The Channel City Club
now including the Committee on Foreign Relations
Santa Barbara’s Window on the World
Past Programs
2025
3/19/25
Who Needs Soft Power?
Goli Ameri
Served as the US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
Thank you to our Program Sponsors: Kevin & Lori Snyder!
2024
12/4/24
Annual Christmas Brunch: Earthquake faults in California and how we use remote sensing to study them
Andrea Donnellan, Ph.D.,
Manager of the Instrument Systems Section at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a JPL Senior Research Scientist
Featuring a Montecito Union School Chorus performance, under the direction of Pam Herzog
Thank you to our generous anonymous CCC member who sponsored this program!
10/16/24
Changing Trends in Middle East Politics
Jerrold D. Green, Ph.D.
Immediate Past President & CEO of the Pacific Council on International Policy
Global Advisor to Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles
Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations
9/11/24
The Impact of Russia's War in Ukraine on the Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia
Jennifer S. Wistrand, Ph.D., Deputy Director of the Kennan Institute, Wilson Center, Washington,D.C.
Thanks to Dr. James Bailey, Retired Commander U.S. Navy, Orthopedic Surgeon for “Remembrance of 9/11"
Thanks to Hiroko Benko, our program sponsor!
7/11/24
Viva el Centenario, Fiesta 1924 - 2024
Held at the Santa Barbara Carriage and Western Art Museum
Channel City Club Member Co-hosts: former La Presidenta Stephanie Petlow & former El Presidente W. Scott Burns
Introducing 2024 Old Spanish Days Dignatarios: El Presidente Brian Schwabecher, El Primer Presidente Fritz Olenberger, El Secundo Presidente Colin Hayward, La Secretaria Marge Romero, El Tesorera / Presidente Pasado Denise Sanford, El Presidente Anterior David Bolton
Performers: Fiesta Spirit Georgey Taupin and Junior Spirit Aleenah Soriano
5/21/24
How the Largest Debt Restructuring in History Helped Save Greece and Preserve the Eurozone
Charles H. Dallara, Ph.D. Author of the newly released book: Euroshock
4/24/24
Britain and the US post-Brexit
David Ruffley, Former Member of Parliament (18 years)
Thank you to our Program Sponsor: Chris Lancashire
3/20/24
Great Power Competition in Space
Maj Kenneth Bell, USAF, Faculty, National Intelligence University, Global Security Intelligence Studies Dept.
Thank you to our Program Sponsors: Mary Anne Harrison & Doug Thorpe
2/7/24
China Perspectives
Rear Admiral John F. Weigold, IV, Retired, United States Navy Retired, United States NavyRADM Weigold retired from the Navy in 2017. He serves as a faculty member and lecturer at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University.
Thank you to our Program Sponsors: Kevin and Lori Snyder
2023
12/7/23
Annual Christmas Brunch: Soldier of the Airwaves, Defending Democracy One Song at a Time
George A. Smith, DJ / Newscaster / Author Extraordinaire
Thank you to our Program Sponsors:
Gary Simpson, Owner, Santa Barbara Home Improvement Center
and
Reid & Robin Cederlof
10/18/23
CCC/CFR event: The current role of Naval Special Warfare (NSW) in Great Power Competition, Counter-Terrorism (CT) and Crisis Response
Captain Richard J. Witt, Director of Strategy, Policy and Assessments for NSW
Thanks to our Program Sponsor: M. Jan Akre, Attorney, Anderson & Anderson Law, P.C.
9/13/23
CCC/CFR event: Hostage Politics in International Relations
Hugh T. Dugan, international affairs practitioner and scholar
Thanks to our Program Sponsor: Farmers and Merchants Trust Company
7/26/23
CFR Presentation: Views from Bosnia & Herzegovina and North Macedonia
OSCE Ambassador Brian Aggeler & U.S. Ambassador Angela Aggeler
7/13/23
CCC/CFR Event: Let's Fiesta
El Presidente David Bolton welcomed CCC/CFR members and guests as we celebrated the 99th year of Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta at the Carriage & Western Art Museum. Fiesta honors and and preserves Santa Barbara’s history, spirit, culture, heritage, and traditions
6/22/23
CFR Presentation: Empowering Growth - Securing Prosperity and Stability for the American People: The Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State
Pauletta Walsh, Public Affairs Officer, U. S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
5/3/23
CCC/CFR Luncheon: Violence is never the answer
Monty Roberts "The man who listens to horses"
Thanks to the Hosts: Pete and Gerd Jordano
4/14/23
CFR Presentation: The Nexus of Policy, Power and Money
The Honorable Henrietta Holsman Fore, Immediate Past Executive Director UNICEF; Chmn.& CEO Holsman International
3/9/23
CCC/CFR in Collaboration with the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
Luncheon Program: 80th Anniversary: Guadalcanal & North Africa “America Strikes Back
Presenters: John Blankenship & Sheriff Bill Brown
2/08/23
CFR Presentation: Putin’s Weltanschaung: Intellectual Roots of the War Against Ukraine
Arthur R. Rachwald, Professor Emeritus, Political Science Dept – U.S. Naval Academy for 34 years; Currently Professorial Lecturer, Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria
2022
3/3/22
CCC/CFR in Collaboration with the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation Luncheon Program
80 Years On: Pearl Harbor; Doolittle’s historic raid of Tokyo; and the Battle of Midway
