friendship, and feel comfortable as a DACOR member through varied activities at DACOR and elsewhere including a monthly luncheon on the 4th Tuesday of the month at DACOR. more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Starting in 2024, every Wednesday there will be a soup & salad communal lunch served for a special price. The event offers open seating on the Gallery and attendees will have a choice between two soups and two salads. Members are welcome to invite their accompanied guests. Registration is required - please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest. Registrations and cancelations may be made up to 12 noon the day before the event.
(Please note that the special is not applicable to private tables or rooms.) more info...
All DACOR members are welcome to attend the 2024 Annual Members' Meeting in-person or virtually. During the meeting, committee reports and the President and Executive Director reports will be presented. The board election results will also be announced. Bios and a ballot will be provided to members eligible to vote at least 40 days before the meeting. The join information for virtual attendees will be sent to all members via email before the event.
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Heralding its first appearance at Bacon House is the woodwind quintet, Ensemble Bambou, with leader Maude Fish, bassoon. Joining her are Nicolette Oppelt, flute, Katherine Caesar-Spall, oboe, Cheryl Hill, clarinet, and Alan White, French horn.
“Umoja,” the Kwanzaa theme of Unity, opens the program, by Valerie Colman, the flutist and Grammy-winning black composer named one of the outstanding women composers of her generation. Besides this signature work we’ll also hear a younger contemporary of Ravel and Debussy, Mlle Claude Arrieu (1903-1990), our second distaff composer. The works by these two stellar composers will be leavened by several classics: Beethoven’s (d. 1827) Op. 71 Quintet, a piece by Zemlinsky (1871-1942), and ending with the rhythmic Suite Espagnole by Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909).
Join us for this exciting international roster of composers inaugurating Ensemble Bambou’s quintet of woodwinds in performance at Dacor. Tea & sherry are served at intermission. Children under 18 years accompanied by an adult are admitted free. more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Starting in 2024, every Wednesday there will be a soup & salad communal lunch served for a special price. The event offers open seating on the Gallery and attendees will have a choice between two soups and two salads. Members are welcome to invite their accompanied guests. Registration is required - please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest. Registrations and cancellations may be made up to 12 noon the day before the event.
(Please note that the special is not applicable to private tables or rooms.) more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Join DACOR and AFSA for a special Spring Reception the evening before Foreign Affairs Day. The perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones - don't miss out on delicious food, drinks, a special wine tasting and live music. We will also be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Rogers Act. more info...
Interested in keeping up with your French? Join the French Conversation Group!
Formed to help French-speaking members maintain their proficiency, the group meets monthly for lunchtime conversation involving foreign relations, diplomatic history, cultural activities, travel, and - of course! - French food and wine.
The DACOR cash bar opens at 12 noon and the group moves to a reserved table at Members' Lunch at 12:30 pm. Only French is spoken during lunch. Attendees have the option of participating in the Members' Lunch for $35, or joining the conversation group without eating (no charge). Registrations are required for all participants.
Members' Lunch for $35 includes a biscuit/bread, two courses, and a cup of coffee/tea. Wine and other beverages may be purchased at the bar or at the table.
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Starting in 2024, every Wednesday there will be a soup & salad communal lunch served for a special price. The event offers open seating on the Gallery and attendees will have a choice between two soups and two salads. Members are welcome to invite their accompanied guests. Registration is required - please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest. Registrations and cancellations may be made up to 12 noon the day before the event.
(Please note that the special is not applicable to private tables or rooms.) more info...
All those interested in Latin America and the Caribbean are welcome to attend LAC Luncheons. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests and occur monthly. The DACOR cash bar opens at 12 noon and the group moves to a reserved room at 12:30 pm. The luncheon served with the event costs $35. Registrations are required for all participants. Registrations should be made two business days before the event.
May's topic is "The Venezuelan Conundrum: Two Views on U.S. Policy" with Ambassador William Brownfield,Senior Adviser (Non-resident), Americas Program, CSIS; and The Honorable Mark Feierstein, Senior Advisor, Albright Stone Bridge Group's Americas practice.
