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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261118T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261118T131500
DTSTAMP:20260904T202738Z
CREATED:20260831T195850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T202738Z
UID:8687-1795001400-1795007700@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Canada with Geoff Gartshore
DESCRIPTION:Geoff Gartshore (BA [History and Political Science]\, University of British Columbia\, 1989; MA [Political Studies]\, Queen’s University\, 1991) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1991. Among other positions at Headquarters\, he was the director of the United Nations Division from 2012 to 2015\, deputy director of the Human Security Program and a policy coordinator\, Summit of the Americas\, in the Inter-American Division. Positions overseas have included counsellor (political affairs) at the Embassy to Afghanistan (2011 to 2012)\, deputy permanent representative (disarmament) at the Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva (2007 to 2011)\, counsellor (political affairs) at the Embassy to Mexico (2004 to 2007) and consul at the Embassy to El Salvador (1998 to 2000). More recently\, he served as head of the political and economic section at the Embassy in Germany\, and from February 2022 to August 2024 he was Ambassador of Canada to Cuba. In August 2024 he took up his duties as Deputy Consul General of Canada in New York. \nBuffet opens at 11:30 AM. \nMembers- $30.00\nNon-members – $35.00\nStudents – $15.00\nNon-eaters – $10.00 \nRegistration Required
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/canada-with-geoff-gartshore/
LOCATION:McGlinn Conference Center\, 460 Saint Bernardine Street\, Reading\, PA\, 19607\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/geoff-gartshore.png
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261209T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261209T131500
DTSTAMP:20260814T132131Z
CREATED:20260609T001348Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260814T132131Z
UID:8593-1796815800-1796822100@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Bret Schafer on AI
DESCRIPTION:Bret Schafer is the Senior Director of Policy and Research for Information Operations at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). A leading expert in state-backed information operations and tech policy\, he specializes in tracking foreign manipulation\, coordinated inauthentic behavior\, and the use of AI in online warfare. \nPreviously\, he served as a Senior Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy\, where he created the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard to track Russian\, Chinese\, and Iranian state messaging. He regularly advises governments and international organizations\, and his expert commentary is frequently featured in major outlets like The New York Times\, The Wall Street Journal\, and CNN. \nBret holds a Master’s in Public Diplomacy from USC and a B.S. from Northwestern University. Beyond his national security work\, he brings a uniquely global perspective shaped by his past experiences as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow\, a radio host in Budapest\, and a semi-professional baseball player in Germany. \nClick here now to register for this live event
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/bret-schafer-on-ai/
LOCATION:McGlinn Conference Center\, 460 Saint Bernardine Street\, Reading\, PA\, 19607\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Brett_Schafer.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20270113T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20270113T131500
DTSTAMP:20260904T202752Z
CREATED:20260831T201147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T202752Z
UID:8696-1799839800-1799846100@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Cuba: What Next?
DESCRIPTION:Carrie Filipetti currently serves as the Executive Director of the Vandenberg Coalition and as a Wilson Center Distinguished Fellow. Prior to this role\, Carrie served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cuba and Venezuela in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Deputy Special Representative for Venezuela at the U.S. Department of State\, for which she received a Superior Honor Award. From 2019-2020\, Carrie also served as the Senior Advisor to the Havana Incidents Task Force\, where she was responsible for coordinating an inter-agency effort to address the causes of unexplained health incidents affecting U.S. personnel\, and identifying proper long-term care mechanisms. Prior to these roles\, Carrie served as a Senior Policy Advisor for the United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN)\, where she advised U.S. Ambassador Nikki R. Haley on issues related to counterterrorism\, the Middle East\, and the Western Hemisphere. \nCarrie began her career spending five years at a private family foundation\, where she served as Director of Portfolio Management. Also in her capacity as Director of the Foundation\, Carrie served as a Senior Advisor and co-founder of Start-Up Nation Central\, a Tel-Aviv based non-profit that seeks to connect the world with Israeli innovation. \nCarrie graduated with a degree in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia as both a Jefferson and Echol’s scholar. She currently serves on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy and Fired Up to Help\, a non-profit focused on feeding first responders during local and national emergencies. She previously served as a volunteer EMT for Montgomery County\, Maryland. \nBuffet opens at 11:30 AM. \nMembers- $30.00\nNon-members – $35.00\nStudents – $15.00\nNon-eaters – $10.00 \nRegistration Required
