In addition to our Newsletter, I'll send periodic updates to you about WACHH. This is Volume 1, Number 1. Thank you for supporting WACHH and your patience during our leadership transitions (President, Executive Director, and Office Manager). Two weeks ago, Tracie Martucci assumed the role of Interim Executive Director and Trey Ramsey began working part-time in the office. Both are adapting well to our procedures. With the three of us assuming new roles, there will be some initial challenges. We appreciate your understanding and patience during this transition period.
You may have noticed we had a change in our Distinguished Speaker Series for Friday, May 2. We were thrilled to have Bill Taylor, former Ambassador to Ukraine (along with other international post) step in to present “Russia’s War on Ukraine-Prospects for Peace.”
May also is the month of our Membership Renewal Drive, and I hope you will renew your membership to WACHH for 2025-26. Early renewal will help us as we prepare our budget for next year, and if you renew before July 1 you’ll receive two free guest passes. This year's Distinguished Speakers were outstanding, and next year's lineup looks just as impressive:
- John Sullivan – former US Ambassador to Russia and author of the best seller “Midnight in Moscow”
- Joseph Cirincione – expert on nuclear arms control and author of seven books
- Andrew Wells-Dang – Vietnam expert from US Institute of Peace on US-Vietnam relations 50 years on the anniversary of the end of the war.
- David Satterfield (a repeat lecturer) - “The Trump Foreign Policy: A First Year Assessment”
For Ambassador Taylor’s session on May 2, you are encouraged to bring one or two guests free of guest charges. Register your guests on our website to ensure they are not charged the $25 guest fee. Please help recruit new members for 2025-26. Next Friday is a chance to introduce your friends to WACHH.
We want to experiment with having a new type of discussion group on timely topics. Rather than having a group discussion about a book or article, these discussion groups will be on significant current events where an expert will introduce the topic with participants sharing their perspectives. Our kickoff event on Wednesday, May 21 at 6:30 pm will be on the demise of US AID and implications for America’s future role in the world—a topic with no shortage of opinions. Bill Patterson, a WACHH Board Member and career diplomat with USAID will lead the discussion. The location will depend on the size of the group. Check our calendar on the website to register, as this event will be posted soon.
In other good news, we had more than one hundred students from Beaufort County participate in Model UN this year at Georgia Southern or Winthrop. May River High School alone had forty-seven students participate, winning thirteen awards and finishing 3rd overall!
As we conclude this year’s programs, I want to thank you for supporting WACHH.
Rich Moniuszko
President, Board of Directors
World Affairs Council of Hilton Head