Presenters: John Blankenship, Bill Brown and Rudolph Willrich
Moderator: Brooks Firestone
3/30/22
CFR Presentation: Putin’s War on Ukraine
Colleen Graffy, Law professor at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law in Malibu, California; former U.S. State Dept. Ass’t Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy/Europe & Eurasia
5/25/22
CFR Presentation: Putin’s War on Ukraine, Part Two: The Economic Dimensions
Benjamin J. Cohen, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, UC Santa Barbara; Louis G. Lancaster Professor of International Political Economy at UCSB
6/22/22
CCC/CFR Event: The Last President of Europe, Emmanuel Macron's Race to Revive France and Save the World
Author William Drozdiak, former editor and foreign correspondent, Washington Post
7/13/22
Annual Fiesta Party
Santa Barbara Western Art & Carriage Museum
Presented by Old Spanish Days 2022: featured Junior and Senior Spirits of Fiesta; La Presidente Maria Cabrera; & other Dignatarios
9/21/22
CFR Presentation: Brazilian Democracy at the Crossroads (Brazil Presidential election beg. Oct. 1, 2022)
Kathleen Bruhn, Professor & Chair Department of Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
10/28/22
CCC/CFR Event: The Revolutions & Innovations Around Us
The Honorable Henrietta Holsman Fore, Immediate Past Executive Director UNICEF; Chmn.& CEO Holsman International
In Conversation with Professor Colleen Graffy
11/18/22
CFR Presentation: 40 Years of Resistance by the Women of Iran Culminates in a National Movement that has the Attention of the World
Maryam Zar, Iranian American member LA City Commission on the Status of Women; former editor & advertising executive; founder Womenfound
12/5/22
CCC/CFR Annual Christmas Brunch
Topic: Asia Update
Speaker: Arthur I. Cyr, Ph.D., Director & A.W. & Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor of Political Economy & World Business, Kenosha, Wisconsin; former President, Chicago World Trade Center
Featuring: Montecito Union School 6th Grade Chorus - Pam Herzog, Director
2021 In-Person Events
5/27/21
CFR Event: Reconnect!
Held at the University Club. Committee on Foreign Relations members welcomed their 2021 Young Leaders graduating from UCSB, two of whom attended American Committees on Foreign Relations Young Leaders Initiative program in Washington, DC August 11-15, 2021. Every year, since the inception of YLI the CCC/CFR members have underwritten two local students to participate in the program with students from constituent committees from across the country.
6/7/21
CFR Event: Brian and Angela Aggeler
Brian Aggeler: Charge d’Affairs, U. S. Embassy, France; Angela Aggeler: Charge d’Affairs, U.S. Embassy, Pakistan
U.S. Foreign Policy in Transition: Views from France and Pakistan
7/8/21
Celebrating Fiesta honoring 2021 Old Spanish Days officers at Santa Barbara Western Art & Carriage Museum
7/29/21
In Collaboration with the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, Santa Barbara
A remembrance luncheon in recognition of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain
8/18/21
Towards a Community of Democracies, Is there a Values-based Approach to Global Challenge?
Thomas E. Garrett, Secretary General of the Community of Democracies (CoD)
9/23/21
A Visit to the The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum
FBI Exhibit Lunch and Tour with guest speaker: Bobby Chacon, former FBI Agent
10/13/21
Perspectives on the latest pivotal developments in Afghanistan; the US role now and future prospects
CFR Event: Ambassador Omar Samad
12/3/21
Winter Brunch and presentation on The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict
With author Elbridge Colby
During the time when we were unable to hold our luncheon programs and other in-person events,
we had the benefit of timely Webinars/Zoom programs presented by experts at eminent policy institutes through American Committees on Foreign Relations.
“How Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Impact Great Power Competition?” (Hudson Institute; March 31, 2020)
“Disinformation Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic” (Wilson Center; April 7, 2020)
"The Food Supply During the Pandemic: Facts from the Front Line" (Heritage Foundation; April 13, 2020)
“COVID-19 and the U.S.-China Relationship: Collision or Collaboration?” (National Committee on U.S.- China Relations; April 14, 2020)
“U.S. Global Leadership Amid Contested Globalism: The Next 25 Years.” (Hudson Institute; April 20, 2020) This was followed by ACFR’s annual meeting.
“Nuclear Deterrence for the 21st Century” (Heritage Foundation & Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA); May 5, 2020)
“Putin and Russia: The Global Road Ahead” with Robert Donaldson, Ph.D. Director, Tulsa CFR & Erich Frankland, Director Casper CFR (May 7, 2020)
“In Russia’s Shadow: China’s Rising Security Presence?” (Kennan Institute, May 27, 2020)
“Making Sense of a World in Crisis — Through the Eyes of a Foreign Policy Expert” with Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations (July 13, 2020)
"Explore the Peace Trail on the National Mall" (The United States Institute of Peace, August 13, 2020)
"U.S.-Africa Policy Before, During, & After Covid-19" featuring Judd Devermont, Director of the CSIS Africa Program.
(Tuesday, August 25)
"US-China Relations: A New Cold War?" Hosted by Dr. Mohsen Milani, Founding Executive Director of the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies at the University of South Florida (September 10, 2020)
“U.S.-Russia Relations in the 21st Century: "Balancing Competition and Cooperation" Hosted by Denver Council on Foreign Relations featuring Ambassador John Beryle. (October 8, 2020)
Heritage Foundation Webinar: "The Fight to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine The Inside Story of the Administration’s Operation Warp Speed" Moderated By: Thomas Spoehr, Director, Center for National Defense, The Heritage Foundation and Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Ret. Gen. Spoehr spoke here last December, during our Christmas luncheon program. (October 27, 2020)
Zoom Meeting: “US National Interests and the World Health Organization” ACFR-exclusive presentation featuring Dr. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director of the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS) (November 10, 2020)
"Where is America Likely Headed in the Middle East?" ACFR Event featuring Ambassador Dennis Ross. (November 17, 2020)
"Looking Ahead at U.S.-Russian Relations in the Next Administration" American Committees on Foreign Relations event, hosted by the Kennan Institute. Speaker: Michael Kimmage Moderator: Jill Dougherty (December 1, 2020)
"Critical Minerals & US National Security" Organized by the Denver Council on Foreign Relations featuring Dr. Morgan Bazilian. (January 19, 2021)
"Will US-Russia Relations Ever Recover?" Organized by Denver Council on Foreign Relations featuring Dr. Fiona Hill (February 9, 2021)
"Biden and the U.S. Global Role: Restoring America’s Moral Voice" Organized by Salt Lake Committee on Foreign Relations featuring Lawrence J. Haas (February 17, 2021)
"Brexit: What's Next for Britain, the European Union, and the United States?" Organized by Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations featuring Ted Bromund, Michelle Egan, and Jim Hollifield (February 19, 2021)
"Women's Gains in Afghanistan: Healthcare’s Essential Role" Organized by the Atlantic Council, in partnership with the U.S. - Afghan Women’s Council and the American Council on Women, Peace and Security. Featuring Rear Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, President, U.S. Naval War College and former Provincial Reconstruction Team commander; Diwa Samad, Special Aide to the President of AFG and Former Deputy Minister for Policy and Planning, Afghan Ministry of Health; and Mariam Bayat, Director, Bayat Foundation. (February 26, 2021)
"Transatlantic Renewal? A New Era for German-American Relations" Featuring Ricklef Beutin. Hosted by the Denver Council on Foreign Relations in conjunction with the American Council on Germany. (March 11, 2021)
"The Importance of Getting US-Mexico Relations Right" Featuring Ambassador Earl Anthony (Tony) Wayne. Hosted by the Salt Lake City Committee on Foreign Relations. (March 17, 2021)
"Women's Gains in Afghanistan: Leadership & Peace" Hosted by the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center, the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council (USAWC), and the American Council on Women, Peace and Security (ACWPS). Featured speakers: Minister Hasina Safi, Fatima Gailani, and Lt. Colonel Natalie Trogus. (March 23, 2021)
"The Civilian - Military Relationship Today" Hosted by the Denver Council on Foreign Relations. Featuring General George W. Casey. (April 7, 2021)
“An Unfinished Foundation: The United Nations and Global Environmental Governance" Presented by the Louisville Committee on Foreign Relations. Featuring Dr. Ken Conca (April 13, 2021)
"U.S. National Security Issues Today- Like Never Before!" Hosted by the Denver Council on Foreign Relations. Featuring Dr. Lewis Griffith. (April 14, 2021)
"Russia and NATO: Past, Present, and Future" Hosted by the Des Moines Committee. Featuring William H. Hill and Colonel Jason P. Gresh. (April 20, 2021)
"Myanmar’s Coup: International Shockwaves and Prospects for Peace and Democracy" Hosted by the Salt Lake City Committee on Foreign Relations. Featuring Jason Tower. (April 21, 2021)
"The Next Phase of U.S. Engagement in Afghanistan" Hosted by the Salt Lake City Committee on Foreign Relations. Featuring Annie Pforzheimer. (May 19th, 2021)
2020
1/28/20 CFR special presentation by Santa Barbara’s 2019 delegates to ACFR’s Young Leaders Conference held in Washington D.C., with Alex Alobeydi and Shannon Smith.
1/24/20 Daniel Benaim
America, Iran, and Saudi Arabia – Past, Present, Future
2019
2/28/19 A Fireside Chat with Anita DeFrantz and Corine Taylor
In collaboration with the National Association of Corporate Directors, Southern California Chapter, and California State University Channel Islands
The Olympics
3/11/19 Macroeconomic Forecast: Recognizing and Addressing Opportunities and Risks
In collaboration with the National Association of Corporate Directors, Southern California Chapter and Loyola Marymount University
Economic Forecast Presentation:
Sung Won Sohn, PH.D., Professor of Business at Loyola-Marymount University
Followed by a Panel of Corporate Directors and Q&A with:
Dr. Karen Bogart
Kim Hunter
Susan Stevens
April 24 – 26, 2019
For CFR Members:
American Committees on Foreign Relations, 24th Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.
US Interests in Latin America
6/5/19
In collaboration with the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
The 75th Anniversary of D-Day at Normandy
The memory lives on!
