Please join us to hear firsthand how three UW-Madison visiting diplomats-in-residence each dealt with a challenge or crisis that arose during their diplomatic career. The panel, comprised of John Campbell, Alfred Defago, and Florence Chenoweth, will also speak more generally of the challenges faced by ambassadors and diplomats in a globalizing world.
This event is brought to you in partnership by the Division of International Studies and the Wisconsin Alumni Association®.
Tomas Loftus, former ambassador to Norway, will present welcoming remarks. A reception will follow the panel, providing an opportunity to meet the Division of International Studies’ diplomats-in-residence.
Thursday, June 12, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street
This event is free and open to the public.
John Campbell is the former United States ambassador to Nigeria, and is a visiting professor of international studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He most recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Human Resources.
A career foreign service officer since 1975, Campbell’s overseas postings included Lyon, Paris, and Geneva. He also served as Polcouns at Lagos, Nigeria (1988-1990) and Pretoria/Cape Town, South Africa (1993-96). Assignments at the Department of State have included: dean, School of Language Studies at the Foreign Service Institute, deputy executive secretary, and director of UN Political Affairs.
Florence Chenoweth is the former United Nations Food and Agriculture (FAO) representative to the UN and executive director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York. She is currently a University of Wisconsin-Madison distinguished international visitor. Dr. Chenoweth, a national of Liberia, earned both her master’s degree in agricultural economics (1970) and her doctorate in land resources (1986) at UW-Madison. She became Liberia’s (and Africa’s) first female minister of agriculture at the age of 32, serving from 1977 to 1979. Chenoweth and her family narrowly escaped Liberia after a violent coup, walking across the country to safety in Sierra Leone.
Alfred Defago, the former ambassador of Switzerland to the United States is a visiting professor of international studies at UW-Madison. In addition to his ambassadorship, he has served as consul general of Switzerland in New York. He also served as the director of the Federal Office of Culture, and he was head of the national and economic affairs department of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Defago earned his doctorate in history and German literature from the University of Bern, and has studied at the University of Vienna, the German Institute in Rome, and the Vatican Library.
Thomas A. Loftus was the special advisor to the director general of the World Health Organization from 1998 to 2005. Previously he served as the United States ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway from 1993 to 1997. Upon leaving, he was awarded the Grand Cross by His Majesty King Harald of Norway, the highest order of the Royal Norwegian Order. Ambassador Loftus served in the Wisconsin Legislature from 1977 to 1991, serving as Speaker of the House for 8 years. Loftus holds degrees from UW-Whitewater and UW-Madison.
The Division of International Studies is the campus unit charged with formulating and implementing UW-Madison’s internationalization strategy. Its mission is to promote international education, scholarship, and collaboration both on and off campus.
For additional information contact Cynthia Williams: cwilliam@wisc.edu or 608-262-3929.