Ambassador William (Bill) Brownfield enjoyed an illustrious career in public service, at the rank of career ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service. Amb. Brownfield’s last seven years of his career were spent serving as the assistant secretary of state for the bureau of international narcotics and law enforcement affairs. As assistant secretary, Amb. Brownfield ran a portfolio of more than $4 billion in 80 countries administered by 5000 employees and contractors. Amb. Brownfield’s expertise in the Americas draws from his vast experience in serving as U.S. ambassador to Chile, Venezuela, and Colombia. Through his ambassadorial posts, Amb. Brownfield was immersed in working with the Colombian government to build upon existing institutions and promoting U.S. interests economically via the establishment of the Chile-United States Free Trade Agreement. In Venezuela, he led an embassy in constant crisis with the most adversarial government of any country in the Hemisphere. Brownfield has UN experience in Geneva and Vienna. He was temporary political adviser to the U.S. Southern Command. He received the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award and the Presidential Performance Award three times each. He is a graduate of Cornell University and the National War College and attended the University of Texas School of Law. He speaks Spanish and French.
Mark Feierstein is a senior advisor with the Albright Stonebridge Group, the U.S. Institute of Peace and GBAO and a consultant to Major League Baseball.
Mark has served more than three decades at senior levels in the public and private sectors. In government, he has been senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs and special assistant to the president on the National Security Council, acting deputy administrator as well as assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean at USAID, and acting deputy chief of mission for the U.S. Mission to the Organization of American States.
Outside government, Mark has been a principal at a polling firm, director for Latin America at the National Democratic Institute, and a journalist in Mexico and the United States. Mark has published in numerous newspapers and journals on U.S. foreign policy and Latin American politics.
Mark has a bachelor’s in international relations from Tufts University and a master’s in international affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is fluent in Spanish. more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Join us for the member favorite Cocktails on the Patio!
Featuring a cash bar and a laid-back ambiance, DACOR's happy hours are held on most Thursdays over the summer. Join us for refreshing drinks and great camaraderie on our beautiful patio garden. In case of bad weather, we move the bar inside.
Cocktails on the Patio does not require reservations. Non-DACOR members of the foreign affairs community are invited to join our members. Members are also encouraged to bring prospective members to enjoy a lovely evening at the DACOR Bacon House!
Join us for an ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Book Launch with Ted Craig on his book, Pakistan and American Diplomacy: Insights from 9/11 to the Afghanistan Endgame.
In Pakistan and American Diplomacy, volume #75 in the Diplomats and Diplomacy Series, former senior U.S. embassy and State Department official Ted Craig offers the detailed insights of an American diplomat who participated in key episodes in U.S.-Pakistan relations since 2010. His astute, fast-moving diplomatic tour de force includes unsparing assessments of U.S. and Pakistani policy mistakes that fueled the long Afghan war and its disappointing end.
“Ted Craig’s book is packed with the wisdom of a professional diplomat, its pages peppered with insights won through tours of high-pressure diplomacy in Islamabad. A keen observer of the sport of politics and the politics of sport, Craig is above all a judicious analyst who accepts that in South Asian geopolitics, unlike cricket, lose-lose outcomes are always possible, even likely.”
–– Daniel Markey, South Asia senior adviser at the United States Institute of Peace
In the 2019 Cricket World Cup, as Pakistan squared off against key neighbors (Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh) and its former colonial ruler (Britain), Craig used each chapter to foreground a major issue in U.S.-Pakistan diplomacy. He also examined the excitement and ultimate disappointment accompanying the rise to power of former cricket star Imran Khan.
“Ted Craig weaves a short history of Pakistani cricket and the 2019 Cricket World Cup through his political analysis, describing the events and contests with the enthusiasm of a new fan. . . .The cricket enlivens his broader discussion as he finds illuminating connections between the sport and the geopolitics of South Asia.”
–– Ali Gauhar, Pakistani cricket host and analyst
Ted Craig’s twenty-nine-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service included two tours in Islamabad, Pakistan, the second as Political Counselor. He holds a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and taught as a Fellow at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. His service also included three tours in Latin America, a tour on the secretary of state’s Policy Planning Staff, and policy jobs on peace and security, the global environment, and human rights. He is currently a senior program advisor for the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, serving in South and Central Asia.
Books will be available to purchase at the event. more info...
Please note this is a hybrid event - you have the option to attend in person or virtually. Registrations are required for all attendees. For in-person attendees, the event will run from 11:45 am - 2 pm and will include lunch. The live stream will begin at 12:55 pm (virtual attendees will be sent a link for the event via email).
Join DACOR and UAA for a reflection on the first three years of the Administration’s USAID programs and U.S. foreign policy objectives with USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman. Former USAID Counselor Chris Milligan will engage Ambassador Coleman in conversation.
Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman is responsible for USAID’s policy and programming, overseeing the Agency’s Regional and Pillar Bureaus. As Deputy Administrator, she guides USAID’s crisis response, including representing USAID on the Deputies Committee of the National Security Council, and oversees Agency efforts to promote food security, global health, democracy, and economic growth, and address the root causes of conflict.
Ambassador Coleman previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management, Reform and Special Political Affairs. She was formerly a partner with McKinsey, the Chief Operating Officer of GiveDirectly, and spent more than a decade as a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a graduate of Princeton University and received her MPhil and DPhil degrees from Oxford University, which she attended on a Marshall Scholarship. more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Starting in 2024, every Wednesday there will be a soup & salad communal lunch served for a special price. The event offers open seating on the Gallery and attendees will have a choice between two soups and two salads. Members are welcome to invite their accompanied guests. Registration is required - please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest. Registrations and cancellations may be made up to 12 noon the day before the event.
(Please note that the special is not applicable to private tables or rooms.) more info...
On the third Thursday of the month, we hold a Welcome to DACOR lunch for new members. All members are encouraged to come and meet the newest members of our community over a communal lunch.
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (starting in 2024, a glass of wine is not included; wine and other drinks may be purchased). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancellations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Join us for the member favorite Cocktails on the Patio!
Featuring a cash bar and a laid-back ambiance, DACOR's happy hours are held on most Thursdays over the summer. Join us for refreshing drinks and great camaraderie on our beautiful patio garden. In case of bad weather, we move the bar inside.
Cocktails on the Patio does not require reservations. Non-DACOR members of the foreign affairs community are invited to join our members. Members are also encouraged to bring prospective members to enjoy a lovely evening at the DACOR Bacon House!
If you have an interest in Africa or want to learn more, join DACOR members at the monthly Africa Discussion Group. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests.
The DACOR cash bar opens at 12 noon and the group moves to a reserved table at Members' Lunch at 12:30 pm. Attendees have the option of participating in the Members' Lunch for $35, or joining the discussion group without eating (no charge). Registrations are required for all participants.
Members' Lunch for $35 includes a biscuit/bread, two courses, and a cup of coffee/tea. Wine and other beverages may be purchased at the bar or at the table. more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Starting in 2024, every Wednesday there will be a soup & salad communal lunch served for a special price. The event offers open seating on the Gallery and attendees will have a choice between two soups and two salads. Members are welcome to invite their accompanied guests. Registration is required - please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest. Registrations and cancellations may be made up to 12 noon the day before the event.
(Please note that the special is not applicable to private tables or rooms.) more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Join us for the member favorite Cocktails on the Patio!
Featuring a cash bar and a laid-back ambiance, DACOR's happy hours are held on most Thursdays over the summer. Join us for refreshing drinks and great camaraderie on our beautiful patio garden. In case of bad weather, we move the bar inside.
Cocktails on the Patio does not require reservations. Non-DACOR members of the foreign affairs community are invited to join our members. Members are also encouraged to bring prospective members to enjoy a lovely evening at the DACOR Bacon House!
Join DACOR for our yearly Memorial Day Observance to honor those who have passed. The ceremony at Rock Creek Cemetery featuring remarks from the DACOR President and the Director General of the State Department will be held in-person at the DACOR section of the cemetery. It will be followed by a reception at the cemetery's St. Paul's Parish Hall. The event will also be recorded (and made available on our website's Memorial Section of Rock Creek Cemetery page)for those who do not want to/cannot attend the ceremony in person. more info...
The monthly get-together of our affinity group Unaccompanied DACORians, this luncheon gathers members who are widows, widowers, divorcees and other singletons together for camaraderie and discussion over lunch.
The DACOR cash bar opens at 12 noon and the group moves to a reserved area at Members' Lunch at 12:30 pm. Lunch costs $35/person and includes a biscuit/bread, two courses, and a cup of coffee/tea. Wine and other beverages may be purchased at the bar or at the table. Registrations are required for all participants.
Unaccompanied DACORians provides members of DACOR, who are single, a group where they feel comfortable and valued as members. Anyone who is single can join, to find friendship, and feel comfortable as a DACOR member through varied activities at DACOR and elsewhere including a monthly luncheon on the 4th Tuesday of the month at DACOR. more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Starting in 2024, every Wednesday there will be a soup & salad communal lunch served for a special price. The event offers open seating on the Gallery and attendees will have a choice between two soups and two salads. Members are welcome to invite their accompanied guests. Registration is required - please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest. Registrations and cancellations may be made up to 12 noon the day before the event.
