Global Tennessee

Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean hosts a conversation with Rear Admiral Brian Pecha of the U.S. Navy along with TNWAC President Patrick Ryan. They discussed Navy Week in Nashville, Admiral Pecha's career in the Navy and the Navy's operations in support of national security around the world.

“Global Nashville with Karl Dean” Podcasts present leaders from Nashville and other specialists who are connected with global issues or an aspect of the city and region that contributes to the international flavor.

The conversations, with former Mayor Karl Dean, touch on their roles, experiences, and accomplishments in the city and region and their insights and perspectives on all of the things that make Nashville a “global city.”

In this episode Karl talks with Rear Admiral Brian Pecha, U.S. Navy. Admiral Pecha, a Memphis native, was in Nashville for Navy Week in early June 2019. TNWAC President Patrick Ryan, a retired Navy man, joined the conversation.

Run time: 36.41

Including his deployment to Anbar Province in 2006 at the height of the insurgency in Iraq.

01:43 Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean Welcoming

02:02 “Tell us about what Navy is bringing to Nashville.”

03:44 “What is the impact on Navy public affairs of having sailors walking around Nashville?”

06:11 Talking to organizations around the community – Rotary, Vanderbilt, businesses, local leaders, people in service to the community.

08:03 “How did you get from where you were to where you are?”

10:56 Talking about service with the U.S. Marines, the “green side” of the Navy.

11:45 “Tell us about your deployment to Iraq in 2006.”

15:23 Talking about service at U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

16:48 Break

17:33 “What’s going on in the world and how the Navy fits in?”

19:30 We live in a global neighborhood and not all the neighbors are friendly.

19:52 Talking about the Navy’s international humanitarian missions.

20:25 How much impact does the humanitarian mission have on Navy “optempo”?

21:37 “How has the rise of China and the Chinese Navy impacted the U.S. Navy?

23:11 Talking about Chinese expansion in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean.

24:15 “A large part of what we do is ensuring freedom of the seas.”

26:03 “Can you talk about Navy presence in the Middle East, Persian Gulf?”

27:40 Talking about Russian military modernization and their return to the world stage.

29:20 The new competition over Arctic access and resources.

30:35 “What would you say to a young Tennessean who dreams about seeing something different; what are the opportunities in the Navy?”

32:40 “Loved ones are always anxious to tell the story of their family member.”

33:29 “Army-Navy. What the heck is going on?”

34:15 Thanks to the World Affairs Council. Tennesseans can benefit from broadening their view of the world.

Bio - Rear Admiral Brian S. Pecha, MC, USN, Reserve Fleet Surgeon, U.S. Fleet Forces Command

https://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/bio.asp?bioID=712

Global Tennessee talked with Nashville native Sam Denney and the road he took from Montgomery Bell Academy and Vanderbilt University to the fast-paced environment of the Brookings Institution, a world-renowned public policy think tank in Washington, DC. We discussed his work in Germany at the Budestag (Parliament) and scholarship at the Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service. Learn about the path from Music City to Massachusetts Avenue and the inside workings of one of the premier think tanks that shapes important policy in the nation's capital. Also hear Sam's take on hot topics around the world, especially European Union politics, and life in Washington.

“Global Nashville with Karl Dean” Podcasts present leaders from Nashville and other specialists who are connected with global issues or an aspect of the city and region that contributes to the international flavor.

The conversations, with former Mayor Karl Dean, touch on their roles, experiences, and accomplishments in the city and region and their insights and perspectives on all of the things that make Nashville a “global city.”

Global Nashville with Karl Dean

Renata Soto

Director, Conexión Américas

00:30 Welcome / Global Nashville with Karl Dean Intro

01:05 Introduction of Renata Soto

02:57 Karl Dean Opening

03:30 “Tell us about your background.”

07:00 “What are your memories, what do you love about Costa Rica?”

11:20 “You eventually co-founded an organization, Conexión. Tell us what Conexión does and why you founded it.”

14:48 “You’re one of the most established organizations in the city, highly respected and doing great work. How small were you at the beginning?”

17:15 “What does [Casa] Azafran mean?”

19:35 “When you began this project in 2002, did you have a sense of what the non-native population of Nashville was at that point?”

21:30 Break

22:35 “I want to talk about Conexion Americas more. You mentioned that when the organization began in 2002 there were new census figures that Nashville was becoming the home to more and more people with a Latin American background. That only intensified in the years following. Is that fair?”

23:44 “People noticed that the community was changing … you faced challenges because of those reactions … one of those most important reactions was the effort to pass legislation through a referendum that would make Nashville an “English only” city. What was your reaction to that?”

25:58 “And that was in ‘09 and as you said the city, you can be proud, the city rejected that.”

27:02 “The city stood up and said this is not who we are … came out of that much stronger … your public profile increased dramatically … people in Nashville felt this is a cause we should be supportive of.”

28:46 “Immigrants are very entrepreneurial … talk about that.”

31:35 “We still saw resistance and concerns, particularly at the state level, being voiced about immigration. The issue of the Dreamers became an important issue … you reached the point where the President of the United States comes to see you. Tell us about that.”

36:53 “There’s been a change in the presidency … just looking at Nashville and Tennessee what are the biggest challenges that immigrants face? What’s number one on your list of things that need to happen?”

41:54 “Immigration issues in terms of the Federal Government, in immigration reform seem so difficult. Are you optimistic about the future?”

44:39 “This is Global Nashville … and Nashville has become so much more of a diverse city not only with the people’s background who live here, but with business, education … it seems to me that’s a trend that’s going to continue.”

46:13 “So what is next for you?”

48:35 RS comments on rise of the right.

50:03 End

About Conexión Américas from the Web site

Our Mission

At Conexión Américas, our mission is to build a welcoming community and create opportunities where Latino families can belong, contribute and succeed.

Our Approach

We believe successful efforts to promote the integration of immigrant families into their new community recognize that integration is a multi-dimensional process.

We talked with the 2019 winners of the World Affairs Council's Anne Smedinghoff Academic WorldQuest Challenge championship match about their experiences visiting international organizations in Washington and competing in the national title match. The team -- Sarah Matthews, Gillian Sjoblom, Libby Riddle and Christine Li with their teacher/coach Philip Lovell -- represented TNWAC this year and were back to back champs. The team (w/o Gillian) talked about the highlights of the Washington visit and their preparations for the competition -- good tips for next year's teams. They also discussed the importance to them of the competition being named in honor of Anne Smedinghoff, a U.S. Foreign Service Office killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in 2013.

01:28 About Anne Smedinghoff, namesake of the TNWAC Academic WorldQuest challenge

04:18 Segment 1 - Our WorldQuest team talks about their Washington DC experience and the national championship match of Academic WorldQuest

26:27 Segment 2 - Christine, Libby and Sarah reflect on Anne Smedinghoff. The team gives away their secrets to producing a championship team.

Notes:

Academic WorldQuest - http://www.tnwac.org/worldquest

TNWAC Honors Falled Diplomat - https://bit.ly/2Dpmchs

Photos of the Team Visits in DC - https://www.flickr.com/photos/tnwac

Blessed are the peacemakers! Global Tennessee's Pat Ryan talked with Ann-Louise Colgan, Director of Public Education at the United States Institute of Peace. They talked about her visit to Centennial High School in Franklin, TN to visit one of four USIP "Peace Teachers" in the country and about the mission and function of USIP in fostering peace in numerous international potential conflict, current conflict and post conflict zones.

Ann-Louise Colgan

U.S. Institute of Peace, Director of Public Education

Ann-Louise Colgan is the director of public education at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). The work of this department is grounded in USIP’s original congressional mandate and is dedicated to increasing the American public’s understanding of international conflicts and nonviolent approaches that can be used to resolve them. The department extends USIP’s longstanding educational work through outreach to new audiences in all 50 states, offering resources and initiatives that bring peacebuilding to life and offer opportunities for engagement with the work of the Institute.

Ann-Louise joined USIP in 2010 after more than a decade working at organizations focused on international human rights issues, peace and conflict, and U.S. foreign policy. Her background includes research and policy work, as well as extensive experience in communications and public education. From human rights organizations to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where she managed the high-level Genocide Prevention Task Force and subsequently served as director of the Museum’s Academy for Genocide Prevention, Ann-Louise developed and implemented plans to engage policymakers and educate a broad public audience on issues of peace and conflict and other global priorities.

She holds a master’s degree in International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in European Studies, and she is certified as a Teacher of English as a Foreign (Second) Language.

ABOUT THE US INSTITUTE OF PEACE

The United States Institute of Peace is a nonpartisan, national institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent or halt bloodshed. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to help their countries solve their own problems peacefully. It provides expertise, training, analysis, and support to those who are working to build peace.

More at www.USIP.org

"Global Nashville with Karl Dean"

A Conversation with Matthew WiltshireDirector, Nashville Mayor's Office of Economic and Community Development

Recorded: April 4, 2019 at Belmont University

"GLOBAL NASHVILLE WITH KARL DEAN" is a regular feature of the Global Tennessee Podcast from the Tennessee World Affairs Council. It explores business, culture, education, politics, New American's issues and more -- all in an effort to highlight the people, places and things that make Nashville a global city.We welcome your thoughts on topics or individuals to talk to on "Global Nashville with Karl Dean" and to hear your feedback on our Podcasts.

Does your company want to sponsor and participate in "Global Tennessee" Podcasts? Contact: [email protected] 

ABOUT Matthew Wiltshire

Matthew A. Wiltshire (Matt)

Chief Strategy and Intergovernmental Affairs Officer

Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency

In April 2019, Matthew Wiltshire was named the Chief Strategy and Intergovernmental Affairs Officer for the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency in Nashville. In this capacity, Wiltshire is responsible for helping to guide Mayor David Briley’s $750 million affordable housing initiative, UnderOneRoof2029 (www.underoneroof2029.com).

Prior to joining MDHA, Wiltshire served for eight years as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development in Nashville. In this capacity, Wiltshire helped recruit companies to Nashville, including Amazon, AllianceBernstein, Lyft, Philips, Warner Music and Warby Parker. He also worked with companies that expanded operations in the city such as HCA, Bridgestone, UBS, Asurion and AIG. During Wiltshire’s time in this role, the unemployment rate in Davidson County fell from over 8% to 2.3%.

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Wiltshire was a Director in the Investment Banking Group at Avondale Partners, a Nashville-based investment banking firm, and was a partner at NEST-TN, LLC, a venture capital firm. Prior to returning to Nashville to join Avondale, Wiltshire helped found Greenbridge Partners, a private capital firm in Greenwich, CT and was a principal at Compass Advisers, an investment banking boutique in New York City. Wiltshire began his investment banking career as an analyst with Montgomery Securities in San Francisco and in New York.

A Hume-Fogg Academic High School alumnus, Wiltshire graduated with a BA degree in government from Dartmouth College. He was a member of Dartmouth’s heavyweight crew team and won multiple awards at collegiate, national and international competitions. Prior to joining the Mayor’s Office, Wiltshire served as the president of the board of Hands On Nashville and on the executive committee of the boards of the Center for Nonprofit Management and the Tennessee Justice Center. He enjoys running and cycling and has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya. Matt is married to Crissy Wieck and has two sons, a daughter, two stepdaughters and a stepson.

ABOUT Karl Dean

Karl Dean was the 68th Mayor of Nashville and the sixth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. He was elected on Sept. 11, 2007 and was re-elected on Aug. 4, 2011. He completed his second term in office on September 25, 2015. He was the Democrat Party nominee for the office of Governor of Tennessee in 2018.Dean first held public office when he was elected as Nashville’s Public Defender in 1990, a post he was re-elected to in 1994 and 1998. He served as Metro Law Director from 1999 to January 2007, when he resigned to run for the office of mayor. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vanderbilt.

What's going on in Kurdistan in northern Iraq? Who are the Kurds? What is their status within Iraq? Michael McClellan, career American diplomat and current President of the American University of Kurdistan Foundation was at the Tennessee World Affairs Council for a standing room only Global Town Hall on March 20, 2019 to talk about these questions and about AUK and its exchange programs with Tennessee Universities.

This topic plays on a common Kurdish saying, but leaves open the possibility to talk about a wide range of topics and will allow a Q&A to go all over the place. One of the central points I want to make is that Kurds finally have the chance to run their OWN educational system and they are making choices that will benefit Kurds throughout the world. By establishing two American-style universities, Kurds are preparing for a future that can go either way and that is the vital thing now. Also, it is a chance to promote Kurdish culture and language globally, an opportunity that Iran, Turkey, and Syria do not afford the Kurds, but Iraq does.

Kurdistan is one of the very few bright lights in the Middle East – the cornerstone of stability and a model of tolerance and diversity for the entire region. McClellan’s brief will be upbeat, but realistic, will address independence/autonomy, but focus on the positive role of education in advancing the cause of the Kurds.

About Michael McClellan

Michael McClellan became President of the American University of Kurdistan Foundation in August 2018. Prior to that, he was Diplomat-in-Residence at Western Kentucky University and a Recruitment and Outreach Officer with the U.S. Department of State, responsible for recruiting for the U.S. Foreign Service by increasing awareness of the many internship, fellowship, and career opportunities available with the Department.

During his three decades with the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Department of State, Michael served as a Public Diplomacy Officer in Yemen, Egypt, Russia, Serbia, Germany, Kosovo, Ireland, Iraq (twice), Ethiopia, and South Sudan, where he served as Deputy Chief of Mission. He was also Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He retired in 2014 with the rank of Minister-Counselor.

