America’s Credibility at Stake: How the World Views US Foreign Policy

Please join the World Affairs Council for a lunch discussion with The Honorable Thomas Countryman, former acting under secretary of state for arms control and international security, on the global reaction to current U.S. foreign policy.

About the Speaker
Thomas Countryman is the chair of the Arms Control Association board of directors, a position he has held since October 2017.

Mr. Countryman was the acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. He served for 35 years as a member of the U.S. Foreign Service until January 2017, achieving the rank of minister-counselor, and was appointed in October 2016 to the position of acting undersecretary of state. He simultaneously served as assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation, a position he had held since September 2011.

About the Moderator
Celes Eckerman is Managing Partner of Galvanize Partners, an impact strategy and leadership firm in Seattle, Washington.  She is also a Senior Advisor to Atlantic Strategies Group, a government relations and strategy firm based in Washington, DC. A veteran of national security policy making in the United States Congress, Celes served on the professional staff of the House Foreign Affairs and Appropriations Committees, and as a senior advisor to Senators John F. Kerry and Barbara A. Mikulski. Her private sector experience includes government relations and strategic consulting for Fortune 500 companies, global foundations, high-profile philanthropists and innovative corporate social entrepreneurs, enabling them to deepen and broaden the impact of programs at the local, national and international level. Celes graduated from Claremont McKenna College and holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.