Dear Members

and Friends,

It’s been a

fantastic year!

We started the

year with an

event featuring

Peter Tomsen,

f o r m e r U . S .

ambassador to

Afghanistan. In

the months that

followed, we

featured eclectic and informative programs

featuring numerous prominent figures, such as

Mohamed Salah Tekaya, Tunisia’s ambassador

to the U.S., a major panel discussion featuring

four EU consuls general, Japanese Consul

General Jun Niimi, Dr. James Zogby and a

private screening of the provocative film

“Death by China.” Because of your support,

we were able to send a team of Mission Viejo

High School students, winners of our

Mes s a g e f r om t h e Cha i rman :

Hol iday Gala Celebrat ion Dec 19 , 2012

Please join us

for an

exceptional

evening on

December 19

for our annual

holiday gala

celebration at

the Westin South Coast Plaza

Hotel. Our featured speaker

is Buzz Aldrin, American hero,

Apollo 11 astronaut, the second

person to walk on the moon and

World Affairs Council of Orange County Bringing the world to Orange County and Orange County to the world since 1967

Quarterly 2012

The Hon. Steven Choi and Dr. Mike

Moodian, WACOC Chairman at

“Death by China” event

Orange County Globe

Academic WorldQuest competition, to

Washington, D.C. to participate in the national

competition. Serge Tomassian completed a

successful term as chairman in September; I

look forward to working with our executive

board to build on this momentum over the

next several months.

We are so excited to host Apollo 11

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin for our annual holiday

gala on December 19. You will not want to

miss this event. Sir Eldon Griffths and Rep. Ed

Royce, new chair of the House foreign affairs

committee, will provide opening remarks.

Additionally, acclaimed tenor Cesar Sanchez,

pianist Christopher Martin and Dickens

carolers will all perform. Seats are still

available, and we have numerous sponsorship

and underwriting opportunities.

Happy holidays! We look forward to a great

year in 2013!

Dr. Mike Moodian

even a former "Dancing With

the Stars" contestant! In

addition, we will feature Cesar

Sanchez, an acclaimed tenor,

pianist Christopher Martin and

the Dickens Carolers.

There will be special remarks

from The Honorable Ed Royce

and Sir Eldon Griffiths along

with a champagne reception,

raffle prizes and more. You do

not want to miss this!

To register for this event, please

call us at 949-253-5751 or go to

www.worldaffairscouncil.org.

The annual gala is our biggest

fundraiser during the year and

the money we raise at the Gala

keeps our World Affairs Council

chapter strong to serve you and

our community.

Holiday Gala

Celebration Fundraiser

featuring

Buzz Aldrin

Astronaut, Apollo Xl

First Mission to Walk

on the Moon

"Past, Present and Future

of Space Exploration"

Holiday Music by

Cesar Sanchez,

internationally - acclaimed

tenor accompanied by

pianist Christopher Martin

Champagne Reception

Raffle Prizes

Dickens Carolers

Color Guard - Troy High

NJROTC

Date: December 19, 2012

Location: The Westin

South Coast Plaza Hotel

686 Anton Boulevard, Costa

Mesa, CA 92626

6:00 pm Reception * 7:00 pm

Dinner * 8:00 pm Program

Cocktail Attire -Black Tie

Optional

To Register:

Please call

949-253-5751, email

orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org

World Affairs Council of Orange County

Thank you to our Annual Holiday Gala Sponsors

• Access to some of today's world’s most influential leaders;

diplomats, global business executives and country experts

• Special member prices and premium seating for all World

Affairs Council events and activities

• Special invitations to premium member-only events and

receptions

• Opportunities to travel with the "Travel the World" program

hosted by the Philadelphia Council

• A network of local businesses and individuals interested in

international affairs

• Eligibility to participate in the annual national conference in

Washington, DC

• Discounts on major international publications

• The ability to support future leaders through the council's

outreach efforts

• Events that give the stories behind the headlines

To become a member, call 949-253-5751 or go to www.worldaffairscouncil.org

J o i n WAC T o d a y a n d P a r t i c i p a t e i n : Event Sponsors

California Science and Engineering

Corporation (CALSEC)

Brandman University

Underwriters/Table Sponsors

Drs. Tom and Cynthia Coad

Sue Kint / Susan Choi

Roya Cole

Bruce and Carol Hallenbeck

Errol and Candace Mathieu

Rod and Liz Maxson

David Sheraton

Seda Yaghoubian/Orange County Armenian

Professional Society (OCAPS)

Tommy Papa

Norm Tanber

Academic WorldQuest 2013 The World Affairs Council of Orange County (WACOC) continues its outreach to the local high-school students who have

a passion and interest in global affairs. On February 9, 2013, we will host our 5th Annual Academic WorldQuest at Chapman

University. Academic WorldQuest is a program of the World Affairs Councils of America and is a nationwide competition held in

over 40 cities across America. Teams of 4 students are challenged on their knowledge of world affairs, geography, history and

current events.

