See You in '25!

And a Look Back at '24

With all its stresses and promise, 2024 delivered special benefits to WACSC -- and the most important was your membership and ongoing support!  Seeing you at events, sharing camaraderie, welcoming new members and friends...everything related to the “adventure in learning” that is WAC, added up to our best year ever.

Our deep appreciation of all who gave via the

2024 Matching Grant Fundraising Drive

We asked and you gave! Your generosity was terrific, and that we could match it dollar for dollar anonymous grant, it made a huge difference to our finances. Thank you!

A Quick Look Back at 2024 Programs:

January: Political Trends in Latin America, with Professor Michael Snodgrass.

February: A Close Look at India as a Strategic Partner, with Stanford’s Arzon Tarapore.

March: Climate Change Solutions That Work, with Berkeley’s Dr. Richard Muller.

April:  Challenges at the Southern Border, with educator Alex M. Saragoza.

May:  An Insider’s Look at Homeland Security, with Domestic Intelligence Specialist Mark Randol. 

June:   Gaza and the Future of Israeli-Palestinian Relations, with Senior Middlebury Fellow Dr. Glenn E. Robinson.

July: Preparing for the Future in Challenging Times, with writer and futurist Dr. Peter Bishop.   

August:  The News We Need Now, with Chris Fusco, editor of the Sonoma County Press Democrat.

September: The Most Important Election of Our Lifetimes, with Sonoma State’s Dr. David McCuan.

October:  War or Peace – Do We Have a Choice?, With ex-CIA Specialist and Peace Worker Janessa Gans Wilder.           

November:  Traveling to Sacred Mountains, with mountaineer/scholar/photographer Edwin Bernbaum.

Now, what about 2025?  

Here’s our lineup so far:

January 9: Ukraine, Russia and Prospects for Peace, with Steven Pifer, former-Ambassador to Ukraine.

February 6:   Our Over-Heating Planet and How to Fix It, with Dakota Gruener, scientist, author and researcher.

March 6:  U.S. Foreign Policy Under Donald Trump, with Keith McCormick, U.S. Department of State (ret.)

April 3:   China and the World, with political scientist and author Oriana Skylar Mastro.

Equally exciting subsequent programs will be announced before long. So, keep your eyes open in December for the January sign-up email.

Then there’s Academic WorldQuest:

a resounding success with

LOTS more to come!

After two successful years, AWQ, our exciting, innovative Sonoma County student competition is roaring ahead into ’25, and we couldn’t be more pleased. For more, see the Academic WorldQuest page on this website, and watch for coming announcements.

We look forward to seeing you next year!

Best,

Michele Chaboudy, President

The World Affairs Council of Sonoma County