2020

John Cruickshank, Consul General of Canada in Chicago
Captain Beverley Bass, American Airlines’ first female captain
Lieutenant General Eric “Rick” Findley, RCAF, NORAD’s Director of Operations on September 11
Topic: Closing North American Skies – The People and Stories Behind Come From Away

Dr. Paul Salem, president, Middle East Institute
Topic: U.S. Interests and Policy in a Turbulent Middle East

Dr. Rex Archer, MD, MPH, Director of Health, City of Kansas City, Missouri
Andrew Azan, vice president, Health Care Practice, Aon
Dr. Michael Stellern, professor, Helzberg School of Management, Rockhurst University
Mary Sanchez, nationally syndicated columnist, moderator
Topic: The Emerging Impacts of the Coronavirus

Dr. Faisal Khan, CEO, Samuel U. Rodgers Health
Raj Bhala, Brenneisen Distinguished Professor, University of Kansas Law School
Cody Wood, associate, Dentons Law Firm
Mary Sanchez, nationally syndicated columnist, moderator
Topic: Supplying and Sustaining a Prepared Public Health Infrastructure

Dr. Sarah Kessler, associate professor, University of Kansas Medical Center
Michael Tabman, former FBI Special Agent in Charge
Topic: Balancing Public Health and Privacy Concerns During a Pandemic Response

Marc Chandler, Chief Market Strategist, Bannockburn Global Forex
Topic: The Global Economy: What Can We Reasonably Expect?

Sam Brannen, senior fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Daniel R. Mahanty, U.S. Program Director, Center for Civilians in Conflict
Lora Vogt, curator, Education, National WWI Museum and Memorial
Topic: International Cooperation in Responding to Crisis

Tamanna Salikuddin, director, South Asia programs, U.S. Institute of Peace
Topic: Conflict and Competition in South Asia

Geoffrey Gertz, fellow, Global Economy and Development program, Brookings Institution
Topic: Balancing Globalization and Self-Sufficiency Post-Covid

Karl Matthias Klause, head, Economic Section, German Embassy in Washington
Topic: Innovating Cooperation: Covid, Germany, and the U.S.

Michael Kimmage, professor of History, Catholic University of America
Vince Houghton, historian and curator, International Spy Museum
Jeffrey Gedmin, editor in chief, The American Interest
Topic: What Happened to the West? An Evolving Idea in American Foreign Policy

Ambassador Ron Kirk, former U.S. Trade Representative
Topic: Choices: Tariffs and Trade

Erik Brattberg, director, Europe Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Topic: Choices: The Transatlantic Relationship

Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Egypt, the Philippines, and India
Topic: Choices: Peace in the Middle East

Melanie Nakagawa, head of climate initiative, Princeville Global
Topic: Choices: Energy, Environment, & Climate Change

Melissa Dalton, senior fellow and deputy director of the CSIS International Security Program (ISP), director of the Cooperative Defense Project
Topic: Choices: Military & Diplomacy

Richard Fontaine, CEO, Center for a New American Security
Topic: Choices: Great Power Competition: China, Russia, & the U.S.

Suzanne DiMaggio, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Topic: Choices: Iran, North Korea, and Nuclear Proliferation

Oona A. Hathaway, Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law, Yale Law School
Topic: Choices: American Leadership & Multilateralism

2021

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States
Topic: The Middle East from Kurdistan’s Perspective

Jeffrey Brown, head of technology policy, Bertelsmann Foundation
Topic: Covid, Technology, and the Future of Work

Jomana Qaddour, nonresident senior fellow with the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council
Topic: The Ripples of Syria

Secretary Chuck Hagel, 24th United States Secretary of Defense and former Nebraska senator
Topic: The Global Rebalance of Power

Gary Sick, senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Middle East Institute
Topic: Persian Gulf Security Issues

Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment
Topic: Polarization in Democracy: A 2021 Global Landscape

Dr. Charlie Bankart, associate vice provost for international affairs, University of Kansas
Consul Alfonso Navarro Bernachi, head consul, Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City
Fang Shen, partner, Husch Blackwell
Carolyn Watley, vice president of community engagement, CBIZ
Topic: The World Is Here: International in Kansas City

Anita Dixon and Jake Wagner, authors of Kansas City’s UNESCO Creative City of Music application
Topic: Music and Diplomacy