We would welcome your involvement by either volunteering your time, or by your financial underwriting of this educational

endeavor. To sponsor a team or a student for Academic Worldquest in 2013, please contact us at 949-253-5751 or email

orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org. Please support your future leaders of tomorrow. Sponsorship opportunities include:

$2,500 Orange County Winning Team Sponsor

Supports the winning team’s trip to Washington, D.C

$500 Corporate Sponsor for Education

Supports awards and prizes for students

$300 High School Team Sponsor

Supports one team’s cost for the event

$75 Future Leaders Sponsor

Supports a student’s cost for the event

The rich exposure the students receive is certainly unique and many times might be the catalyst that launches them into a

passionate global career. Thank you!!

The council is recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, and our Tax ID number is 953288197

Contact Us

2102 Business Center Drive, Irvine CA 92612

Phone: 949-253-5751

Fax: 949-253-5752

Email: orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org

Website: www.worldaffairscouncil.org

What you Missed . . .

Drs. Mike and Margaret

Moodian at the Trustees

Luncheon

Roya Cole, Co-Chair

Programs and fiancé Charles View

Michael and Carole Wade at

the Amb. James Keith event

Serge Tomassian, Past

Chairman and Liz Maxson,

Trustee-at-Large

Members of the Executive

Board 2011 - 2012 at the

Trustees Luncheon

Joanne Sokolski, O.C. Chief

of Protocol, and Timor Rafiq,

Past Chairman

Michael Sbaita, Dr. Reza Karkia

and Herb Trumpoldt

Professor Unna Lassiter and

students from Cal State Long

Beach at the Understanding

Muslim Societies Event

Nora Valenzuela, Bob Petersen, Tommy

Papa, Seda Yaghoubian, Liz and Rod Maxson

Dr. James Coyle, Past Chairman; Mike

Moodian, Chairman; Speaker John Copper;

T.K. Lee (TECO) and Mike Withrow

Peter Navarro, Author and Filmaker of

Death by China and Mike Withrow

Thank you to our Corporate Members

Member Happenings

Greetings from India! Michelle Bolourchi is currently in

New Delhi, India, and part of a 2-year post-graduate

research program on the sociology of education in India.

She is studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and

will be here until 2014.

Charles Chen has practiced OB/GYN in Orange

County for over 33 years and retired in 2011. During his

practice, he was lucky to have a chance to talk to patients

from all over the world which gave him an opportunity to

write books concerning world peace, religion unity,

challenge and update medicine and science: 1) An

Intimate Relationship-- Genes, Cancer, Lifestyle, and You,

2) A Plan for a Single-Payer Health Care System 3) Sixty-

One Questions and Answers for the New Knowledge

and New Thinking in the Twenty-First Century and 4)

New Knowledge in the Twenty-First Century: The,

Present, and Future of Humankind; Medicine, Science,

Religion, and Politics for the Global Mind - published in

November, 2011. You can e-mail Charles at

chen607@sbcglobal.net or purchase his books on

Amazon.

Drs. Tom and Cynthia Coad flew to New York in

order to support a daughter running in the NYC

Marathon on November 4, 2012. The race was cancelled

but she helped in the massive clean-up efforts which was

equally exhaustive but more satisfying.

In October 2012, former WACOC Chair Dr. James

Coyle traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan, for a conference co-

sponsored by the Azerbaijan Youth Association and the

Strategic Studies Institute (of the office of the President).

Dr. Coyle spoke on US-Azerbaijan relations: the

geopolitical imperative. The conference followed a June

travel course to Tbilisi, Georgia and an April speaking

tour of Russia.

Members, Nancy Christiano and Michael Ross are

leading a unique government-sanctioned delegation to

Havana, Cuba on February 5-10, 2013 for business and

community leaders in Orange County. They have opened

7 spots for World Affairs Council members. Don't miss

this opportunity to experience the real Cuba before it

opens up and there's a Starbucks on every corner. For

details, contact Michael Ross at mross@a7group.com or

949.306.8596.

Now that the election is over, I actually have my life back!

I traveled the country running as the Libertarian

candidate for vice president, and met some positively

great and dedicated people along the way, but now again

can participate in things in Orange County like the WAC.

Looking forward to becoming re-acquainted with each of

you! Judge Jim Gray

Sue Kint and Kevin Lee, attend the 2012 American

Celebration at Chapman University, along with Larry and

Kristina Dodge.