7/17/19
Visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum
Presentation of The World of da Vinci
7/23/19
For CFR Members:
Tacos and Conversation
9/10/19
Visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum
Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch
9/19/19 Michael Kimmage
U.S. - Russian Relations: the Anatomy of a Crisis
10/15/19
Committee on Foreign Relations ‘Off the Record’ Reception
National Security Expert Fred Fleitz
10/30/19 Steve Elkins
The Lost City of the Monkey God:
Legends, Discoveries, and Consequences
12/9/19
Annual Holiday Event
Speaker: Thomas Spoehr
Countering the Rising Challenge of China: An Appraisal of U.S. Capabilities and Approaches
2018
1/22/18 Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador Ret.
Middle East Meltdown: Causes and Consequences
2/8/18 General William J. Begert, USAF Ret.
Reality of North Korea
3/6/18 Sung Won Sohn, Ph.D.
Karen Bogart, Ph.D.
Mr. Raymond Link
Ms. Susan Main
CCC/CFR in collaboration with the National Association of Corporate Directors, Southern California Chapter, and California State University Channel Islands: Dealing with Uncertainty as a Director, Manager, Investor, and Citizen
4/9/18 Commander Richard J. Witt
In Partnership with the Santa Barbara Navy League
How Special Operations Forces Defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria
5/14/18 Rex and Keiko Ziak
Founders: The Obon Society
Writing the Final Chapter of World War ll
The Return of Japanese Flags to Japanese Families
6/28/18 Ambassador Anthony Wayne
Why NAFTA and US-Mexico Relations Are Important to You
7/26/18 Heidi August
CIA Senior Intelligence Service Officer, ret.
8/10/18 Committee on Foreign Relations: Coffee and Conversation
Christine Dal Bello
Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General in Dubai
Sita Raiter
Consular Officer, Dubai, Department of State
9/20/18 Special Event for Members of the Santa Barbara Committee on Foreign Relations
Presentation by John Blankenship, Founder, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
Knights of the Sky: Legends of the Fighter Pilot Aces of WWll
10/9/18 Twelfth Annual CHINA Town Hall
National Web Cast speaker: Condoleezza Rice
On-site speaker: Henry Levine
The Economic Reality of U.S./China Relations
10/24/19 William H. Hill, Ph.D.
Author, No Place for Russia: European Security Institutions Since 1989
12/3/18 Annual Holiday Event
Speaker: Julian Nott
World renown scientific balloon designer & experimental test pilot
Topic: Intellectual Courage 2.0
Continuing Adventure, Exploration and Discovery
2017
1/11/17 Sally Pipes
After Obamacare: The Path Forward on Health Care Reform
2/2/17 Craig Groves
Global Challenges, Global Solutions – Charting a Sustainable Future for the Planet
2/22/17 José R. Cárdenas
What will the Trump Presidency Mean for Latin America?
3/9/17 Glenn Frankel
Author, High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the making of an American Classic
3/28/17 Dr. Sung Won Sohn
Dr. Karen Bogart
Mr. Raymond Link
Ms. Susan Stevens
CCC/CFR in collaboration with the National Association of Corporate Directors, Southern California Chapter, and California State University Channel Islands: Post Election and Its Economic Implications
4/12/17
In Partnership with Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
Over There - The Great War 100 Years on
4/19/17 Sally Bedell Smith
Author, Prince Charles - The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life
5/16/17 Ambassador Omar Samad
America’s Longest War: Lessons learned and the Way Forward in Afghanistan
6/12/17 Anton Barbashin & Olga Irisova
Decrypting Russia Three Years after Crimea
6/26/17 Special Preview
“Old Spanish Days Fiesta 2017”
7/25/17 Rachel Stohl
Drones and Conventional Weapons and the Trump Administration
8/23/17
Special exhibit at The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum
Titanic at the Reagan Library
10/2/17 Jeff Greenfield
What if? Turning Points in American Politics
10/24/17 11th Annual CHINA Town Hall
National Webcast Speaker: Ambassador Susan E. Rice
Local Speaker: Christopher Twomey, Ph.D.
Managing the China Challenge in the Asia Pacific.
11/13/17 James Ketterer, Ph.D.
Jazz Diplomacy: Representing the Opportunities and Challenges of American Democracy
12/6/17 Annual Holiday Event
Speaker: Lori Marino, Ph.D.
Dolphins and Whales: Brainiacs of the Sea
2016
1/25/16 Marilyn Brant Chandler DeYoung
Author, Remarkable Women of California
2/1/16 Excursion Tour to Ronald Reagan Library
Robert Gates, Author
A Passion for Leadership: Lessons on Change and Reform from Fifty Years of Public Service
3/1/16 General William J. Begert
Rebuilding Today’s US Air Force
3/31/16 Russ Haft
The Case of the Disappearing Digital Legacy
4/11/16 Ambassador Jeffrey D. Levine (ret.)
Thoughts on Foreign Affairs
4/26/16 Christos Nicola
Author, The Secret of Priest's Grotto
5/9/16
In Partnership with Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
The Forgotten War, Korea 66 Years On...
5/31/16
In partnership with the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics, CSU,Channel Islands and the National Association of Corporate Directors, Southern California Chapter and CCC/CFR
The Global Economy and Corporate Governance Implications
6/8/16 Sebastian Junger
Author, TRIBE, On Homecoming and Belonging
6/23/16 Peter Doran
Author, Breaking Rockefeller: The Inside Story of the Ambitious Rivals who Toppled an Oil Empire
7/22/16 Rachel Stohl
Grading Progress on US Drone Policy
9/22/16 Peggy (Margaret) Sands Orchowski Ph.D.