(Please note that the special is not applicable to private tables or rooms.) more info...
Members are welcome to make reservations for Members' Lunches and invite their accompanied guests. Please note that DACOR now requires reservations for members lunch. Please be sure to reserve a spot for each member/guest.
Members' Lunch includes an entree, a dessert, and a cup of coffee/tea per patron (please note that starting in 2024 a glass of wine is no longer included; wine and other drinks may be purchased at the bar). A cash bar opens at 12 noon and lunch is served at 12:30 pm.
Pre-payment is preferred. Reservations should be made no later than 2:00 pm the business day before the Members' Lunch. Cancelations made after 10 am the business day before your reservation will result in a charge.
Members' Lunches are held at communal tables. If you would like a private table or room, please contact events@dacorbacon.org instead of registering here. more info...
Join us for the member favorite Cocktails on the Patio!
Featuring a cash bar and a laid-back ambiance, DACOR's happy hours are held on most Thursdays over the summer. Join us for refreshing drinks and great camaraderie on our beautiful patio garden. In case of bad weather, we move the bar inside.
Cocktails on the Patio does not require reservations. Non-DACOR members of the foreign affairs community are invited to join our members. Members are also encouraged to bring prospective members to enjoy a lovely evening at the DACOR Bacon House!
Join us for the member favorite Cocktails on the Patio!
Featuring a cash bar and a laid-back ambiance, DACOR's happy hours are held on most Thursdays over the summer. Join us for refreshing drinks and great camaraderie on our beautiful patio garden. In case of bad weather, we move the bar inside.
Cocktails on the Patio does not require reservations. Non-DACOR members of the foreign affairs community are invited to join our members. Members are also encouraged to bring prospective members to enjoy a lovely evening at the DACOR Bacon House!
Join us for the member favorite Cocktails on the Patio!
Featuring a cash bar and a laid-back ambiance, DACOR's happy hours are held on most Thursdays over the summer. Join us for refreshing drinks and great camaraderie on our beautiful patio garden. In case of bad weather, we move the bar inside.
Cocktails on the Patio does not require reservations. Non-DACOR members of the foreign affairs community are invited to join our members. Members are also encouraged to bring prospective members to enjoy a lovely evening at the DACOR Bacon House!
Join us for the member favorite Cocktails on the Patio!
Featuring a cash bar and a laid-back ambiance, DACOR's happy hours are held on most Thursdays over the summer. Join us for refreshing drinks and great camaraderie on our beautiful patio garden. In case of bad weather, we move the bar inside.
Cocktails on the Patio does not require reservations. Non-DACOR members of the foreign affairs community are invited to join our members. Members are also encouraged to bring prospective members to enjoy a lovely evening at the DACOR Bacon House!
Historic Congressional Cemetery: Stories among the Stones Please note this is a hybrid event - you have the option to attend in person or virtually. Registrations are required for all attendees. For in-person attendees, the event will run from 12 - 2 pm and will include lunch. The live stream will begin at 1:10 pm (virtual attendees will be sent a link for the event via email).
Join us for a presentation by the President and Director of Public Engagement of Congressional Cemetery. Find out about the cemetery's history, notable interred residents, including those with connection to the DACOR Bacon House, the nonprofit side of the cemetery, and the ways in which they engage the community now.
Jackie Spainhour serves as the President of Congressional Cemetery. She is a writer, researcher, nonprofit professional, and special needs mom. She is an alumnus of Old Dominion University and sits on the Board of Directors for the Victorian Society in America. Her first book, Gilded Age Norfolk, Virginia: Tidewater Wealth, Industry, and Propriety was published in 2015 by the History Press. She serves as the chair of the VSA Book Awards Committee and the copy editor for the VSA’s peer-reviewed journal Nineteenth Century. A life-long lover of historic places, she spent over a decade on staff and as the Director of the Hunter House Victorian Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. Her second book, Museums and Millennials: Engaging the Coveted Patron Generation, was published in October 2019 through the American Association of State and Local History. She has given numerous presentations on the local and national level and her third book, A History Lover’s Guide to Norfolk, was published in 2021. In her spare time, she uses her voice as an advocate for the creation of a more inclusive world for people living with autism and other disabilities in honor of her son Declan. Away from the cemetery, you can find her digging her nose into the worn-out pages of old books, sipping a latte at a corner café, or brewing a fresh pot of tea to pour into her extensive teacup collection. She never misses a good British drama and is a huge fan of the show Supernatural. She lives on the Hill with her husband David and her two sons.
