May 28, 2010
Contact:
Renee DeGross Valdes, 404-413-1353
University Relations
ATLANTA - Georgia State University is delving deeper into international affairs and foreign policy with the formation of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta.
The university's Robinson College of Business has taken a lead role in helping to launch this new organization, which will provide a forum for dialogue, an engine for research and ideas on international affairs and global issues.
The non-profit organization will be headed by Wayne Lord, professor of international executive education in the Robinson College of Business. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President and Chief Executive Dennis P. Lockhart is the founding chairman of the board of directors.
Cedric L. Suzman, an international business scholar in the Robinson College, has been named the executive vice president of programming and Christopher L. Brown, a lecturer in the GSU Department of Political Science, has been named vice president for research and analysis.
According to Lockhart, "The council will draw on the international expertise of faculty from the Robinson College of Business and other institutions, as well as practitioners from the corporate, government and non-governmental sectors, to provide in-depth perspectives found nowhere else on matters of major international significance to our members."
GSU President Mark P. Becker, who will serve on the organization's board, said Georgia State is pleased to participate in the establishment of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta.
"By bringing together the resources of our great university with the support of the Atlanta business and non-profit communities, the council will be a significant platform for research and discourse on global issues for Atlanta and the nation," he said.
Other members of the organization's board include H. Fenwick Huss, dean of the Robinson College, Frank Blount, chairman and CEO of JI Ventures and a member of the GSU Foundation Board of Trustees; Eric J. Joiner, vice chairman of AJC International and a member of the Robinson College Board of Advisors; David R. Forquer, assistant dean for executive programs for the Robinson College; and Clyde C. Tuggle, the Coca-Cola Company's senior vice president for global public affairs and communications.
Board members will serve on a pro bono basis and help with things including public briefings, business roundtables and major research projects. The council also will produce academic papers.
Already underway is a leadership forum headed by former Coca-Cola Company Chairman and CEO Neville Isdell. The organization will be affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America, which was founded in 1918 and has grown to 90 chapters in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The Atlanta chapter will have access to an even wider range of programs and national leaders. Membership is open to individuals and organizations and the council will have special programs for early career professionals.
The Coca-Cola Company has become the first financial supporter of the Atlanta group.
"The Coca-Cola Company is honored to be a charter sponsor," Tuggle said.
"Not only will this council help us stay connected to broader issues, but it also will give companies, government organizations and non-governmental organizations in Atlanta a better understanding of matters of international importance."
For more information, please visit: www.wacatl.gsu.edu.