About Us
The World Affairs Council of Wilmington was founded in 1967 to provide a forum to discuss international affairs. The Council has brought several hundred speakers to Wilmington including heads of state, ambassadors, senior level government officials, leading academics and senior executives who have influence in the international arena. Members of the World Affairs Council have had the opportunity to meet, hear, and question these distinguished guests personally in events typically unavailable to most citizens of other cities.
The Council carries out its mission through public and private programs, and through joint programs with other international organizations and The University of Delaware. Private dinners are designed to promote openness by the speakers and include time to talk with the speakers individually. Public programs generally include a presentation and question and answer session with a large audience.
Mission
The Mission of the World Affairs Council of Wilmington Inc. is to provide a forum in Wilmington,
Delaware for thought-leaders and intellectually-curious citizens to hear from foreign and domestic leaders about world affairs.
Executive Committee of the Board
Michael Clark, President
Fletcher A. King, Vice President – Strategic Planning
Kenneth E. Wattman, Vice President
Lewis H. Lazarus, Esq., Vice President and Secretary
Anthony Lunger, Treasurer
Brig Gen Jon A. Reynolds, US Air Force (Ret)
Samuel A. Nolen, Esq.
Michael Olin Clark Richard F. Corroon Wendell Fenton, Esq. Fletcher A. King Lewis H. Lazarus, Esq. Anthony W. Lunger Samuel A. Nolen, Esq. Brig Gen Jon A. Reynolds, US Air Force (Ret) Charles F. Richards, Jr., Esq. Ernest R. Ruppe Porter Schutt Robert H. Veghte Rodman Ward, III Kenneth E. Wattman
The World Affairs Council of Wilmington welcomes corporate sponsorships for its programs, educational events and public speakers. Corporate sponsorships provide critical support for outreach and education which further strengthens our community's understanding of and interest in world affairs and global events.
Past corporate sponsorships have included:
- Cephalon
- DuPont
- Glenmede Trust Company
- HSBC Bank USA
- Legg Mason Investment Counsel
- Richards Layton & Finger, PA
- Morgan Stanley
- Wilmington Trust
June 23, 1977:
George H. W. Bush, then CIA Director, came to the World Affairs Council of Wilmington and discussed the future of the Middle East in the context of the "oil shocks" and the power of OPEC to throw the US and the developed world into recession.
October 19, 2009:
Haleh Esfandiari captivated a Council audience with her story of arrest, interrogations and imprisonment in Terhan's Evin Prison. Dr. Esfandiari is the head of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
January 28, 2010: