Monthly Newsletter of the World Affairs Council System
In this issue...

Featuring the Houston Council
Teachers' European Union Workshop
Chairman's Circle Launched
Welcome Keerti!
NewsNotes

Did you know...that 49 councils currently participate in our Great Decisions flagship program!

Featuring the Houston Council

Our Houston Council is one of the largest and most successful councils in the nation. Started in 1990, it had a modest budget, no staff, and around 120 members by 1995.

In late 1995, the board of directors made a decision to grow, developing an aggressive plan to add corporate directors and program themes with broad appeal. Linda Wuest, the current Executive Director, joined at that time and Houston has grown in membership and activity ever since.

The council now has a budget of over $1 million, 6 full-time staff members, over 75 public programs annually, and 4000 members! The council, namely Linda, has created its own method of direct-mail membership appeal, one of the secrets of its success.

Key to the council's overall progress has been its focus on quality programs, on convenient and sociable settings, on encouraging members participation, and on the highly personalized ways of dealing with members.

The Houston WAC also has an extremely active Educational Outreach to high schools. Key program components include:

Conversations with History - small groups of students meeting figures like Lech Walesa

Young Leaders Forum - serves 400-500 students each month

Educator Seminars - twice each month, serves 75 teachers at each event

International Extravaganza - a 550-student banquet during International Education week

Academic World Quest - involving 300 students from about 25 high schools

Summer Institute--week-long teacher training program.

The Education Outreach program, run by Jennifer Gigliotti, also includes lesson plan contests, scholarships, total immersion workshops and an international trip for select teachers. Last June she took 14 teachers for a week trip to China.

The council organizes several international trips each year. Planned for 2005-2006 are Vietnam and Cambodia, Libya and Tunisia, Turkey, and Russia.

The council also supports Great Decisions groups and has an active Young Professionals series of programs. Houston will soon launch GlobalHouston.org which is the third portal website in the council system.

Linda Wuest served on the national board for 6 years and as National Treasurer for 4 years, for which she received an award and national recognition as one of the most successful council leaders in the system.

Congratulations to the Houston Council and to Linda Wuest and her wonderful team for their remarkable success over the last ten years! From 120 to 4000 members is just incredible!

Teachers' European Union Workshop

WACA has just completed its first national teachers' workshop. The theme was the workings of the European Union.

The 4-day workshop enabled 22 high school teachers to meet and hear such speakers as Amb. Frans Van Daele from Belgium, Dr. Paul Gallis of Congressional Research Service, Dr. Esther Brimmer of SAIS, and Prof Simon Serfaty of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The teachers went to the Irish embassy, the EU Mission, the Turkish Embassy, and the State Department where they had lunch with Karen Volker from the EU Office. While at State, the teachers got to meet and be photographed with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

WACA hopes to make this process a regular annual event, with next year's workshop being on Africa. Stay tuned!

Chairman's Circle Launched!

The Chairman's Circle, started by the national board in January 2005, successfully held its first program in Norfolk and Jacksonville, June 29 - July 2.

Members of the Circle got a VIP Tour of the Allied Command Headquarters and toured an aircraft carrier at the Norfolk Naval Yard. They had lunch with Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, the next Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Circle Members flew to Jacksonville Naval Air Station and then out to USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Atlantic, where they met the Admiral, toured the ship, and saw daytime and nighttime air operations.

Congratulations to Maria Zammit, our Vice-Chairman, and Amb. Marilyn McAfee of Jacksonville who created this fabulous plan. The Chairman's Circle committee is looking forward to organizing future successful programs for its members.

Learn more about the Chairman's Circle and find out how to join.

Keerti Hasija Joins National Staff

Keerti Hasija joined the national staff as Director of Special Projects. She comes to DC from Atlanta after spending three years at the Southern Center for International Studies as the educational outreach coordinator and the primary research associate for their new curriculum unit on South Asia.

Keerti is a native of Charleston and her family background is in India. She holds degrees in Journalism and Political Science and is pursuing a masters degree in International Training and Education at American University. Keerti speaks fluent Hindi and conversational Punjabi, Oriya and "Southern."

NewsNotes

* The March issue of Coast magazine, a publication which focuses on southern California living, profiled Fred Ameri, the Chairman of the World Affairs Council of Orange County. Iranian-born American Ameri is Senior Vice-President of RBF Consulting. Congratulations Fred from all of us. Well-deserved.

* The Louisville International Cultural Center has changed its name to World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

* The Pacific and Asian Affairs Council based in Honolulu launched its Globally Aware Professionals Program (GAPP) with a networking social event on May 18th.

* Eileen Heaphy, Executive Director of the World Affairs Forum, wrote an op-ed article for The Advocate in Stamford, based on her experience with our delegation to the EU in May.

* The EU trip reports are now finished and will be mailed out to all the councils in August.

* Our Vice-Chairman, Maria Zammit, has been selected by DOD to participate in a Joint Civilian Orientation Conference. It involves a tour and an orientation program of US and NATO military installations throughout Europe in October.

* The next national board meeting is in Mexico City Aug. 4-7. The board will meet President Vicente Fox and hold a seminar with the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations.

* The national conference 2006 entitled "The World's Rising Powers" is scheduled for January 18-21, 2006 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC.

"If you don't watch out, you're going to get where you're going."
- Gandhi -