How Terrorism and the Migration/Refugee Crisis Have Changed the Immigration Reform Debate
10/18/16 10th Annual China Town Hall
National webcast featuring The Honorable Henry Kissinger
On-site commentary with: Amy Celico
What are the prospects for U.S.-China relations amidst political change in Washington D.C.?
11/14/16 Craig Nelson
Author, Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness
12/08/16 Annual Holiday Event
Speaker: Meg Lowman, Ph.D.
Saving the Forests of Ethiopia, One Church at a Time and Other Adventures of an Arbornaut
2015
1/1/15 Excursion Tour 126th Rose Parade, themed “Inspiring Stories”
Pasadena, California
1/14/15 Rear Admiral Herman A. Shelanski
War of 1812 and Today’s Navy
2/2/15 Robert F. Hemphill
Author, Dust Tea, Dingoes and Dragons: Adventures in culture, cuisine and commerce from a globe-trekking executive
2/16/15 Dante Di Loreto
Interviewed by John Palminteri.
2/26/15 Fourth Annual WWII Symposium
In Partnership with Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
70 YEARS ON: Boots on the Sands of Iwo Jima
3/12/15 John M. Owen IV
Author, Confronting Political Islam: Six Lessons from the West’s Past
4/15/15 Jan C. Harzan
The Truth About UFO’s
5/6/15 Blaine Harden
Author, The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot
5/27/15 Colonel Christopher Starling, USMC (Ret.)
" Defeating Islamic Jihadists: Islamic Tribal Alliances and the Way Forward
6/15/15 Charlotte Ponticelli
The Situation of Women in Afghanistan: Priorities, Challenges and Possibilities
7/16/15 Dirk Rosen
The Magnificent Ocean Wilderness of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
8/19/15 Lori Jensen Nelson
Identity Theft
9/9/15
Event in collaboration with Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
Vietnam: The War and Its Veterans 50 years On
10/5/15 9th Annual China Town Hall
National webcast: Robert Rubin, Mayor Sheldon Day and Mr. Daniel Rosen
Topic: Chinese Investment in the United States
On-site commentary with: Ira Kasoff
Topic: China at a Crossroads?
10/26/15 Steven Lee Myers
Author, The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin
11/17/15 Steven P. Bucci, Ph.D.
A National Security Tour de Force: Threats, Strategic Environment & US Capabilities?
12/8/15 Annual Holiday Luncheon Program
Speaker: Sam Tyler
West of the West - Tales from California’s Channel Islands
2014
1/15/14 Christian Whiton
Author, Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War
2/3/14 Bonnie Erbé
Birth Tourism in Southern California
2/19/14 Peter Grossman, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Innovations in Burn Care: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
3/10/14 Sung Won Sohn, Ph.D.
What is right with the American Economy
3/31/14 Dave Foreman
Author, Man Swarm - Wildlife Conservation in the 21st Century
4/14/14 Les Campbell & Scott Mastic
Is Democracy Sustainable in the Middle East? A Post-Arab Spring Status Report and Discussion of Future Prospects
4/30/14 Husain Haqqani
Author, MAGNIFICENT DELUSIONS: Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding
5/8/14 Third Annual WWII Symposium
In Partnership with Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
70th Anniversary of D-Day at Normandy
5/20/14 Fred Fleitz
U.S. National Security After the Snowden Leak
5/31/14 Captain Christopher Bolt, Commanding Officer, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
In Partnership with the Santa Barbara Navy League
7/15/14 Rachel Stohl
A Drone by any Other Name: Developing a Sensible US UAV Policy (unmanned aerial vehicle)
9/15/14 James C. Clad
The World Politics of a Changing Energy Landscape
9/29/14 Lucinda Franks
Author, Timeless: Love, Morgenthau, and Me
10/10/14
With Hughes Aircraft Retiree Association & The Ratkovich Company Excursion Tour:
The Hercules Campus Formerly The Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, California
10/16/14 8th Annual U.S. - China Town Hall
Live Webcast Featuring President Jimmy Carter
On-site commentary with Anthony J. Spires
11/03/14 Sandy Webster
The Amazing World of Equine Assisted Therapy
12/10/14 Annual Holiday Luncheon Program
Speaker: Kristin Larson, Adventurer, Scientist and Attorney
2013
1/11/13 Richard K. Davis
Sustaining Momentum: Delivering Consistent, Predictable and Repeatable Performance
1/23/13 Blaine C. Harden
Author, Escape from Camp 14: Beyond the Electric Fence: One Man’s Odyssey from North Korea to the West
2/11/13 Ambassador Vicki Huddleston (ret.)
The Growing Al-Qaeda Threat in Africa: From Mali to Djibouti
2/25/13 Max Boot
Author, Invisible Armies: The Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present
3/06/13 Alex Hitz
Author, My Beverly Hills Kitchen: Classic Southern Cooking with A French Twist
3/21/13 Philip French
Implications of Post-Chavez Venezuela
4/19/13 WWII Symposium
70 Years on…….Celebrating the “Bomber Boys” of WWII
5/13/13 Shashank Bengali
Covering U.S. national security from Kabul to Capital Hill
6/25/13 The Honorable Michael H. Corbin, United States Ambassador to the UAE
UAE: global crossroads in a changing Middlle East
7/23/13 Chuck McFadden
Jerry Brown: Our Enigma
9/30/13 Stuart Taylor, Jr.
