"What Diplomats Do and Why It (Still) Matters"
San Diego Diplomacy Council
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, President of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), will discuss the role of the nation's diplomats as the most cost-effective tool in our national security toolkit. She will highlight how diplomatic engagement, whether through international exchange programs, helping U.S. businesses compete and win, or working with international law enforcement partners, helps the United States maintain global leadership and keep America secure and prosperous.
Barbara Stephenson was elected President of AFSA in 2015 and re-elected in 2017. Her remarkable Foreign Service career includes service as Ambassador to Panama, Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge' d'affaires (acting Ambassador) for the U.S. Mission to the United Kingdom, and Consul General in Northern Ireland. In Washington, Ambassador Stephenson served as Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute where she launched and co-chaired the department-wide Culture of Leadership Initiative. As Deputy Senior Adviser to the Secretary and Deputy Coordinator for Iraq (2006-2008), she won the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award for developing and implementing the "civilian surge" that helped improve governance and reduce violence in Iraq's provinces.
The event is co-sponsored by the Charles Hostler Institute on World Affairs at SDSU, the World Trade Center, and the City of San Diego's International Affairs Board.
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Keynote Address
SDDC & SDWAC Members: $10
Non-Members $15
Qualcomm Inc. Auditorium
1st Floor Building Q
6455 Lusk Blvd.