Nuclear Proliferation
Dr. Schuyler Foerster PhD
President, World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh

During his 26-year Air Force career, Dr. Foerster served in several capacities as special advisor to senior military and civilian leaders on security and arms control policy.  At the U.S. Strategic Command, Dr. Foerster served as political advisor to the Commander in Chief on issues relating to U. S. strategic nuclear force posture, doctrine, and strategy as well as on nuclear arms control and non-proliferation policies. 

 Dr. Foerster has a Ph.D. from Oxford University, where he specialized in politics, strategic studies, and United States-European relations.  He has co-authored two books and written several articles on international politics and security issues and has been a frequent guest commentator in print, radio, and television.

Thomas Dodd served as ambassador to Costa Rica. Earlier he was Ambassador to the Republic of Uruguay and a professor of Latin American History and Diplomacy at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. From 1969-1973 he was the Director of the Latin American Studies Program for Georgetown's graduate school. Between 1971 and 1991 Ambassador Dodd was a lecturer at several institutions, including the Foreign Service Institute, the Defense Intelligence College, the National Defense University. and the Instituto Technologico de los Estudios Superiore in Guadalajara, Medico.

From 1970-1972 he served as a consultant to the Policy and Coordination Staff in the Office of the Secretary of State. He worked for the Department of State again when he was Chairman of the Advanced Seminar on Central America and the Spanish Caribbean at the Foreign Service Institute from  1981-1986. He has been a member of the Faculty Advisory Board for the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy since 1982  and has presented lectures to the Business Council on International Understanding at American University since 1984. He is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Historical Association, Caribbean Studies Association, and the Inter-American Council, serving as President (1976-1977 and 1985-1986).

Since his diplomatic assignments in Latin America, he has been an adjunct professor in the school of foreign Service of Georgetown University, School of International Service of American University, and the Honors Program at Georgetown University. He also taught American Diplomatic History at the Lizarski University in Warsaw, Poland. Among courses he has offered at the universities are "The Art and Conduct of Diplomacy: Case Studies in Inter American Relations," "US Diplomacy Since the End of World War II", and Latin American Political Leaders in Biographies and Novels".

Ambassador Dodd was a Second Lieutenant at Ft. Holabird in Baltimore, Maryland, from 1958-1959. From 1960-1961 he was a Captain in the U.S. Army, Military Intelligence Detachment with the 49th Armored Division. He was awarded the U.S.Army Commendation Medal in 1961. He received his B.S. in 1957 from Georgetown University School, of Foreign Service. In addition to a M.A. in Latin American History from  Elliot School of International Relations and a Ph.D. in Latin American History from George Washington University., Ambassador Dodd has studied at the Universities of Barcelona and Santander in Spain, Iberoamericana in Mexico, and the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.

Dr. Benedick is the president of the National Council for Science and the Environment, an organization dedicated to improving the scientific basis for environmental decision making. His acclaimed book, Ozone Diplomacy: New Directions in Safeguarding the Planet, was selected by McGraw-Hill for an anthology of twentieth century environmental classics and is used in universities throughout the world.

A career diplomat, Dr. Benedick served in Iran, Pakistan, Paris, Bonn, and Athens. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, he supervised policy formation and international negotiations on climate change, stratospheric ozone, biotechnology, tropical forests, oceans, wildlife conservation, and AIDS.

Ambassador Wilcox is president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, a Washington-based foundation devoted to fostering peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He served in the Foreign Service for 31 years during which time he worked in U. S. embassies in Laos, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. His last assignment was as Chief of Mission and U. S. Consul General in Jerusalem.

After his retirement, Ambassador Wilcox was appointed by the Secretary of State to serve as a member of an Accountability Review Board to examine and make recommendations concerning the terrorist bombing of the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. He has been awarded the meritorious, superior, and presidential honor awards by the Department of State.