A.J. Orlikoff, the Director of Public Engagement, is a dedicated and passionate historian, educator, and writer. After graduating with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in History from Old Dominion University, A.J. worked at Hampton Roads Naval Museum as an Educator and at the National Museum of the United States Army as an Education Specialist- Lead before joining the staff at Historic Congressional Cemetery. He is the author of “The Navy’s City: Norfolk’s Military History” in A History Lover’s Guide to Norfolk and is a contributor to Washington History Magazine. He is extremely passionate and enthusiastic about all things history and is always eager to share the amazing stories of the past. He specializes in American military history, with a particular focus on the American Civil War and World War II. He lives in Centreville, Virginia with his wife Raven and his cat Reina.
Strategy, Diplomacy, and Crisis Management (Postponed from 4/23) Please note that this Salon program was originally scheduled for April 23rd. The event is postponed - check back soon for the new date.
“Why was there no warning of this?”
“No planning, … just in case?”
“What is the strategy here?”
How often do questions like these arise when an unexpected event brings on a bloody conflict and voices from all sides are calling for contenting powers and stakeholders to effect a satisfactory outcome?
The Salon will ponder these and related issues when it meets on Tuesday evening, April 23. Providing the scene-setter for the discussion will be Michael Dziedzic.
Michael Dziedzic is a retired Colonel whose career blended the worlds of theory and practice in the realm of peacekeeping and stability operations. His field experience included postings in El Salvador, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. His publications have shaped the way the U.S. approaches peace and stability operations. Notably, Quest for Viable Peace proposed that “conflict transformation” is the essence of the transition from war to sustainable peace. This concept was adopted by the State Department’s as the paradigm for U.S. strategic planning and was incorporated into the US Army Field Manual on Stability Operations. Dr. Dziedzic currently is a Senior Fellow for Combatting Criminalized Power Structures and Elite at the Alliance for Peacebuilding. A fuller biography is given below.
To be sure, no single individual or actor with a vital stake in a crisis is likely to have a simple or ready-made solution for violent conflicts that seem to burst on the scene. Perhaps, that is just the point. One-sided courses-of-action are not framed to address multi-sided interests and rights.
Colonel Dziedzic will invite participants in the Salon to consider and discuss:
Models and examples of planning processes to guide actors when contingencies arise and action is required. Are these flexible enough to adapt to changing events in the field?;
Lessons learned from the management – or mis-management -- of earlier crises. What do they teach us? recommend? Is it misleading, from the outset, to think of crises as something for managers, like MBAs, to handle?
The role diplomacy plays in conjunction with strategy before, during, and after crises? Does each have its “own lane to travel” or is a “whole of government” approach advisable from start to finish?
The Salon, as previous participants understand, is not a “How-to” Information-Transfer Exercise. Invitees from DACOR and their guests will likely have been involved in one or more crises or aspects of of a crisis in their careers. All attending the Salon are invited to share their pertinent experiences and voice their doubts, actively listen and constructively question.
Sign up soon, bring your ideas, and bring a friend!
Michael Dziedzic is a retired Colonel whose career blended the worlds of theory and practice in the realm of peacekeeping and stability operations. His field experience included postings in El Salvador, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. His publications include works that have shaped the way the U.S. approaches peace and stability operations. Policing the New World Disorder identified a recurring “public security gap” which led to the creation of the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units. Quest for Viable Peace proposed that “conflict transformation” is the essence of the transition from war to sustainable peace, and this concept was adopted by the State Department’s Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization as the paradigm for U.S. strategic planning and was incorporated into the US Army Field Manual 3-07 on Stability Operations. His most recent publications, Criminalized Power Structures: The Overlooked Enemies of Peace and Combating Criminalized Power Structures: A Toolkit, provide empirical evidence that criminalized power structures are the predominant spoilers of peace and stability operations and propose strategies for dealing with them. He currently is a Senior Fellow for Combatting Criminalized Power Structures and Elite Capture at the Alliance for Peacebuilding.
