Meet the Board

Chris Nelle

Chris Nelle joined our Board in 2021 and is exploring a particularly exciting program, new for WACSC: Academic World Quest, the flagship youth education program ofthe World Affairs Councils of America. It is a fun, fast-paced team competition for high school students, testing players’ knowledge of current international politics, geography, global economics, history, and world cultures. Chris writes:

As the newest member of the Board, I am enjoying getting to know my fellow Board members. It appears that I am unique in that I am the only native Californian!

In fact, I am a third-generation native. My paternal grandfather, born in 1892, was raised in San Francisco, and my maternal grandfather, born in  1895, was raised in Middletown. I grew up in Sacramento, went to school there, then attended UC Berkeley where I received my B.S. in Business Administration. […Read more…]

Mike Morrison

For 10 years Mike has been a pillar of our Board, with positions ranging from Vice President to President to Program Chair – his current job, for the second time around. Mike brings a love of world affairs, organizational skills and infectious warmth and enthusiasm to everything he does. Mike writes:

As a teenager and young adult growing up in the suburbs of Seattle in the 1960s and 1970s, I was fascinated with world events, international affairs, and politics. Hoping for a career in diplomacy and the Foreign Service, I started along that academic track at the University of Washington, until I discovered an equally strong interest in the environmental movement that was just getting started. […Read more…]

Michele Chaboudy

We were so pleased to announce in September 2021 that Michele would take on the role of President of the Board. Along with her energy, curiosity and intelligence, Michele brings a unique blend of business and academic accomplishment, management expertise and a passion for community service. She writes:

I grew up in Portsmouth, Ohio, as part of a family dedicated to community service, and early on I knew that this spirit would stay with me no matter where life took me. Upon graduating from Portsmouth High School, I headed to DePauw University, where there was no question what my major would be — history. Receiving my B.A., I went on to Indiana University, earning an M.L.S., and from there turned my sights west, for an M.B.A. at Pepperdine University. […Read more…]

Linda Lambert

Linda Lambert joined the Board in 2020, and is active on the Program Committee. She leads our all-important Think Tank — a committee of member-volunteers honing new strategies and opportunities, guaranteeing that WACSC stays vital. In this piece, Linda shares details of her rich and rewarding life to date.

I was born in Chicago, but grew up in West Mineral, Kansas, a small coal-mining town of about 300 where my parents were from. Unfortunately, I felt like a fish out of water there, as though I’d been accidently dropped in a strange land.

Perhaps this was because my mother was a liberal, flamboyant romantic who didn’t fit either. […Read more…]

David Beckman

David joined the Board last year, and agreed to share aspects of his life, and what being part of WACSC means to him. David writes:

I was born in Jamestown, New York, and in high school was involved in debate and student government, and elected Student Council president. Thus was born a keen interest in public life and events — how they’re shaped by people, politics and ideas. An equally strong fascination was with literature and writing. How would these two diverse interests find expression?

I went to Brown University on scholarship and majored in English, determined eventually to attain “the writing life,” […Read more…]

Contact:

Phone: (707) 573-6014

Email: wacscca@gmail.com

Address:

P.O. Box 1433

Santa Rosa, CA 95402


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World Affairs Council of Sonoma County is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit educational organization.

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