WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCILS OF AMERICA

National Conference Achievements

January 2005

• Attendance record of 530 set:  415 registrants plus 115 VIPs and guests.
• Lifetime Achievement Award to Secretary Colin Powell.
• First-ever Chairman’s Dinner: 320 attended.
• C-SPAN and NBC News coverage of conference events.
• New national logo, brochure, and brand identifiers unveiled.
• Distinguished International Journalist Award to Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek.
• Keynote by Sen. Chuck Hagel on Major Foreign Policy Challenges We Face.
• Plenary session speeches by Lee Hamilton, Gen. Brent Scowcroft, CharlesKrauthammer, Laurie Garrett, Amb. Dennis Ross, and Amb. John Bruton.
• Receptions at Japanese, Mexican, Jordanian, French, and Taiwanese missions.
• Ambassador lunches with Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Palestinian Authority, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Cuba, Sudan, Nepal, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, Lebanon.
• Discussion groups with Amb. Bob Gallucci, Doris Meissner, Dov Zakheim, Bathsheba Crocker, Amb. Peter Tomsen, Amb. Richard Benedick, and more.
• Operations Workshops on School Programs, World in Transition, Media, Council Programming, WorldQuest, Strategic Planning, Branding, Local Summits.
• New council participation record:  delegations from 76 councils.
• New fundraising record for conference sponsorships, including new sponsors Anheuser-Busch and European Union.
• President’s Awards for Excellence to Chicago, Dallas, Alaska , and Montana Councils.  Carol Marquis Award for School Programs to Philadelphia Council.
• Council leaders Felicity Harley ( Hartford ), Ian Moncaster ( Seattle ), Jeff Robbins ( Boston ), Angela Weck ( Peoria ), and Maria Wulff ( Oregon ) elected to board.
• Vision statement for next decade presented by national president.