WAC member Shelley Liberto is an Orange County

attorney who provides independent consultancy services

to USAID, the World Bank and the European

Commission on legal and judicial reform programs in

emerging countries. Mr. Liberto who is multi-lingual in

English, Arabic and French has led teams engaged in

improving access to justice and judicial systems in

Morocco, Lebanon, Uganda and most recently, The

Gambia over the last eight years.

Member Happenings

During the summer months of 2012, Mr. Liberto headed

the EU’s Project to Reform Access to Justice and Legal

Education in The Gambia. His findings and

recommendations now operate as the roadmap for future

technical assistance by the European Union to the

Government of The Gambia to improve access to justice

in that West African country. www.libertolaw.com

UCI International Studies has a variety of upcoming

activities, starting with a collaborative conference: “UCI

and Africa: Expanding Engagements, Ongoing Dialogues.”

In addition, please check out our speakers scheduled for

the new year, including Monica Das Gupta from the

World Bank and Ha Nguyen from the U.S. Department of

Homeland Security, as well as our blog on

humanitarianism in Africa, www.cihablog.com.

International Studies has also partnered with the Desert

to Sea Region of the American Red Cross to offer

internships to students interested in international

humanitarian law. Students are currently involved in a

two-quarter internship, which will be repeated next year.

Harriet Roop spent 10 lovely days on the American

Queen from Chattanooga to Memphis this fall - a step

back in time on a true “paddle wheeler” with visits to the

Civil War sites along the Tennessee River.

Tully and Jan Seymour recently returned from a trip

to Cuba. Tully is the president of the International

Academy of Trial Judges which sponsored the trip. The

judges met with Cuban attorneys and a retired Justice of

the Cuban Supreme Court. After a stay in Havana, the

judges traveled to the interior cities of Trinidad and

Vinales.

During a recent visit to Armenia, Dr. Garo Tertzakian

was honored for his 25 years of volunteer service

to Armenian Urology. During a commemorative event

h e l d a t t h e Y e r e v a n S t a t e M e d i c a l

University (YSMA) auditorium on October 4, 2012 and

attended by 300 of his colleagues, patients, friends

and family members. Dr. Tertzakian was recognized for

his important input to the advancement of Urology in

Armenia starting in 1987 by various professors,

academicians, government officials and grateful patients.

He was awarded the prestigious YMSU First Class Honor

medal by the dean of YSMU along with other medals and

proclamations.

Past Chairmen, Serge Tomassian and Timor Rafiq

with the Swedish Chef at the Embassy Reception in

Washington, DC at the WAC National Conference. A

great smorgasbord of food! Serge Tomassian with

Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafström at his official

residence.

Serge Tomassian receiving his Jr.

Black Belt.

The World Affairs Council of Orange County

wishes long time member, Herb Nootbaar,

a very happy 104th Birthday!!

Herb Nootbaar with Serge Tomassian at his 104th birthday

party in November 2012.

If you enjoy traveling on unique tours to fascinating

destinations, and having access to political and other

local experts who give behind the scenes views and

briefings, then you'll quickly discover why traveling

with the World Affairs Council is so special.

The Council has designed frequent trips around the

globe, visiting such diverse locations as Vietnam,

Egypt, Morocco, Antarctica, and Cuba, plus an annual

"Inside Washington" five-night program of briefings,

special events and cultural highlights.

Because of our reputation as one of the nation's

leading forums, the Council has established

connections around the globe that allow us to offer

members access that they can't get when traveling

alone or on other tours. Council leaders, who can

draw on their expertise in the fields of diplomacy,

journalism, or academia, accompany some tours as

lecturers thereby providing added value to the

experience.

The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia organizes all

the “Travel the World” trips for the National

Association of Councils and has been doing so for 35

years.

Email: travel@wacphila.org * See Travel Tours at

www.wacphila.org

Travel the World with the World Affairs Council

Welcome Executive Board 2012 - 2013

Dr. Michael A. Moodian

Chairman

Leslie McNamara

Chair-Elect/Corporate Secretary

Errol Mathieu

Treasurer

Bruce Hallenbeck

Deputy Treasurer

Serge Tomassian

Corporate Development Chair

David Sheraton

Corporate Development Vice-Chair

Nora Valenzuela

Membership Chair

Dr. Milton Gordon

Membership Vice-Chair

Mani Kang

Membership Vice-Chair

Seda Yaghoubian

Programs Chair

Annie Chu

Programs Vice-Chair

Roya Cole

Programs Vice-Chair

Thomas Papa

Scholarship Outreach Chair

Marcia Pína

Scholarship Outreach Vice-Chair

Dr. Parmis Khatibi

Liz Maxson

Trustees-at-Large

2102 Business Center Drive

Irvine, Ca. 92612