J. Samuel Valenzuela, professor of sociology, University of Notre Dame
Topic: South America’s Political Patchwork

Daniel S. Hamilton, Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Distinguished Fellow, director of the Global Europe Program, Wilson Center
Topic: Brexit and the European Union

Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh, senior associate and regional director for Central and West Africa, National Democratic Institute
Topic: Africa: The Road To and Through Democracy

Heather A. Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, CSIS
Topic: Struggles Over the Melting Arctic

Florindo Chivucute, founder and executive director, Friends of Angola (FoA)
Lina Benabdallah, assistant professor of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University
Topic: China’s Role in Africa

Dr. Jennifer D. Sciubba, Stanley J. Buckman Professor of International Studies and department chair, Rhodes College
Dr. Kanta Kumari Rigaud, lead adaptation specialist, World Bank
Lisa Palmer, National Geographic Professor of Science Communication, School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
Topic: Toward 10.9 Billion: Challenges of Global Population Growth

Yaya J. Fanusie, adjunct senior fellow, Center for a New American Security
Topic: The Growing Influence of Cryptocurrency

Chung Min Lee, senior fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Jenny Town, senior fellow and director, 38 North Program, Stimson Center
Topic: The Korean Peninsula

Dr. Ken Burton, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) Coordinator
Topic: Nuancing National Security: Biological & Agricultural Security

HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S.
Topic: From Saudi Arabia’s Perspective

Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, adjunct professor of Security Studies, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service
Topic: Nuancing National Security: The 21st Century Military

Christopher Rendo, deputy consul general, U.S. Consulate in Belfast
Topic: A Kansas City Diplomat: Updates from Belfast

Mona Yacoubian, senior advisor on Syria, the Middle East and North Africa, United States Institute of Peace
Topic: Nuancing National Security: Diplomacy’s Role in National Security

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director, Transatlantic Security Program, Center for a New American Security
Topic: Nuancing National Security: Transnational Security Issues

George A. Lopez, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
Topic: The Effectiveness of Economic Sanctions

Bob Kolasky, director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) National Risk Management Center
Topic: Nuancing National Security: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Resilience

Bob Cekuta, Ambassador, Republic of Azerbaijan
Topic: Nuancing National Security: Energy Security

David Dollar, Senior Fellow, John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings Institution
Topic: Great Decisions Lecture Series: The End of Globalization?

Brian Tronic, Counsel, Perseus Strategies
Topic: International Career Series: Human Rights Law

Dr. Andrea Hendricks, Senior Executive Director & Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer, Cerner
Kristina Perkin Davison, Founder, iEurope, New Europe Capital Partners LLC
Beth Ward, Senior Vice President- Supply Chain and Corporate officer, Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Topic: Women in Global Leadership: International Business

Dr. Karen Britt, Assistant Professor, Department of Fine and Performing Arts, Northwest Missouri State University
Topic: International Career Series: Art & Archeology

Cristina Ávila-Zesatti, Founder, Corresponsal de Paz
Daisy Sindelar, Vice President & Editor in Chief, RFE/RL
Vanessa Bassil, Founder/CEO, Media Association for Peace, Lebanon
Topic: Women in Global Leadership: Journalism

Deborah Sandler, General Director, Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Min Jung Kim, Director, St. Louis Art Museum
Topic: Women in Global Leadership: The Arts

Vedika Bhandarkar, CEO, Water.org
Maria Teresa “Teddy” Naluwu, Coordinator of Community Development, leads efforts of Unbound Kampala
Nithyasri Sharma, Manager of Strategy, Women’s World Banking
Topic: Women in Global Leadership: International NGO’s

Esther George, CEO, KC Fed
Allison Berey, Kansas City Consultant, Corporate Leadership
Topic: Women in Global Leadership: Finance & Economics

Guillermo Malpica Soto, Undersecretary of Industry & Commerce, Government of Puebla
Topic: Great Decisions Lecture Series: Global Supply Chains and National Security

Nicole Aandahl, Director of CSIS’s Diversity & Leadership in International Affairs Program
Anne- Louise Colgan, Director of Public Education at U.S. Institute of Peace
Sarah Staton, Ph.D – Deputy Director for the Science & Technology Cooperation, U.S. Department of State
Topic: Women in Global Leadership: Foreign Policy

Dr. Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General, Impact
Topic: Great Decisions Lecture Series: The Role of International Organizations in a Global Pandemic

Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador, European Union to the United States
Topic: Amb. Lambrinidis: From the European Union’s Perspective

2022

Jay Kim, Founder, DataLocker
Michael Volz, Associate Teaching Professor of Chinese, Missouri University
Tamara Medakov, Language Arts Student, University of Findlay
Topic: Is English the World’s Language

Frank J. Klimas, U.S. Air Force Officer, Assistant Professor, Department of Joint, Interagency, & Multinational Operations in U.S. Army
Topic: What’s Happening in Syria

Pritha Hariharan, International Program Director Asia & Africa, Unbound
Topic: International Career Series: NGO’s and Nonprofits

Janis Garisons, State Secretary, Latvian Ministry of Defense
Topic: Eastern Europe from Latvia’s Perspective: A Conversation with State Secretary Garisons of the Latvian Defense Ministry

Christopher Hum, Diplomatic Ambassador, Master of Gonville & Caius College Cambridge
Topic: Will China Rule the World? 

Dr. Karenbeth Zacharias, Chair of Division of Humanities and Liberal Arts, Director of Lawrence D. Starr Center for Peace & Justice, University of Saint Mary
Topic: What’s Happening in Ethiopia?

Dr. Jiakun Jack Zhang, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Director of KU Trade War, Kansas University
Topic: What’s happening in the South China Sea?

José Antonio Dos Santos , Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Republic of Paraguay
Counselor Sebastian Ortiz, Head of Trade and Economic Affairs office, Embassy of Paraguay to United States
Topic: Doing Business with Paraguay: A Business Roundtable with the Paraguayan Ambassador to the United States

Gary Espinas, Senior Lecturer & Regional Program Lead, Institute for Security Governance DSCA
Topic: What’s Happening in Ukraine

Alyson Schroer, Corporate Compliance & Consulting Manager, The Scarbrough Group
Topic: International Career Series: Transportation and Logistics

Adriana Boersner-Herrera, PhD, Assistant Professor Political Science, University of South Carolina Aiken
Topic: What’s Happening in Venezuela?

Luis Guillermo Solís, 47th President of The Republic of Costa Rica
Yuan Wang, Fellow, Columbia-Harvard China
Robert S. Ross, Professor Political Science, Boston College
Min Ye, Associate Professor International Relations, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
Topic: The Regional Impacts of China’s Belt and Road Initiative Symposium

Amir Hamja, Photographer, NYT, WSJ, Bloomberg news, etc.
Topic: Global Horizons- International Career Series: Photography

Seungkwon You, Director, Global Leadership Program and Asian Scholars Program, Asian Affairs Center
Topic:Global Horizons- Lexicon: Korean

Jennifer Owen, Artistic Director, Owen/Cox Dance Group
Heather Lowenstein, Founder, StoneLion Puppet
Topic: Global Horizons- Global Bridges Through Performing Arts

Mike Wuthrich, Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Director, Center for Global and International Studies
Topic: What’s Happening in Turkey?

Spandita Malik, Visual Artist from India, Focus on global socio-political state of Affairs
Topic: International Career Series: Visual Arts

Amb. William B. Taylor, Vice President of Russia & Europe, U.S. Institute of Peace
Topic: What’s Happening in Russia?

Amb. Ebrahim Rasool, Former Distinguished Scholar, Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School for Foreign Services
Topic: What’s Happening in South Africa

Emily Schultheis, Freelance Journalist and Fellow, Institute of Current World Affairs
Topic: What’s Happening in Germany

Tamara Demuria, Head of Humanitarian Assistance, Corus International
Topic: The Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine

Amb. John C. Kornblum, Diplomat, U.S. and Europe
Topic: War in Europe: The European Perspective

Jay Sjerven, President emeritus, United Nations Association of Greater Kansas City
Topic: What’s Happening at the United Nations?

Hilary Renner, Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications on Cuba, U.S. Department of States
Topic: The Evolution of U.S Policy Toward Cuba

Thomas Alan Schwartz, Historian, Foreign Relations of the United States
Topic: War in Europe: The Old & New Cold Wars

Dr. Michael Makara, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Central Missouri
Topic: What’s Happening in Yemen? 

Dr. Velikova, International Business & Economics Professor, Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business
Topic: War in Europe: The Russian Domestic & Economic Perspective