DINNER SERIES
GBNN dinner discussions provide an opportunity for small groups of Georgetown students to have “off-the-record” conversations and make meaningful connections with sector experts. Previous dinner topics have included: bipartisan legislative negotiations, the Iran nuclear deal, police-community partnerships, and more.
FEATURED DINNERS
February 2020
Rick Waters, Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, discussed the U.S. Government Response Coordination and the Coronavirus.
December 2019
David Smolansky, OAS Secretary General Envoy for Venezuelan Migration and Refugee Crisis, talked about the root causes of Venezuela's humanitarian crisis and how he is working in exile to assist refugees through OAS.
FBI HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS: HOW TO LEARN THE MOST IN TIMES OF TRAUMA
October 2019
At our first dinner series event of the year, Timothy Healy, FBI Supervisory Special Agent in the Crisis Negotiation Unit highlighted the importance of empathy in navigating hostage, barricade, and kidnapping incidents both in the US and abroad.
FROM KAVANAUGH TO KHASHOGGI
November 2018
We welcomed Karoun Demirjian, a reporter for the Washington Post who covers national security policy. Karoun shared her journey from graduate school to working at the Post. Student attendees described the conversation as “candid, open, and refreshing.”
HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION & “FRINGE” DIPLOMACY
October 2018
Richardson Center Vice-President Mickey Bergman, who has over 15 years of experience in strategic diplomacy, coined the phrase “fringe diplomacy,” and dealt directly with senior North Korean officials engaged in a conversation about the complexities of working in high-stakes settings.
NEGOTIATING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ATROCITIES IN SYRIA
April 2018
Executive Director of the Syria Justice & Accountability Centre, Mohammad al Abdallah, and the First Secretary of the Political Department at the Netherlands Embassy, Timor El-Dardiry, led the dinner in a stimulating conversation surrounding events in Syria.
POLICE-COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
March 2018
Guest speakers Megan G. Johnston, Executive Director of Northern Virginia Mediation Service, and Cary Petrovitch, Fairfax County Police Department Master Police Officer, discussed a local collaboration between police, nonprofits, schools, and court partners to repair harm from juvenile crimes.