Do morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump

Joseph S. Nye, Jr., is University Distinguished Service Professor and former Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, studied at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, and earned a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard where he joined the faculty in 1964. In 2008, a poll of 2700 international relations scholars listed him as the most influential scholar on American foreign policy, and in 2011 Foreign Policy listed him among the 100 leading global thinkers.

From 1977-79, Nye was a deputy Undersecretary of State and chaired the National Security Council Group on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In 1993-94 he chaired the National Intelligence Council which prepares intelligence estimates for the president, and in 1994-95 served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He won Distinguished Service medals from all three agencies.

Nye has published fourteen academic books, a novel, and more than 150 articles in professional and policy journals. Recent books include Soft Power, The Powers to Lead, The Future of Power, and Is the American Century Over?

He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and an honorary fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He is the recipient of Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson Award, the Charles Merriam Award from the American Political Science Association, France’s Palmes Academiques, and various honorary degrees.

Future Of Driverless Banking by Kristy Burns

Flourishing Families: The Challenges and Opportunities of Family Wealth

With Alasdair Halliday

Research confirms the challenges that affluent families face in preserving family unity and wealth down through the generations. In this discussion, participants will explore the important decisions individuals and families must make about wealth, family, and philanthropy, and the principles that support family flourishing. Mr. Halliday will share insights from the science and literature on family systems and from his discussions with individuals and couples in the Harvard community and beyond, and will encourage attendees to share their own experience and insights with the group.

As Harvard’s philanthropic advisor, Alasdair Halliday assists individuals and families with issues at the intersection of family and wealth. A frequent speaker on these issues, he has trained extensively in family systems theory and worked closely with Charles Collier, a pioneer in the field. Together with Anne McClintock, Mr. Halliday cowrote a chapter entitled “How Can You Encourage Generosity in Your Family?” for the book Wealth of Wisdom: The Top 50 Questions Families Ask, published in 2018. Mr. Halliday is also a charitable tax planning specialist. Before joining the Harvard staff in 2004, Mr. Halliday was at Monitor Company, consulting to Fortune 500 clients on strategy and finance and working in Monitor’s Asset Management Group. He holds a degree in economics from Harvard College.

A complex task: strategies to tune altered transcription in cancer

Please join us as we welcome MIT Professor Angela Koehler. Angela is the Goldblith Career Development Professor in Applied Biology in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT and an intramural member of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. She is also an Institute Member of the Broad Institute and a Founding Member of the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine. Her research group aims to discover and develop functional small-molecule probes of transcriptional regulators, including chromatin modifying enzymes and oncogenic transcription factors. Validated probes may be used to advance the understanding of transcription in development and disease. Selected probes may be developed into imaging agents, diagnostic tools, or therapeutic leads.

Angela received her B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Reed College in 1997. There she worked under the guidance of Professor Arthur Glasfeld on structural and biochemical studies of proteins that recognize tRNA or DNA. In 2003, she received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University where she worked with Professor Stuart Schreiber to develop novel technologies for identifying and characterizing interactions between proteins and small molecules. Upon graduation, she became an Institute Fellow in the Chemical Biology Program at the Broad Institute and a Group Leader for the NCI Initiative for Chemical Genetics.

Author Series With Marcia Bartusiak by Kristy Burns

Immigration and Russian foreign policy are focal points of contemporary US politics, yet little in-depth information about either is on offer. This panel discussion will address both through the lens of the unrecognized impact of the waves of Russian-speaking immigrants to the US described in Hammer and Silicon, (Cambridge University Press, 2018). The presentation of the book and the panel discussion will provide important background for current policy discussions through delving into the unintended consequences of past Soviet and Russian foreign policy that allowed for the immigration of many highly educated, talented Russian-speaking scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to the US. Hammer and Silicon presents the untold story of the significant contributions of these technical professionals to the US innovation economy, particularly in the sectors of software, social media, biotechnology and medicine.

