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' Buffet Lunch at 12:30 pm. Only French is spoken during lunch. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
DACOR members are welcome to meet with members of the 197th A-100 Class as well as those from the recently concluded Specialist Class. Share your experiences with these new officers before they head off to their first postings. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Norman Houston OBE will discuss the progress that has been made economically, Northern Ireland’s journey to peace and prosperity and the challenge of creating a united community and dealing with wounds. He will focus on the benefits of peace and the architecture that the Good Friday Agreement created within Northern Ireland, both on the island and within the British Isles. Looking forward, he will also delve into why Brexit has impacted so particularly on the Northern Ireland political psyche and where do we go from here.
The primary role of the NI Bureau is to promote Northern Ireland as a confident, competitive and outward-looking region. They achieve this by leveraging diverse political, economic and social links to help identify potential areas for collaboration and partnership within North America. Such areas include: trade and investment; tourism; education; arts and culture; and politics and peace building.
Sir Norman has over 38 years of experience as a senior official in the Northern Ireland Civil Service. He is currenlty the Counselor/Director fo the North Ireland Bureau. He has spearheaded the Executive’s international strategy in the U.S. and Canada since 2007. During his time in Washington, Sir Norman has strengthened the Bureau’s profile on Capitol Hill and within the larger diplomatic community. In June 2018, he was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty The Queen of England. more info...
The pure vocal artistry of Allison Mondel, director of Eya, and Crossley Hawn, sopranos, together with Kristen Dubenion-Smith, mezzo-soprano, present a thematic program exploring the different faces of Venus: vast riches of emotion and feeling are culled from the music and art of the medieval through Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods to enchant the modern ear and eye with tonal beauty. Come greet the spring season and enjoy the creative programming of this prize-winning ensemble in this exceptional recital! more info...
Join DACOR and UAA as we honor the prestigious Service to America Medal’s (Sammies) 2018 Winner for National Security and International Affairs: Andrew M. Herscowitz and the Power Africa Team. Two out of three people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, stunting economic growth and trapping millions in poverty. Power Africa, an ambitious public-private partnership led by Andrew Herscowitz of the U.S. Agency for International Development, has worked with more than 20 African governments, 140 American companies and financial institutions, 12 federal agencies and a host of international organizations to bring electricity to more than 50 million people.
Starting from scratch in 2013, Mr. Herscowitz and the Power Africa team built a solid foundation for this highly ambitious foreign policy initiative designed to advance U.S. national security interests while fostering economic development and stability in Africa. Mr. Herscowitz has been the Coordinator of the U.S. Government’s Power Africa program since 2013. Prior to this appointment, he served as USAID's Mission Director in Ecuador from 2011 to 2013, and as Deputy Mission Director in Peru, from 2009 to 2011. In 2008, he served as USAID’s Regional Legal Adviser for Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. From 2002 to 2007, he was regional legal adviser for the Caribbean, providing services to Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Dr. Gwendolyn Mikell is the Professor of Anthropology and Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she has taught since 1976. She served as Director of the African Studies Program in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown from 1996 to 2007 – a program which she helped develop from 1982 onward; and she was Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1992 to 1995. She was Senior Fellow for African Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations from 2000 to 2003. Dr. Mikell has been President of the African Studies Association, a Jennings-Randolph Fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, the Institute for African Studies at the University of Ghana-Legon, the Institute for Social Research at the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa, and the Institute for Developing Economies in Tokyo. She is a Board member of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art and has served on the Boards of the American Anthropological Association, the African Studies Association, CIES-Fulbright Program, and the British-Marshall Selection Committees.
As a political and economic anthropologist, Dr. Mikell’s research interests are in African political and economic transitions, democratization and peace, African feminism, and the political/religious dynamics of African women’s organizations. She is the author of numerous articles and two books – Cocoa and Chaos in Ghana (1982, 2005) and African Feminism: The Politics of Survival in Sub-Saharan Africa (1997); and she has a forthcoming book project that follows Kofi Annan’s initiatives on Africa from 1997 to 2009. more info...
"Tony" Barclay, widely admired former DAI CEO and Board Member/Chair of several Washington area development organizations, will speak at DACOR on the future of USAID from the contractors’ viewpoint. Barclay is also the author of 50 Years of Development: How Private Companies Adapt and Deliver.