How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It's Intended to Help - and Some Proposals for Reform
10/28/13 7th U.S. - China Town Hall
Live Webcast: The Honorable Madeleine Albright
Local speaker: C. Cindy Fan, PhD.
11/13/13 Victoria Schofield
Why Kashmir is Important
12/11/13 Annual Holiday Luncheon Program
Speaker: Julian Nott
2012
1/30/12 Sally Bedell Smith
Author, Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
2/13/12 Philip Taubman
Nuclear Hotspots, Nuclear Abolition
2/24/12 Daniel Ellsberg, Ph.D.
Myths of Nuclear Deterrence
3/22/12 Samuel Tadros
Understanding Egyptian Politics Today
4/04/12 Mark K. Updegrove
Author, Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency
4/19/12 WWII SymposiumA Tribute to Fighter Pilots
5/02/12 Margaret Sands Orchowski, Ph.D.
The New Immigration Battleground: Educated Migrants
5/18/12 Benjamin Cohen, Ph.D.
The World Economy Today: Would Louis Lancaster be Surprised?
6/07/12 C. Michael Smith, Ph.D.
Transitions in Afghanistan and the American University of Afghanistan
6/19/12 Edward Handler and Laura Dugan, M.D.
The Bronx Project, Finding Effective Treatments for Critical Central Nervous System Diseases (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia, and ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease)
7/13/12 Shamim Jawad
Founder and President Ayenda Foundation
8/28/12 Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, M.D. and Kathryn Bowers
Authors, Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing
9/13/12 D. Kenneth Richardson
Hughes After Howard – The Story of Hughes Aircraft Company
9/20/12 Excursion to Special Disney ExhibitReagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley
(Special Event for CCC & CFR members)
10/10/12 Joe Louis Barrow, Jr.
The First Tee's Impact on Today's Youth
10/19/12 Pamela Constable
Playing with Fire: Pakistan at War with Itself (Special CFR Event)
10/23/12 Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd, Chief of Navy Chaplains
Navy Chaplain Corps: Inspiring Hope and Resiliency
10/29/12 6th US-China Town Hall
Webcast featuring US Amb. Gary Locke
Local speaker Daniel Lynch
11/09/12 Elizabeth Overton Colton, Ph.D.
Global Foreign Policy Challenges Confronting the Next Administration
12/11/12 Annual Holiday Luncheon
Speaker: Jim Newton
Editor-at-large, Los Angeles Times
12/14/12 An American Christmas"Excursion: An exhibit at Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley
2011
1/18/11 Douglas Johnson
California's next experiment: independent, public redistricting
2/04/11 Robert D. Langenkamp
Ten Things You Know About Energy that are Wrong - and Dangerous
2/15/11 James Robbins
Author, This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive
3/01/11 Hon. Christian Prosl
Austria, Europe, the United States and Beyond...
3/21/11 Nathan Springer, Major, U. S. Army
Beyond the Basics: Translating U.S. National Strategy to Tactical Success in Afghanistan
3/28/11 Professor George Luchiri Wajackoya
Candidate for President, Kenya
5/19/11 Duke Blackwood
An overview of the newly renovated Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
5/26/11 Amb Pierre-Richard Prosper
The International Criminal Court and Sudan and Libya: Help or Hindrance?
6/06/11 Sebastian Junger
Author, War
6/21/11 Lt. General Susan Helms
A Commander's Perspective
6/28/11 Scott Frisch and Sean Kelly
Author, CHEESE FACTORIES ON THE MOON: Why Earmarks are Good for American Democracy
7/26/11 Thomas Sanders
Author, The Last Good War - The Faces & Voices of World War II
8/29/11 Special Invitation to:The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, Simi Valley, CA
9/09/11 Jeff Greenfield
Twists of Fate - How a very different American history almost happened, based on his recent book THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED
9/27/11 Hon. John F. Maisto, U.S. Ambassador, ret.
Transitions to Democracy and U.S. Policy - Never Easy!
10/10/11 Rachel Ehrenfeld, Ph.D.
Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It
10/28/11 Barry A. Sanders
Author, American Avatar: The United States in the Global Imagination
11/16/11 U.S.- China Town Hall
A national day of programming on China involving 50 cities throughout the United States
11/30/11 Rod Smolla
Freedom of Speech in Modern America
12/08/11 Annual Holiday Luncheon Program
Speaker: Fred Kavli
2010
1/06/10 Kenneth S. Kosik, MD
Staying Cognitively Fit
1/29/10 Ann Louise Bardach
Conversing with Sander Vanocur on the subject of her latest best selling book Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington
2/25/10 Ambassador Max M. Kampelman
Ronald Reagan's Dream of a Nuclear Weapons-Free World
2/27/10 Michael Corbin
Iraq: the run-up to next month's national elections and the changing nature of U.S. presence
3/31/10 Jerry Roberts
How California Became Ungovernable
4/15/10 Paul Marshall
Tension Between Islam and the West
4/22/10 Pat Cadell
Political strategist and pollster
5/13/10 Mike Tollefson
Providing For Yosemite's Future
5/21/10 June Fisher
Author, When Money Was in Fashion: Henry Goldman, Goldman Sachs, and the Founding of Wall Street
6/16/10 Annette Ridenour
Transforming the Health Care Experience
6/24/10 James Prevor
The Globalization of Food: The Upside and the Downside
6/29/10 Amb. Kenneth S. Yalowitz
Climate Change and Security Challenges in the Arctic and Pacific Regions
7/8/10 Bruce Herschensohn
Author, An American Amnesia: The Vietnam Stigma and the Current Obama Foreign Policy
8/23/10 Damon Dunn
Mad as Hell
8/31/10 Deborah Lauter
Religious Freedom-Cyberbullying-Hate Speech-Immigration-Extremism
9/8/10 Steve Whitaker, Ph.D.
The politics of forwards and backwards: the final months of the 111th Congress
9/30/10 Mike Marshall
Executive Director, Restore Hetch Hetchy
10/6/10 CCC Social Welcoming new members at the SB Maritime Museum
10/18/10 Paul Haenle
Issues in U.S.-China Relations
10/27/10 Gil Garcetti
Author, From D.A to Photographer: OJ Simpson to Women, Water, and Wells in West Africa
11/4/10 Suzanne Baer, Ph.D.
Creative Longevity: The Art of Aging
11/15/10 Rex Ziak
The Rise and Fall of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Empire Dream
12/1/10 Amb. Marc Ginsberg
The Battle for Hearts & Minds in the Arab World
12/8/10 Annual Holiday Program
Speaker: Robert L. Forbes
Publisher of ForbesLife, Author, LET'S HAVE A BITE! A Banquet of Beastly Feasts Illustrated by Ronald Searle
2009
1/27/09 Mr. Tamim Khallaf
Iran's Nuclear Standoff: Motivations, Implications, and Possible Future Scenarios
2/11/09 Jim Maddy
Association of Zoos & Aquariums Throughout North America
2/19/09 Melvin Goodman
The U.S. Intelligence Structure - Prospects for Reform under the Obama Administration
3/2/09 John C. Hulsman, Ph.D. and A. Wess Mitchell
The Godfather Doctrine: What America's Favorite Movie Can Teach Us About Foreign Policy
3/30/09 Thomas C. Reed
A Political History of Nuclear Weapons, 1938-2008
4/21/09 Vladimir Kvint, Ph.D.
Global Emerging Markets and the Formation of new Global Order
4/30/09 Edward Humes
Eco Barons - The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet
4/20/09 Lynn Scarlett
Changing Climate, Changing World
6/3/09 John Walters
Mexico's Drug Problem and Ours
6/17/09 Martin Anderson & Annelise Anderson
Reagan's Secret War - The Untold Story of His Fight to Save the World From Nuclear Disaster
7/8/09 Michael Cutler
Amnesty and the Nexus between Immigration and National Security
8/20/09 Cdr. Fred Kacher
Life Onboard the Navy's Newest Destroyer - Its Mission, Its People, and Its Namesake
9/14/09 Sung Won Sohn, Ph.D.
Is the Economic Crisis Over
9/19/09 Venoco Seep Tour
Venoco provides tours giving us a close up view of the "World's Most Spectacular Seeps"
9/29/09 Laurie Firestone
An Insider's View of White House Entertaining
10/8/09 Rich Slater, Ph.D.
Three underwater adventures featuring a Tragedy, a Treasure, and Living Under the Sea
10/22/09 Robert Haffa, Jr. Ph.D.
Space Defense and Satellite Warfare
10/30/09 M. Nadir Atash, Ph.D.
Turbulence - The Tumultuous Journey of One Man's Quest for Change In Afghanistan
11/6/09
Keynote Speaker: George ShultzA Program to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall will be presented at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation in Simi Valley, CA
11/12/09 Fred Gluck
What Would Real Health Care Reform Look Like?
12/9/09 Holiday Luncheon
Speaker: Joseph Sohm
Visions of America: Photographing Democracy
2008
1/10/08 Michael Corbin
Syria, The U.S. and the Arab World
2/11/08 Stuart Taylor, Jr.
The Duke Lacrosse Rape Fraud: Law Enforcement Crimes, Media Bias, Academic Rot
2/26/08 Amb. Vicki Huddleston (ret.)
Memories of Fidel - U.S. Policy in Post-Fidel Cuba
3/10/08 Kenneth Jacobson
Challenges Facing the Middle East
3/25/08 Heather Ewing
The Lost World of James Smithson
4/3/08 Lynn Scarborough
Talk Like Jesus
4/14/08 Bianca Jagger
Our World at the Tipping Point
5/6/08 Marshall Goldman
Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia
6/4/08 Amb. Donald K. Bandler
Building Bridges Across US and International Divides
6/18/08 CSUCIA visit the Cal State University Channel Islands Campus
6/28/08
Venoco Seep TourAn opportunity to learn more about the natural oil and gas seeps near Coal Oil Point aboard the Condor Express
7/28/08 Charles Wolf, Jr.
Looking Backward and Forward: Policy Issues in the Twenty-First Century
9/11/08 Gayle Beebe, Ph.D.
