Featured Speaker: Dr. John D. Stempel, Senior Professor of International Relations at the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. Dr. Stempel received his A.B. from Princeton and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He served 23 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, including postings in Guinea, Burundi, Zambia, and Iran, plus a three-year tour as U.S. Consul General in Madras, India. His experience in Teheran — where he was the Embassy’s principal liaison with opposition groups — provided material for his book Inside the Iranian Revolution. Professor Stempel taught previously at the U.S. Naval Academy, joining the Patterson School in 1988. He served as the school’s director from 1993-2003. In 2005, Professor Stempel was on sabbatical at Virginia Military Institute. His most recent book, Common Sense and Foreign Policy (2008), argues for pragmatic solutions to address our most vexing problems. Professor Stempel is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Department of Commerce District Export Council for Kentucky, is listed in Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who in America, and serves as a trustee of Georgetown College. His Areas of Specialization are: Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Near Eastern Politics, Cross Cultural Negotiation, Iran, and India.

Location– Banquet Hall in The Badgett Academic Support Center