Until June 2018, Barclay was Director of Development Management and Practice in Georgetown University's Global Human Development Program. Previously, for 30 years, he was a senior executive at DAI, an employee-owned international development consulting firm, and served as CEO from 1999 to 2008. During his tenure, DAI grew from a boutique firm to a global company with annual revenues of $375 million and 2,500 employees working in more than 50 countries. He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in western Kenya in the late 1960s, and returned there for his Ph.D. research in anthropology on the impact of a large-scale sugar project. He joined DAI’s development consulting staff in 1977. He moved into a senior management role in 1979, became DAI’s President in 1990 and succeeded the founding CEO in 1999.
Tony was a founding board member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, and is a past President of the Washington Chapter of the Society for International Development. He is a past board chair of the National Peace Corps Association; serves on the board of the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation; and currently chairs the international fundraising board of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. 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' Buffet Lunch at 12:30 pm. Only French is spoken during lunch. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Public discussion of U.S.-Mexico relations has been tied up with debate about the border wall and migration for the last two and a half years, but that has not changed the fact that the broader relationship is vital for both countries. And now, with a new government in Mexico, work is ongoing despite the public rhetoric to define that new relationship via a revised trade arrangement, cooperation on longer term migration issues and dealing with important public security issues.
Ambassador Wayne has served in a variety of positions, including U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and Argentina, Deputy Ambassador in Afghanistan, and Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs, in addition to work on Europe. Ambassador “Tony” Wayne left the State Department in 2015 as a Career Ambassador. He is currently a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a Co-Chair of the Mexico Institute’s Board. He is also a senior non-resident advisor at two other think tanks: the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Atlantic Council. In addition, he works as an advisor for HSBC Latin America and serves as a member of its Financial System Risk Advisory Committee, helping banks to protect themselves against financial crime.
Ambassador Wayne’s most recent diplomatic posting was as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico (2011- 2015). He led a U.S. Mission of 2,700 employees working to foster America’s relationship with Mexico, a major partner on trade, investment, tourism, migration, law enforcement and border security. more info...
If you have an interest in Africa or want to learn more, join DAOR members at the monthly Africa Discussion Group. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
We are pleased to welcome Ambassador Edmund J. Hull to the March 19th Salon, where he will discuss the relationship between democracy promotion abroad and at home. Ambassador Hull is currently involved in the growing effort to secure Statehood for the District of Columbia and full representation in Congress for residents of DC. DACOR members from DC have an obvious stake in its success, and members from Virginia and Maryland significant roles to play through their members of Congress. That effort and those roles will be the focus of the Salon.
This interplay between promotion of democracy and rule of law here and abroad is vital to our understanding of our notion of “a shining city on the hill.” We have yet to implement full democracy, in this case an equitable and inclusive respect for civil, civic, and human rights, in our own society. Ambassador Hull believes that DACOR members bring diverse and important experiences to share around promoting the full implementation of democratic principles at home and abroad.
After 9/11, Edmund J. Hull was sent as ambassador to Yemen, where he served until mid-2004. Previously, he served both Presidents Clinton and Bush as Deputy, then Acting, Coordinator for Counterterrorism in the Department of State. A career foreign service officer, he also served as director for Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Affairs, deputy chief of mission in Embassy Cairo, director for Near East Affairs on the National Security Council, and director for Northern Gulf Affairs (Iraq and Iran) during Operation Desert Storm. A graduate of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, he was appointed its first diplomat-in-residence after departing Yemen. Ambassador Hull has received numerous honors including the CIA’s George H. W. Bush Award for Excellence in Counterterrorism, a Presidential Meritorious Service Award for duty in Yemen and the State Department’s Award for Excellence in the Direction and Management of Overseas Missions for work as Deputy Chief of Mission in Cairo.
"Bob" Magner has spent almost 10 years docenting at the National Cathedral. Join him for a virtual tour and find out about its history, art and secrets in addition to the types of tours available and their focuses. While the foundation stone was laid in 1907, the concept for a national church was included in L'Enfant's plan for the capital in 1791. Featuring stunning architecure and a prominant place in the city's skyline, the Washington National Cathedral was conceived to serve as a great church for national purposes. Today, and throughout its history, it has served as a gathering place for our country during moments of national significance.
A retired CIA officer, Mr. Magner served in Asia and the Middle East as well as in senior assignments in Washington. In retirement, he has worked as a consultant and, in addition to being a docent at the National Cathedral, volunteers at the Freer Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Library of Congress and DACOR.