The Essence of Effective Leadership: Eight Key Principles I Learned from Peter Drucker
9/22/08 William A. Chatfield
The Selective Service and Patriotism
9/29/08 Michael Hais & Morley Winograd
Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube & The Future of American Politics
10/9/08 Margaret Sands Orchowski
Immigration and the American Dream: Battling the Political Hype and Hysteria
10/24/08 Kenneth Khachigian
McCain vs Obama: The Outlook with 11 Days Remaining
11/6/08 S. James Nelson, Jr.
Oil Seeps & Sustainable Infrastructure, An Energy Industry Executive Tackles Oil Seep Solutions
11/18/08 Elie D. Krakowski
The War on Terror: Are we really at war? The role of perception
12/1/08 Maxwell Taylor Kennedy
Author, Dangers Hour: The story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze pilot who Crippled Her
12/9/08 Holiday Program
Speaker: Judy Pochini
Italian Christmas in San Francisco
2007
1/25/2007 Pauline Baker, Ph.D.
Weak & Failing States: What are they? How do we recognize them? What do they signify? How should we respond?
2/7/2007 Karna Bodman
Behind the scenes view of Ronald Reagan's years as President
2/21/2007 Isaac Cohen, PhD.
Are We Losing Latin America, Or Was it Ours to Lose?
2/28/2007 Myra McPherson
Author, All Governments Lie! The Life and Times of Rebel Journalist I.F. Stone
3/16/2007 Stedman Graham
Diversity: Leaders Not Labels
3/22/2007 Amb. Edward Masters
Can Indonesia's New Democracy Defeat Radical Islam?
3/29/2007 Lt. Col. (Ret.) Gordon Cucullu
Deadly Connections: The Array of Threats Against America
4/17/2007 Phillip C. Saunders, Ph.D.
China's Global Activism: Strategy, Drivers, and Tools
4/30/2007 Colleen Graffy
How America is Changing its Image Abroad
5/23/2007 Gordon G. Chang
North Korea (plus China) Take on the World
6/21/2007 Hans van den Dool
The Netherlands and the United States 225 years of Diplomatic Relations
7/18/2007 Tony Raphael
The Mexican Mafia
8/29/2007 Tanya Biank
Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriages
9/12/2007 Lisa See
Author, Peony in Love
9/19/2007 U.S. Marine Col. James D. McGinley
Is the War in Iraq winnable? Why are we there? Is it worth the fight?
10/4/07 Mike German
Thinking Like a Terrorist - Insights of a Former FBI Undercover Agent
10/15/2007 Pat Clark Doerner
Author, The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan's Top Hand
10/30/07 Rachel Stohl
Weapons of Individual Destruction: Understanding the Small Arms Trade
11/7/07 Jerome Corsi, Ph.D.
The Coming Merger with Mexico and Canada
11/16/07 Mary Catherine Swanson
AVID: Advancement Via Individual Determination
11/27/07 Prof. Benjamin Jerry Cohen
America's Looming Foreign Debt
12/6/2007 Annual Holiday Luncheon
Speaker: Art Linkletter
2006
1/11/2006 Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper, (Ret'd)
War Crimes in the 21st Century - Promoting the Rule of Law
1/24/2006 Rex Ziak
Author, The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
2/7/2006 Ambassador Jack F. Matlock, Jr. (Ret'd)
From the Cold War to the War on Terrorism: What Has Changed?
2/22/2006 Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert
The Alito Hearing: A Witness Gives His View
3/1/2006 Walter Kohn, Ph.D.
The Power of the Sun
3/23/2006 James P. Owen
Cowboy Ethics: It's Not About the Hat and Boots
4/22/2006 General Tony Zinni (USMC Ret.)
The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose
5/11/2006 Lynn Scarlett, Ph.D.
Beyond Conflict: Managing America's Public Lands
5/18/2006 Noah Pickus, Ph.D.
Immigration Reform and the Politics of Citizenship
6/6/2006 Gary Winuk
Homeland Security for California
6/15/2006 Frederick W. Gluck
Providing Affordable Health Care
6/28/2006 Channel City Club's 60th Anniversary Kick-Off
7/12/2006 Arthur Cyr, Ph.D.
U.S. Foreign Policy: In Trouble?
7/20/2006 USN Rear Admiral Len Hering, Sr.
Important Local Environmental Issues and the Future Direction of our Maritime Nation and Current Navy Policy
8/22/2006 Otis L. Graham, Jr., Ph.D.
Mass Immigration: Taking America Where It Doesn't Want to Go
9/7/2006 Jeff Henley
The New Rules: How Innovation and Globalization are changing the Game for Corporate America
9/28/2006 Alan Zelicoff, M.D.
Recognizing Global Pandemics - a Collaborative Challenge for the International Community
10/5/2006 Douglas Brinkley, Ph.D.
American Presidents as Commander and Chief: George Washington to George W. Bush
10/17/2006 Dan Taylor
The Parent Care Solution
10/23/2006 Barry C. Lynn
End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation
11/2/2006 Admiral John B. Nathman, USN
Today's Navy: Ready and Relevant
11/29/2006 Henry D. Sokolski
Three Things We Should Do to Hedge against A Nuclear-Ready Iran
12/12/2006 Annual Holiday Program
Speaker: Alessandra G. Ranghiasci