You are cordially invited to a lecture on the topic of
Strategic Challenges and Engagement in Africa Today
with
Christopher Runyan
Former Director for African Affairs
National Security Staff, The White House
Tuesday, May 6
5:30 PM
The Institute of World Politics
1521 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Parking map
Mr. Runyan will address several current strategic challenges in Africa, including security issues in Mali and the Sahel region, energy and development policies, as well as opportunities for democracy and economic growth.
Christopher Runyan recently left the National Security Council staff as Director for African Affairs responsible 17 countries in West Africa and the Sahel region. He also served at the Department of State as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State, and as Senior Advisor for the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.
Mr. Runyan is an employee of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he has served in several capacities in the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance and in the Bureau for Asia and the Near East. Mr. Runyan has worked overseas on USAID program management, strategic planning, technical assessments and evaluations in Haiti, Bangladesh, Nepal, Morocco, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, South Africa, Israel/West Bank, and served on a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan with NATO forces.
Prior to government service, Mr. Runyan worked in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the Eurasia Foundation to develop civil society and economic growth. He has a Master’s degree in public affairs and international development from the University of Washington, and an undergraduate degree in political science from Ohio University. Mr. Runyan also took evening courses on national security at IWP between 1996-98.