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Jim Howe served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard for 27 years, rising to the rank of Captain. During his time at sea he gained extensive experience in maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and national security missions. He is the author of the Navy-Coast Guard tactical manual for drug and migrant interdiction, and his recent book, Red Crew (Naval Institute Press 2018), describes his first-hand experiences chasing smugglers and saving lives in the waters off South Florida aboard a one-of-a-kind flotilla of high-speed patrol boats.
After retiring from active duty, Howe served for two years as the senior career civil servant in the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Legislative Affairs. From 2003 to 2005, he was Special Advisor for Homeland Security in the Office of the Vice President of the United States. He interacted daily with the law enforcement professionals at a number of federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Secret Service, and he made several fact-finding visits to America’s northern and southern borders. He now works in the nuclear fuel industry and is the Vice President of Government Relations at Centrus Energy Corp.
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. 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' Buffet Lunch at 12:30 pm. Only French is spoken during lunch. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Isolated for centuries, the Arctic is fast becoming the epicenter of competition among the world’s most powerful countries. As climate change hastens melting of the polar ice, old and new players are asserting themselves to exploit prodigious energy resources. Russia, long dominant in the Arctic, sees opportunities and threats from Chinese interest in the region while the US struggles to assert leadership and the rule of law. The future of energy development in the region could be anybody’s game.
David Goldwyn is president of Goldwyn Global Strategies, LLC (GGS), an international energy advisory consultancy and Chairman of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center’s Energy Advisory Board. He is a globally recognized thought leader, educator and policy innovator in energy security and extractive industry transparency. Mr. Goldwyn served as the US State Department’s special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs from 2009 to 2011.
Mr. Goldwyn previously served as assistant secretary of energy for international affairs (1999-2001) and as national security deputy to US Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson (1997-98). Mr. Goldwyn is a member of the U.S. National Petroleum Council and the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Goldwyn has been published extensively on topics related to energy security and transparency. He is the co-editor of Energy & Security: Strategies for a World in Transition (Wilson Center Press/Johns Hopkins University Press 2013). Mr. Goldwyn is the author of Drilling Down: The Civil Society Guide to Extractive Industry Revenues and the EITI (Revenue Watch Institute 2008). more info...
If you have an interest in Africa or want to learn more, join DAOR members at the monthly Africa Discussion Group. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
What the Future of Development Holds Kristin Lord (IREX) and George Ingram (Brookings) have interviewed 80 development experts -- leaders from NGOs, think tanks, business, government -- on how development is different today, for the practice and for their own organization, and what they anticipate for the future. The findings are now being analyzed and the report written, with publication expected before this DDD event at DACOR.
Global development is fraught with disruption. Meanwhile, the practice of development is changing because of both success and stubborn challenges. On the success side, poverty has been cut in half in a generation (from 2006 to 2016, infant death rates fell from 43.4 to 30.5 per 1000 live births and the percentage of girls in school rose from 83.8% to 89.3%), democratic governance has exploded in the last three decades, and millions of underserved citizens now have access to banking and information thanks to the internet and access to mobile phones. However, we also are witnessing persistent conflict and fragility that undermines development, entrenched corruption that saps valuable resources and undermines public trust, and encroaching authoritarianism that puts development goals at risk. It is therefore is timely to look at where the practice of development may be headed. What are the challenges? How are the actors – both funders and organizations that carry out development projects – adjusting to address them?
Dr. George Ingram is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution. His professional career has spanned working in the Congress, the executive branch, and the non-profit sector. He is chair emeritus of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and co-chair of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network. He served as a senior staff member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, vice president of Citizens Democracy Corps, principal deputy assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and in several positions at the Academy for Educational Development, including interim president and chief executive officer.
Using Nature's Shuttle: The Making of the First Genetically Modified Plants and the People Who Did It Retired FSO Judith Heimann will tell how she came to research and write the true story of how young scientists in a public Belgian university engaged in basic research came to make history by discovering what one Nobel laureate describes as "probably the greatest advance in agricultural biotechnology since the invention of agriculture".
One of the first Foreign Service "tandem" spouses, Heimann had barely retired when she began writing non-fiction books. Two of her earlier books were made into critically acclaimed tv documentaries that she helped write.
This is Heimann's fourth book, and her first on a scientific subject. It draws on her intensive interviews of more than two dozen scientists from a half dozen countries involved in this historic discovery. She sees this book as presenting, in a jargon-free prose, the actual science, as opposed to the rash of anti-science, on this subject. By describing the joy these young scientists — often the first of their families with a higher education — had working together, she also hopes to encourage a new generation of young people to look for careers in the wide open field of the life sciences. more info...