Michael’s work in Public Diplomacy focused on press and media, often as the official Embassy Spokesman. He was Spokesman in Kosovo right after the NATO bombing campaign and then in Iraq when the U.S. military withdrew in 2011. However, Michael’s proudest accomplishment in the Foreign Service was founding the American University in Kosovo, which opened its doors in 2004 and continues educating Kosovo’s youth from all communities to this day. As a Public Affairs Counselor in several embassies, Michael oversaw the Public Diplomacy grants to local NGOs and was responsible for ensuring compliance of grantees with USG regulations.

Throughout his career, Michael maintained a lifelong interest in photography and religions, which culminated in a book on Egypt’s Coptic Church monasteries that was published by the American University in Cairo Press and extensive outreach on Muslim-Christian interfaith understanding during several overseas assignments. Later in his career, working mainly in Africa, he promoted organic and sustainable farming and Appalachian culture.

A Kentucky native, Michael has a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Louisville, an M.A. in Photojournalism and International Relations from Syracuse University, and completed doctoral studies in International Communication at Indiana University in Bloomington.

As a diplomat, Michael spoke Russian, Arabic, and German, as well as some Serbian and Albanian. He lives in Dohuk, Kurdistan, as well as Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he has a small organic farm and keeps bees.

Global Tennessee host Patrick Ryan talked with Karl Dean, 68th Mayor of Nashville (2007-2015) and 2018 Gubernatorial Candidate in Tennessee, John Scannapieco (TNWAC Board) and Logan Monday (TNWAC Staff). Dean discussed his post-mayoral experiences including running for Tennessee Governor and his views on international affairs and global affairs awareness and education. The Roundtable talked about Nashville as a Global City and the relations through Sister Cities and organizations like the Consulate of Japan. We welcome you to this episode to gain a new view on Nashville as an international place and the work of the World Affairs Council and other organizations to help its citizens 'know the world.'

Today Global Tennessee presents an interview with Ambassador of Japan to the United States H.E. Shinsuke J. Sugiyama and in our second segment an interview with Project C.U.R.E. President Dr. Douglas Jackson.

TNWAC President Patrick Ryan and Board Member John Scannapieco (and Chairman of the Japan-America Society of Tennessee) talked with Ambassador Sugiyama about U.S.-Japan relations, Japan-Tennessee commercial relations and foreign direct investment and people to people connections -- cultural, educational and other bridge building activities.

Ambassador Sugiyama has represented Japan in Washington since March 2018. He previously served as Deputy Minister and Vice Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs among other leadership positions in Japan's foreign service.

Ambassador Sugiyama's visit to Nashville and his participation in the "Global Tennessee" Podcast have been coordinated by our friends at the Consulate of Japan in Nashville and Consul-General Hiroyuki Kobayashi.

In our second segment of this episode Dr. Doug Jackson, PhD, C.U.R.E. President and Ms. Katherine Lay Miller, Nashville Executive Director, talked with Patrick Ryan about their organization (Commission on Urgent Relief and Equipment) that identifies, solicits, collects, sorts and distributes medical supplies and services according to the imperative needs of the world to over 130 countries. Dr. Jackson talked about the history and mission of the organization.

Notes:

Amb Sugiyama Bio - https://bit.ly/2twhV6M

Consulate of Japan in Nashville - https://bit.ly/2TXS4Qx

Japan-America Society of Tennessee - https://japanamericasocietyoftennesseeinc.wildapricot.org

Project C.U.R.E. - https://projectcure.org

Dr. Douglas Jackson Bio - https://projectcure.org/people/douglas-jackson-phd-jd

Ms. Katherine Lay Miller Bio - https://projectcure.org/people/katherine-lay-miller

Joe Cirincione is the preeminent voice on the existential threat to life on earth posed by nuclear weapon proliferation. He heads Ploughshares Fund, the preeminent group working to reduce and eliminate this threat. Join us for a conversation with Joe during his Nashville speaking tour to hear about the top 5 issues and what is happening in the US government and elsewhere to address the scourge of nuclear weapons, the "new arms race" and the situation with Iran and North Korea.

Notes:

"The Doomsday Clock is ticking. How can we turn it back?," "The Tennessean," by Joseph Cirincione and Patrick W. Ryan, February 10, 2019

https://soundcloud.com/tnwac/global-tennessee-episode-013

Ploughshares Fund

https://www.ploughshares.org

"The Next Trump-Kim Summit," Ploughshares.org, February 4, 2019

https://www.ploughshares.org/issues-analysis/article/next-trump-kim-summit

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), U.S. State Department

https://www.state.gov/e/eb/tfs/spi/iran/jcpoa/