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/cuba-what-next/
LOCATION:McGlinn Conference Center\, 460 Saint Bernardine Street\, Reading\, PA\, 19607\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/carrie-filipetti.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20270211T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20270211T131500
DTSTAMP:20260904T202800Z
CREATED:20260831T200615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T202800Z
UID:8692-1802345400-1802351700@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Vietnam: Surprises\, Challenges and Opportunities
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Huy (David) Tran is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Business\, Accounting & Economics at Albright College. Born and raised in Hanoi\, Vietnam\, where he graduated from the National Economics University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics\, he later obtained an M.B.A. from Eastern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Management from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Since joining Albright College\, Dr. Tran has researched digital platform ecosystems in the global marketplace and taught courses in Strategic Management\, International Business\, and Innovation and Change Management at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Tran was a member of the editorial review board for the Organization Management Journal. He regularly serves as co-chair of the Strategy and International Management track at the Eastern Academy of Management’s annual meetings. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Greater Reading. \nBuffet opens at 11:30 AM. \nMembers- $30.00\nNon-members – $35.00\nStudents – $15.00\nNon-eaters – $10.00 \nRegistration Required
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/vietnam-surprises-challenges-and-opportunities/
LOCATION:McGlinn Conference Center\, 460 Saint Bernardine Street\, Reading\, PA\, 19607\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/huy-tran-e1788206761437.png
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20270311T083000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20270311T140000
DTSTAMP:20260921T185649Z
CREATED:20260921T184913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260921T185649Z
UID:8738-1804753800-1804773600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Academic World Quest 2027
DESCRIPTION:National Academic World Quest page: https://worldaffairscouncils.org/what-we-do/academic-worldquest/\n\nThe 2027 Study Guide is here: https://worldaffairscouncils.org/2027-academic-worldquest-study-guide/\n\nThe National Competition is from April 12-13\, 2027
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/academic-world-quest-2027/
LOCATION:PA
CATEGORIES:Academic World Quest
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20270317T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20270317T131500
DTSTAMP:20261023T201244Z
CREATED:20261023T200949Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20261023T201244Z
UID:8766-1805283000-1805289300@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Women in College/University Leadership
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Radha Pyati\, Chancellor of Penn State Berks \nDr. Radha Pyati assumed the role of Chancellor of Penn State Berks in July 2023. In this position\, she is responsible for all aspects of college administration. Previously\, Pyati served as the Dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics at West Chester University. She is an accomplished researcher\, teacher\, chemist\, author\, award-winning environmentalist\, and a leader in STEM education. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStatewide media organization City & State PA recently recognized Pyati as one of its 2024 Trailblazers in Higher Education. City & State PA is a multimedia news firm that provides nonpartisan coverage of Pennsylvania’s state and local government\, political\, and advocacy news. In addition\, Lehigh Valley Business featured Pyati in this year’s Education Power List\, which includes 25 area leaders across the education industry in the Lehigh Valley. \nThroughout her career\, Pyati has been committed to promoting diversity\, equity\, inclusion\, and belonging in education. In her current role as Chancellor of Penn State Berks\, one of her goals is for Penn State Berks to serve Berks County’s growing Hispanic and Latino population in a wide range of ways. \nPyati’s leadership at Penn State Berks is marked by her dedication to enhancing student outcomes and fostering an inclusive academic environment. She has also been involved in various community and external relations\, building partnerships with federal and state legislators. \nWhile at West Chester University\, Pyati was awarded a four-week Fulbright Specialist grant to share chemistry education expertise with the students\, faculty and staff at the University of Đà Nẵng – University of Science and Education in Vietnam from December 7 – January 5\, 2023. \nIn addition\, Pyati founded West Chester’s Center for STEM Inclusion. In January 2023\, the Center of STEM Inclusion received a $716\,000 Community Project Funding federal grant for a project titled ‘West Chester University Moon Shot: I Want to STEM (sciences\, technology\, engineering\, and mathematics)!’ \nPrior to her role at West Chester\, Pyati served as director of the Environmental Center at the University of North Florida\, where she was the principal investigator on the State of the River Report for Lower St. Johns River Basin\, for which she won the 2018 City of Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board Award of Merit. She also served as chemistry department chair\, professor of chemistry\, president of the Faculty Association and UNF trustee. Previously\, Pyati was an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. \nPyati holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Ohio State University and a doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An accomplished researcher\, she has authored more than 40 papers\, book chapters\, and reports in chemistry and environmental science and participated in over 30 research projects as a principal investigator.\n\n\n\nEducation \n\n\n\n\nPh.D.\, Chemistry – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nB.S.\, Chemistry – Ohio State University\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \nDr. Susan Looney\, President of Reading Area Community College \nDr. Susan Looney took office as the sixth president of Reading Area Community College on July 1\, 2018. Dr. Looney came to RACC in 2014 as dean of instruction. In 2015 she was appointed to the senior vice president of academic affairs/provost. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPrior to RACC\, Dr. Looney served several faculty and staff roles at Delaware Technical Community College in Wilmington Delaware; and as business coordinator and interim vice president for academic affairs at Colorado Mountain College\, a two-year public college with multiple campuses in western Colorado. \nDr. Looney completed her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and her MBA at Monmouth University in New Jersey. She obtained her Juris Doctorate at Widener University School of Law in Delaware\, and completed her Doctorate in Education\, specializing in Higher Education Leadership at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. \nShe is the chair of the Reading Hospital Board of Trustees\, and serves on the boards of Berks Latino Workforce Development\, United Way of Berks County\, the Berks Alliance\, the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance and the Greater Berks Development Fund. Nationally\, she is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Commission on Student Success and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGlynis A. Fitzgerald\, Ph.D.\, President of Alvernia University \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGlynis A. Fitzgerald\, Ph.D. is the President of Alvernia University\, where she became the institution’s eighth president—and its first female lay leader—in July 2023. With over 25 years of experience in higher education\, she previously served as Senior Vice President and Provost at Alvernia\, and held leadership roles at Central Connecticut State University\, including Dean of Graduate Studies and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr. Fitzgerald holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Organizational Communication from the University at Buffalo and a B.A. in Speech Communication from Edinboro University. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShe is passionate about building institutions that empower students and communities\, and she believes in collaborative leadership grounded in data\, empathy\, and vision. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n  \n  \nDebra M. Townsley\, Ph.D.\, President of Albright College \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWith more than 40 years of higher education experience\, Debra M. Townsley\, Ph.D. has filled the roles of president\, interim president\, academic dean\, department chair\, and business professor at institutions in five states. Specializing in identifying and implementing a strategic vision and plan for long-term institutional success\, she is a transformational leader with experience in controlling spending while increasing enrollment and fundraising.In addition to authoring books and articles\, she has lectured on topics that include the state and future of higher education\, external factors facing higher education and college presidents\, and conducting a turnaround.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDuring her five years as president of William Peace University (Raleigh\, North Carolina)\, the university became co-educational and financially sound. She served as president of Nichols College (Dudley\, Massachusetts) for a dozen years prior to William Peace\, where she conducted two comprehensive campaigns\, raising a total of $28 million. One campaign was the largest in the school’s history\, and both exceeded goals by more than $2 million.She has since created strategic plans and improved operations\, systems and financials as president of Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling\, W.Va.) and Laboure College (Milton\, Massachusetts).Townsley’s business career began with IBM and Booz\, Allen & Hamilton before making the switch to teaching at Marymount University (Arlington\, Virginia). Three years later\, she was named assistant professor and chair of Northern Virginia Community College’s Accounting and Data Processing departments\, and assistant professor of business. She also served as director of undergraduate and graduate management studies at St. Michael’s College (Colchester\, Vermont). \n  \n  \nBuffet opens at 11:30 AM. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMembers- $30.00\nNon-members – $35.00\nStudents – $15.00\nNon-eaters – $10.00 
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/women-in-college-university-leadership/
LOCATION:McGlinn Conference Center\, 460 Saint Bernardine Street\, Reading\, PA\, 19607\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
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