Drawing upon more than 150 in-depth interviews split between Boston/Cambridge and Silicon Valley, the book chronicles the hardships they endured in transit and in cultural adaptation; while also exploring how they took advantage of new opportunities in their adopted homeland. Their stories and experience are part of a broader picture of immigrant contributions to the US tech sector that is extremely relevant to today’s debates over the future of immigration policy.

Author Bios:

Dr. Sheila M. Puffer is University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University, Boston, USA, where she is a professor of international business at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business. She is also an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, and has served as program director of the Gorbachev Foundation of North America. In 2015 she was a visiting research professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University where she studied entrepreneurs and other technical professionals from the former Soviet Union. She worked for six years as an administrator in the Government of Canada and has consulted for a number of private and nonprofit organizations. Dr. Puffer earned a diploma from the executive management program at the Plekhanov Institute of the National Economy in Moscow and holds BA (Slavic Studies) and MBA degrees from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and a PhD in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Daniel M. Satinsky, Esq. is a Business Development Consultant and Independent Scholar. For more than 20 years, Daniel has been engaged in technology-related international business projects and building practical business networks, with a concentration on Russia-related projects. He has traveled to the Soviet Union and Russia more than 100 times from 1984 to the present. He was President of the Board of the U.S.-Russia Chamber of Commerce of New England for more than 15 years and is an Associate of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies of Harvard University. He holds a Master of Law and Diplomacy degree from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, a Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from James Madison College of Michigan State University.

Moderator: Anna Uritsky, is a Harvard Club member, who has been the Executive Director and a Board member of the U.S.- Russian Chamber of Commerce of New England for the last 8 years. She studied and worked in Russian, Hungary, and the United States. She previously worked at Morgan Stanley, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Moscow office), and pre-eminent strategic communications firm the PBN Company (Moscow office). Anna attended the Budapest University of Economic Sciences (currently Corvinus University of Budapest) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Everybody knows Sean Spicer. At least, polls show, they know his name and his trademark style behind the White House podium. But before the former White House Press Secretary made his mark as one of the most recognized staffers in the Trump administration, he built a decades-long career in Republican politics, witnessing and shaping the inner workings of Washington, DC, from every vantage point — as a House of Representatives communicator, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, Chief Strategist of the Republican National Committee, top advisor to presidential campaigns, and of course, White House spokesman. Few in Washington are as well-equipped as Sean to pull back the curtain and dissect what’s really happening in the nation’s capital.

Sean is the founder and President of RigWil LLC, a strategic consulting firm that provides insights to C-suite corporate and association executives. He is also the co-host of the podcast Everything’s Going to be All Right, and President of the Growth & Opportunity Fund. Since leaving the White House he has traveled the world addressing groups, corporations, forums, schools and associations as an exclusive speaker of the Worldwide Speakers Group.  Sean serves as a spokesman and senior advisor to the America First Action SuperPAC. He is a council member of the Gerson Lehrman Groupand served as a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics during the 2017-2018 academic year. He is the author of the forthcoming book The Briefing, which sheds light on the headline-grabbing Trump administration’s first year as well as the 2016 campaign and his time in Washington. Sean is currently represented by William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, and also serves as a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Yellow Ribbon Fund, as well as the Independence Fund, and on the Board of Advisors of Operation Renewed Hope.

Sean is a lifelong Republican operative who worked his way up through the ranks and whom colleagues know as relentless, quick-witted, and good-humored. Melissa McCarthy’s depiction of his press briefing performances earned him a spot in Saturday Night Live lore, but it was his role as the architect of the Republican National Committee’s PR strategy that earned him a reputation as one of the party’s most effective and hardest-charging strategists and communicators.

Sean helped the party successfully rebuild following losses in the 2012 election, and he then played a key role in the strategy behind the party’s sweeping 2014 victories. He was the principal communicator for the RNC, making hundreds of appearances on television and radio and disseminating the RNC’s message. Prior to the must-see 2016 primary debates, Sean worked with networks and other partners to produce a schedule that promoted higher quality, informative debates. This strategy proved successful, with the 2016 Republican primary debates breaking records for TV viewership.