Dr. Rodekohr is a visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the director of the Energy Markets and Contingency Information Division, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy. At CSIS he is working on geopolitical issues related to the oil and natural gas production sectors as well as oil refining. At EIA he directs a staff of about 20 economists, operations research analysts, and other professionals in the production of EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, Country Analysis Briefs (a series of about 100 profiles of key energy consuming or producing countries), and an annual analysis of key energy industry financial indicators in the Performance Profiles report, focusing on the largest 28 energy firms in the United States.

Dr. Rodekohr received a B. S. (Economics) from the University of Delaware, and an M. A. and Ph.D. (Economics) from the University of Colorado. In addition, he has a Ph.D. in Fields of Comprehensive Examinations.

The Forgotten War
Ann Jones
Author: Kabul in Winter;  Life Without Peace in Afghanistan

Dr. Jones is an award-winning journalist and an activist for civil rights, women’s rights, and peace.  After receiving her Ph.D. in literature and history from the University of Wisconsin, she taught writing and women’s studies and traveled as an international journalist and photographer.

Following the September 11 attacks, Dr. Jones went to Afghanistan (as a volunteer working in humanitarian aid) to teach Afghan high school English teachers, many of whom were just emerging from the Taliban’s long confinement.  She wrote about her experiences there in Kabul in Winter:  Life Without Peace in Afghanistan

Mr. Canavati has over 25 years of experience in port marketing, North and Latin America foreign trade, and is the author of various articles and editorials on Mexico trade and transportation. He serves on the boards of various international trade organizations and is the official Texas representative of the National Importers and Exporters Association of Mexico.

Jorge is responsible for marketing, business development, and public relations in an effort to establish Port San Antonio as a new link in the worldwide logistics supply chain. He will discuss the new international multimodal transportation corridor from China to San Antonio and South Texas. This new corridor presents a new alternative in international trade. As the dynamic growth of world trade continues, it is clear that new routes and alternative ports of entry into the United States are needed to sustain such demand.

Brig. Gen. Holmes is the deputy director of operations, U. S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. He is responsible to CENTCOM’s commander on all matters pertaining to the strategic and operational employment of assigned forces and the conduct of joint and combined combat operations. In addition, he is responsible for the coordination of all aspects of operations including air, ground, naval and special operations forces.

Prior to his current assignment, Brig. Gen. Holmes was director of security forces for the U. S. Air Force in Washington, D. C. He is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations including the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal.

Mr. Piñón provided an analysis of Cuba’s energy and economic challenges as well as an analysis on the politics of oil in Latin America as a whole.  

Jorge Piñón is a senior research associate in the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, where he focuses on energy, economics, infrastructure reconstruction, and the development of small- and medium-size enterprises.   In his thirty-year career in the energy sector, Mr. Piñón worked for Shell Oil Company, Amoco Corporation, and BP. 

He is a frequent guest energy analyst on CNN En Espanol, CNN International, and Bloomberg Financial News Services.

Tuesday October 17 we had a small welcome no host dinner for Jorge at the Town Club. Andreas Jozwiak, one of the attendees, a second year student at King High School, will interview Jorge for Corpus Beat. Also attending was Dr. Lorenzo Martin.  Jorge and Lorenzo share a grand daughter here in Corpus Christi.

Wednesday after breakfast we visited the administration at the Port of Corpus Christi Authority for a briefing on current issues in Cuba.

Then we traveled to the Collegiate High School on Del Mar campus. This is a joint venture between Corpus Christi Independent School District and Del Mar Community College, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Students receive dual credit for their work. We met with about sixty ninth graders, the only class now at the school.These students are a cross section of Corpus Christi demographics.  This was a very inspirational visit. These young people were really enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and they asked great questions.  Jorge felt this visit was worth his trip to Corpus Christi.

The Town Club luncheon and address was the focal point of the visit. Seventy-four of our members and the general public gathered to learn more about current issues in Cuba.  The meeting was chaired by Ruben Bonilla. We had very good comments from those in attendance.

Our last stop was to King High School. We met for an hour and a half with over a hundred advanced placement and academic decathlon students. The discussions and questions were very intellectual.  Jorge also encouraged the students about preparing themselves for their career.