Monthly Meeting – Thursday, December 15, 2022: The Future of European Security

Topic: The Future of European Security

Speakers: Heather Conley

Overview:

Heather ConleyHeather A. Conley is the sixth president of the German Marshall Fund.

Ms. Conley joined GMF after 12 years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where she most recently served as senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic and as director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program. At CSIS, Ms. Conley developed the acclaimed Kremlin Playbook series, a dedicated research effort that examined the doctrine and methodology of Russian malign economic behavior and its methodology across Europe. She also is a recognized expert on the Arctic region, focusing on the Russian Arctic, climate transformation and U.S. policy toward the region. 

Ms. Conley previously served four years as executive director of the Office of the Chairman of the Board at the American National Red Cross, where she supported the first comprehensive reform of the governance structure of the American Red Cross Board since 1947, incorporating modern best-governance practices. 

From 2001 to 2005, Ms. Conley was deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs with responsibilities for U.S. bilateral relations with the countries of Northern and Central Europe. She co-led the U.S. interagency effort to enlarge NATO and secure Senate ratification of an Amended NATO Treaty, and she created a senior level U.S. dialogue with the eight Nordic and Baltic states, the Enhanced Partnership in Europe (e-PINE). 

Ms. Conley began her career in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She was selected to serve as special assistant to the coordinator of U.S. assistance to the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, and she has received two State Department Meritorious Honor Awards.

Conley frequently appears as a foreign policy analyst and Europe expert on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, and PBS, among other prominent media outlets. She received her B.A. in international studies from West Virginia Wesleyan College and her M.A. in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Ms. Conley, her husband, and daughter reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She is a member of the Foreign Policy Association of Central PA and the daughter of members Herb and Melba Bomberger. She last spoke to us in December, 2019 on the topic “Hot Arctic, Cold Strategic Calculations.”

FPA Coordinator: Howard Davison

Venue:
The Susquehanna Club

Menu:
House Salad
Top Round of Beef with Gravy
Oven Roasted Potatoes
Glazed Baby Carrots
Dessert: Carrot Cake
Rolls, Butter, Coffee, Water and Hot Tea

Social hour & Dinner Information
5:30-6:30pm Social Hour
6:30-7:30 Dinner
7:30pm—Announcement, Speaker followed by question and answer session

Cost for FPA Members: $33.00
We Welcome Non-members to attend dinners.
The non-member cost is: $38.00

There is no charge for anyone to attend the program presentation only, beginning at 7:30 PM.

Reservation co-chairmen are Sam Wilder and Ron Pontius.

Reservations must be made by 10:00am on the Thursday before the meeting. To make a reservation, fill out the form below or telephone or email Ron Pontius at (717) 991-0899 or ronpon@comcast.net

To CANCEL a reservation, please telephone or email Ron Pontius at (717) 991-0899 or ronpon@comcast.net. Please be sure to give your complete name, address and phone number.

If you come for dinner without a reservation, we cannot guarantee you a meal because the Susquehanna Club uses a caterer and does not have a back-up kitchen.

NOTE: We bill “No-shows”

Please Register Now