Sean’s efforts as the RNC’s Chief Strategist and Communications Director landed him a spot in PR Week’s Power 15 list for 2016, as he helped the RNC generate approximately $1.4 billion in earned media that cycle. After the 2016 primaries, Sean began to split his time between the RNC and the Trump campaign, coming on board in an advisory capacity. There’s no doubt Sean was a pivotal part of the party’s improbable wins across the country that November.

A Rhode Island native and Connecticut College graduate, Sean also holds a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. Sean has been active in a number of causes supporting veterans, adoption, and cancer research. A husband and father of two, he resides in Virginia but remains a loyal fan of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

Please join us to listen to what was an extraordinary lecture with Professor Nancy Koehn. With deep expertise in business history, leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and brands and branding, Professor Koehn has coached leaders in the highest echelons of business and government. She speaks frequently at major summits ranging from the World Economic Forum in Davos and the World Business Forum to the Aspen Ideas Festival, and has appeared frequently on “American Experience,” the PBS “NewsHour,” A&E's "Biography," ABC’s "Good Morning America," Bloomberg Television shows, CNBC's "Moneywheel," CNN's "Money Line," among other programs. She has written and supervised cases on Starbucks, Ernest Shackleton, Oprah Winfrey, Bono and U2, Whole Foods, Wedgwood, Estée Lauder, Henry Heinz, and other successful leaders and organizations, and regularly contributes to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, and The Harvard Business Review, and is a weekly commentator on National Public Radio.

An accomplished author, Professor Koehn has written award-winning books ranging from Ernest Shackleton: Exploring Leadership, Oprah (Brand) Renew, The Story of American Business, Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers' Trust from Wedgwood to Dell, and, most recently, Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times, which Scribner published in October 2017.

Professor Koehn received her undergraduate degree from Stanford and her MPP, MA and PhD from Harvard. She lives in Concord and is a dedicated equestrian.

Conservation Discussion: Snow Leopards

From Jane Goodall to Snow Leopards: Communities in Action

Join us to hear Jennifer Rullman of the Snow Leopard Trust speak with Club member Janice Sargoni on conserving wild species and the iconic, reclusive snow leopard in particular. Ms. Rullman began her career with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program in Tanzania and now helps the Trust protect the iconic, reclusive snow leopard on and beyond the Tibetan plateau, home to more than half of the remaining leopards. Learn how Ms. Rullman first became involved in field research and now tirelessly aims to help secure the future of the endangered cat through innovative community-based projects based on improved understanding of its behavior, needs, habitats and threats. The complex work ranges from researching conservation techniques and partnering with communities in and near snow leopards’ habitats, to engaging necessary support of governments, businesses and international organizations.

Jan Saragoni has been a regular on-air contributor to the Emily Rooney Show on WGBH-FM. A Harvard Kennedy School alumna, she is president of the media relations, marketing and public relations firm Saragoni and Company, and serves on, among other things, the editorial advisory board of the Kennedy School’s Magazine and on the executive committee of Save Venice.

Author Series with Ryan Walsh

Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968

A mind-expanding dive into a lost chapter of 1968, featuring the famous and forgotten: Van Morrison, folkie-turned-cult-leader Mel Lyman, Timothy Leary, James Brown, and many more

Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks is an iconic rock album shrouded in legend, a masterpiece that has touched generations of listeners and influenced everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Martin Scorsese. In his first book, acclaimed musician and journalist Ryan H. Walsh unearths the album’s fascinating backstory–along with the untold secrets of the time and place that birthed it: Boston 1968.

Ryan H. Walsh is a musician and journalist. His culture writing has appeared in the Boston Globe, Vice, and Boston Magazine. He was a finalist for the Missouri School of Journalism’s City and Regional Magazine Award for his feature on Van Morrison’s year in Boston, from which this book developed. His rock band Hallelujah the Hills has won praise from Spin magazine and Pitchfork; collaborated on a song with author Jonathan Lethem; and toured the U.S. extensively over their 10-year existence. The band won a Boston Music Award for Best Rock Artist, and Walsh has twice won the award for Best Video Direction. He lives in Boston with his wife, the acclaimed singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler.