WACA National Conference
January 26 - 29, 2005 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, DC

Tackling the World's Toughest Issues: What the Next Administration Faces

AGENDA
updated 01/25/05
(NOTE: This first-draft agenda will be updated as changes occur. Speakers with a (c) after their name means confirmed, and those with an (i) after their name means invited)

High-level Invitees

CONFIRMED

Secretary of State Colin Powell

Rep. Lee Hamilton

Amb. Dennis Ross

Amb. Robert Gallucci

EU Ambassador John Bruton

Washington Post Columnist Charles Krauthammer

General Brent Scowcroft

Former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner

Pulitzer Prize Winner Laurie Garrett

Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria

Senator Chuck Hagel

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26

10:00 Registration Opens 

2:00 – 3:30 Council Staff Workshops

Workshop 1:  Council School Programs  -Sky Foerster, Pittsburgh, PA 
Workshop 2:  Roundtable for Programming for Large and Medium-sized Councils - Claudia McBride, Philadelphia, PA (c) 
Workshop 3:  Councils and the Media - Jane Wales, San Francisco, CA (c) 
Workshop 4:  Citizen Diplomacy Summits and Working with Local Governments - Jim Falk, Dallas, TX and Sherry Mueller, NCIV(c)

3:00 Coffee Break

3:30 – 5:00

Workshop 5: WorldQuest  - Maria Zammit, Greater Hampton Rds, VA (c) 
Workshop 6:  Council Strategic Planning - Felicity Harley, Hartford, CT (c) 
Workshop 7:  World in Transition Workshop - Chris Brown, Atlanta, GA (c) 
Workshop 8:  Branding and the Council System - Deanna Pelfrey Lousiville, KY and Eileen Heaphy, Stamford, CT (c)

5:00 Coffee Break

Tours
9:30 - 12:30 Tour A:Spy Tour of Washington by bus. Limit 45. Tour Guide is Carol Bessette. Group Leader is Sally Billington. Meet at the Registration Desk at 9:15 am.

1:30 - 4:30 Tour B: Spy Tour of Washington by bus. Limit 45. Tour Guide is Carol Bessette. Group Leader is Terry Vermilye. Meet at the Registration Desk at 1:15 pm. 

2:00 – 4:00 Tour C: Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. Group Leader is Carol Baumann. Meet at the Registration Desk at 1:30 pm. 

1:30 - 4:00 Tour D: National Institutes of Health. Limit 25. Group Leader is Ken Wattman. Meet at the Registration Desk at 1:00 pm.  

Receptions
5:00 - 6:00 Council Staff Reception
Host: President Jerry Leach

6:00 - 8:00 Opening Reception in the Ambassador Ballroom
Host: Chairman Jim JonesSpeaking: 6:45 pm Jim Jones, Siemens CEO George Nolan, Eileen Heaphy and Deanna Pelfrey
7:30 - 8:20 Reception for Chairman's Dinner Sponsors, Patrons, and Chairman's Circle Donors
Host: Jim Jones

8:00 - 10:30 Chairman's Dinner. Colin L. Powell (c) THE CHAIRMAN'S DINNER HAS BEEN SOLD OUT. ANY PAYMENTS RECEIVED AT THIS TIME WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE PLACED ON A WAITING LIST. 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

9:00 Opening of Conference
Speaker: Jerry Leach

9:15 Plenary Session:  The 9/11 Commission: What Needs to Be Done Now
Speaker Lee Hamilton (c) 

10:30 Coffee Break
10:45  Plenary Session:  Weapons of Mass Destruction: What to Do?
Speaker: Brent Scowcroft (c)
Presiding: National Treasurer Jim Falk

12:30 - 2:00 pm Ambassadorial Luncheons at the Omni Shoreham

Afghanistan
Amb. Said Tayeb Jawad; Chair - Amb. Mark Johnson

Australia
Amb. Michael Thawley; Chair Bob Fischer

Austria
Amb. Eva Nowotny; Chair Carlos Alvarez

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Amb. Igor Davidovic; Chair Sir Eldon Griffiths

Cuba
Rep. Dagoberto Rodriguez Barrera; Chair Don Winkelmann

Finland
Amb. Jukka Valtasaari; Chair Eileen Heaphy

Germany
Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger; Chair Dr. John Rielly

Greece
Amb. George Savvaides; Chair Amb. Marilyn McAfee

Indonesia
Amb. Soemadi Brotodiningrat; Chairs Laura Hudson and Angela Weck. Sponsored by UNOCAL.

Kenya
Amb. Leonard Ngaithe Chair Felicity Harley

Lebanon
Amb. Farid Abboud; Chair Claudia McBride

Libya
Rep. Ali Aujaly. Chair Jeff Robbins

Nepal
Amb. Kedar Bhakta Shreshta; Chair Karen de Bartolome

Pakistan
Amb. Jehangir Karamat; Chair Alex Lari

Palestinian Authority
Rep. Hasan Abdel Rahman; Chair Jeff Merkley

Sudan
Amb. Khidir Haroun Ahmed; Chair Ian Moncaster

Taiwan
Rep. David Tawei Lee; Chair Sally Billington

Turkey
Amb. Faruk Logoglu: Chair Dr. Jerry Leach

Vietnam
Amb. Nguyen Tam Chien; Chair Lisa Maruyama

3:00 Discussion Groups  
Group A - Where are We Now on Homeland Security?
Speaker: Amb. Crisencio Arcos (c), Director, Int’l Operations, Homeland Security
Chair: Bob Fischer 

Group B -  Sudan: Genocide, Oil, and Civil War
Speaker: Amb. Charles Snyder (c), Acting Ass’t Secretary of State for Africa Affairs
Chair: Sir Eldon Griffiths 

Group C -  Dealing with Global Warming
Speaker: Amb.  Richard Benedick (c), Chairman, Nat’l Council Science & Environment
Chair: Jeff Merkley 

Group D -  Outsourcing: Good or Bad?
Speaker: Dr. Catherine Mann (c) , Institute of International Economics
Chair: Jon Fox 

Group E -  Can We Transform the Middle East?
Speaker:  Dr. Dov Zakheim (c), former Comptroller of DOD
Chair: Sky Foerster 

Group F -  How Do We Deal with Iran?
Speaker: Dr. Ray Tayekh(c) , Council on Foreign Relations
Chair: Alex Lari 

Group G -  The Reconstruction of Iraq
Speaker: Bathsheba  Crocker(c) , Center for Strategic and International Studies
Chair: Amb. Mark Johnson 
 
Group H - What to do about  Illegal Immigration?
Speaker: Doris Meissner (c) , former INS Commissioner
Chair: Jeff Robbins 

4:15 Coffee Break 

4:30 Plenary Session:  Neoconservatism or Democratic Realism: Good for America? Good for the World?
Speaker: Charles Krauthammer (c), Washington Post Columnist
Chair: Amb. Marilyn McAfee

5:30 End of Afternoon Session

6:00  All five Embassy Reception Groups Assemble in the Blue Prefunction Room.

6:30 Embassy Receptions

France
Host: Amb. Jean-David Levitte.
Group Leader: National Board Member Mimi Gregory
Walk to Ambassador’s Residence on 2221 Kalorama Rd.

Japan
Host: Amb. Ryozo Kato
Group Leader: National Board Member Peter White
Bus to Embassy on 2520 Massachusetts Avenue

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Host: Charge d’ Affaires Jafar Hassan.
Group Leader: National Vice-Chairman Maria Zammit.
Bus to Embassy on 3504 International Drive off of Van Ness.

Mexico
Host: Amb. Carlos de Icaza.
Group Leader: National Chairman Amb. Jim Jones.
Bus to Mexican Cultural Institute on 2829 16t St.

Taiwan Mission
Host: Rep. David Tawei Lee.
Group Leader: National Board Member Jon Fox.
Bus to Twin Oaks Residence on 3225 Woodley Road NW. 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28

9:00 Plenary Session:  What Will it Take to Conquer AIDS?
Speaker: Laurie Garrett (c), Council on Foreign Relations
Chair: Vice-Chairman Maria Zammit 

10:15 Coffee Break

10:45 Plenary Session:  Israel and Palestine: Is Peace Possible?
Speaker: Amb. Dennis Ross (c)
Chair: National Board Member Barbara Propes

11:45 End of Session

12:00 Book Signing: The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace

12:30 - 2:00 Keynote Luncheon
Speaker: Sen. Chuck Hagel

3:00 Discussion Groups 
Group K - Future of Afghanistan
Speaker: Amb.  Peter Tomsen(c), author and Afghanistan expert
Chair: Noel Lateef  

Group L - How to Stop Trafficking in Women and Children  
Speaker: Amy O'Neill Richard (c) , State Department
Chair: Sally Billington  

Group M - Preventing Global Epidemics
Speaker: Dr. Judy Twigg (c), Virginia Commonwealth University
Chair: Don Winkelmann  

Group N -  Is China Democratizing?
Speaker: Dr. Banning Garrett (c), Atlantic Council
Chair: Dr. John E. Rielly  

Group O - Space Weapons or Arms Control?
Speaker: Dr.  Philip Coyle (c) , Center for Defense Information
Chair: Barbara Propes  

Group P -   What to Do about the North Korea Nuclear Program?
Seaker: Amb. Robert Gallucci (c), Dean, Georgetown School of Foreign Service
Chair: Peter White 

Group Q -  Creating New Democracies
Speaker: Jennifer Windsor (c), Executive Director, Freedom House
Chair: Lisa Maruyama  

Group R -  The Future of Oil
Speaker: Frank Verrastro(c) , Energy Program, CSIS
Chair: Deanna Pelfrey  

Group S -  Blogs Changing the World
Speaker: Dr. Henry Farrell (c), George Washington University
Chair: Jim Falk

4:15 Coffee Break

4:30 Plenary Session:  The Future of Europe
Speaker: European Union Ambassador John  Bruton (c)
Chair: Noel Lateef 

6:30 Mix and Mingle Cash Bar

7:30 Seven Continents Banquet
Presentation of the Distinguished International Journalist Award to Fareed Zakaria
Political Satire Performance by Bob Somerby, of the Daily Howler
Raffle of two American Airlines International Tickets

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

7:30 National Council of International Visitors Breakfast with Sherry Mueller. At hotel.  Two people each from councils working with NCIV. 

8:30  Morning Coffee

9:00 Summation of Conference.
Chair:Jane Wales

10:30  National Membership Meeting
Chairs: Chairman Jim Jones and President Jerry Leach

11:45  END OF THE CONFERENCE

12:00 Luncheon for National Board Members

12:30 - 3:00 National Board Meeting

THANKS TO OUR CONFERENCE SPONSORS

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

Siemens

American Airlines

The Gambrinius Compnay

Northrop Grumman

Aramco Services

UNOCAL

Anheuser Busch