World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Pia Orrenius, Vice President and Senior Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; Antonio

Ortiz-Mena, Head of Section, Economic Affairs, Mexican Embassy, Washington, D.C.

Reach beyond the headlines with the World Affairs Council!

Reach beyond the headlines with the World Affairs Council!

Hong Kong Commissioner to the United States, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative

Region

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a man who understood the “New Deal” on a personal basis. He had faced a “new deal.” In its description of James Tobin's biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the publishing house Simon & Schuster describes FDR's battle with polio and ascension to the presidency as “the most remarkable comeback in the history of American politics.” The book is titled The Man He Became — How FDR Defied Polio To Win The Presidency.

The challenge of illuminating the life and emotions of this president was taken on by a biographer with solid credentials. Berg is a consistent New York Times best-seller and winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award for biographies.

Could the creation of a single post-war office solve diplomatic and practical issues before they happen in war-torn nations? Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen believes such an office is the answer to many nation re-building problems.

Kip Tindell is the CEO and Chairman of The Container Store as well as a proponent in the Conscious Capitalism movement. Tindell received the National Retail Federation’s 2010 Gold Medal Award, which honors key industry leaders for distinction in service and is regarded as the most coveted award in retail.

Just as the United States and NATO combat forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan – due out in 2014 -- there comes a boots-on-the-ground examination of the effects and costs of the “surge” that put them there in the first place.

He’s called “The Twitter Ambassador” because he gracefully embraced social media as an effective communication method – with more than 110,000 followers (@dinopattidjalal) from Washington to Jakarta. You also can find him well-represented on YouTube, discussing strategy, ambition and economic challenges facing Indonesia.