The Boise Committee on Foreign Relations (BCFR) is a non-profit, non-partisan group of Treasure Valley area business, professional and other persons interested in foreign relation issues and dialogue. Our primary goal is to advance the public information and dialogue on foreign relation issues.
The BCFR's regular series of dinner meetings run from
September through May of each season. The speakers at these meetings
are knowledgeable international and national experts on a wide variety
of foreign policy topics. The speakers provide insights
and perspectives about current foreign relation issues that are often
hard to obtain from other sources.
A typical meeting starts as a social period with fellow members and the speaker prior to dinner. After dinner there is a short announcement and introduction period. The speaker's presentation is then given, and the meeting ends with a Q & A session with the speaker. ----------
Information about past speakers and presentation topics can be found on our Previous Speaker List page. This list highlights some of the more memorable speakers that have made presentations to BCFR in recent years, as well as a list of all the speakers from the last several years. ----------
MEETING RESERVATIONS
All members and guests attending a meeting need to have reservations to ensure adequate seating and meal preparation. Members, please return postcards or reply to meeting
announcement emails at least two days before the meeting. For reservations, or questions and changes in reservations, see below under CONTACT INFORMATION.
------------------------------
MEMBERSHIP, GUESTS and STUDENTS
NEW MEMBERSHIP
Anyone interested in International Relations, is welcome and should find our meetings of interest and value. If you would like to attend a meeting, or are considering membership, please contact Garry Wenske for more details. Information on how to contact Garry is listed below under CONTACT INFORMATION.
The BCFR has a special membership rate for couples. This allows both spouses to become members at a special rate well below two individual memberships. Ask Garry about it when you contact him.
Additional contact information and a list of the BCFR leadership can be found on our About Us page. ----------
GUESTS AND STUDENTS
Guests at meetings are encouraged. We try to link guests with members, and members are encouraged to bring guests. If you are interested in coming to a meeting and do not know a member, contact Garry Wenske under CONTACT INFORMATION listed below.
We also encourage students interested in foreign relations to attend as guests. We have members connected with the College of Idaho and Boise State University who regularly bring students. The Committee has a program to under-ride meal costs for student guests. If you are a student and do not know who to contact about attending a meeting, please contact Garry.
------------------------------
If you have any questions about the BCFR, need to make a new meeting reservation, or make a change in a reservation, you can call or email Garry Wenske at: (208) 573-4779 or Email.
Additional contact information and a list of the BCFR leadership can be found on our About Us page. ----------
UPDATING MEMBER INFORMATION & EMAIL ADDRESSES
Members, contact Garry Wenske with changes in your contact information to ensure that we know how to reach you. If you have not been receiving regular meeting announcements, please contact Garry.
In order to keep our administrative costs low, we send most of our meeting announcements and general correspondence out by email. It is particularly important to let us know about email address changes.
------------------------------
NEWS ABOUT THE COMMITTEE
Personal note from BCFR President: At the annual conference of the American
Committees May 4-7, I expect to take on additional responsibilities as
president-elect of ACFR for a year, and then one or two years as president. The
time requirements of that position make it necessary to hand off most Boise
Committee work to Garry Wenske.
I want to express my personal thanks to all
those who have assisted me in programming over 200 meetings during the past
twenty-two years, many of whom will continue to assist Garry in running the
Committee. Those years cover one-third of the Committee’s existence, going back
to 1945. My first meeting was July 18, 1989, with Dr. Peter Lichtenstein of BSU,
whom I asked to speak about the implications of Tianenmen Square. Plus cá
change, plus cá meme chose.
I will continue as BCFR President during our transition over the next year,
and Garry will remain Executive Director. Jim Thompson will be Board Chair.
Susan and I will miss the May session, visiting relatives after the ACFR
conference.
Thank you for some great memories!
Richard
----------
New ACFR Executive Director: On February 15, 2011 former senior
diplomat Philip C. French will take the reins as ACFR’s new Executive
Director. Phil also has a very distinguished career in the foreign
service, serving as Acting Chief/Deputy Chief of Mission in Venezuela
(2007-08) before taking on his last foreign service challenge: Team
Leader for the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Fallujah, Iraq in
2008-09. Phil is eager to work with the ACFR board in building upon the
foundation we have from our first fifteen years, taking us into our next
era as a vibrant, strong, and respected foreign policy organization.
Chairman of the ACFR Board of Distinguished Advisors: On January 1, 2011 Ambassador John Maisto stepped into a special position as Chairman of the ACFR Board of Distinguished Advisors, with an emphasis on three specific duties for a minimum six-month period. He will champion ACFR on a part-time basis to increase awareness of ACFR in Washington and among the foreign policy elite; work with us to establish 3-5 new Committees around the country; and help us in raising funds for the organization. Amb. Maisto is a recently retired three-time U.S. Ambassador: to the Organization of American States (OAS) (2003-06), Venezuela (1997-2000) and Nicaragua (1993-96).
----------
Tax Exempt Donations to The Boise Committee. The Boise Committee is a tax exempt organization under 501(c)3 of the Federal Internal Revenue code.
The Boise Committee has made every effort to keep membership dues at a minimum and operates on a tight budget. So when you are considering tax free donations, please do not forget the Boise Committee.
----------
Annual Giving Campaign to ACFR: The Boise Committee asks its members to consider a donation to ACFR, our national umbrella organization. ACFR finds speakers and keeps our program going. We
are especially grateful to those who have contributed to them in the past. However, our
recent participation is down from past years, as are many committees nationally. The
Washington office is continually being challenged in today's economy to meet their expenses.
If
you have not contributed this year and can see your way clear to do so, please send
to ACFR, DACOR Bacon House, Third Floor, 1801 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
2006. Or, log on to the ACFR.org "Donate" page.
Your donations are tax deductible. Thanks!
------------------------------
FEBRUARY MEETING: Date: Wednesday February 1,
2012
Time: Social hour 6:15 p.m.; dinner
7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Peggy Sands Orchowski Topic: Immigration and the American Dream: Battling the Political Hype and Hysteria
Peggy
Sands Orchowski, a journalist and author will speak to us. She is
currently the Congressional Correspondent in Washington DC for the
Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education magazine; she covers Congressional,
political and legislative affairs that affect Latinos, particularly in
higher education. She also writes a monthly column “UNCENSORED”.
She
was a reporter for the Associated Press in South America, the United
Nations Press Corps in Geneva, Switzerland, and her hometown newspaper
the Santa Barbara News Press, where she wrote about bilingual education.
In 2005-06, she was an editor at the Congressional Quarterly. Peggy
earned her B.A. in journalism at UC Berkeley, MAs in urban affairs
(Occidental College) and International Relations (UCSB) and a Ph.D. in
international educational finance from the Univ. of CA at Santa Barbara.
Her book 'Immigration and the American Dream: Battling the Political Hype and Hysteria' was released by Rowman and Littlefield in June.
She has been extremely well received at other Committees, and will have
books available for signature and purchase.
------------------------------
FUTURE MEETINGS:
We hope to hear from Amb. Chris Hill, former U.S. Ambassador
to Iraq, during February. Expect
to hear from the Canadian Consul General on March 22. We are also working on other
meetings for March, April, and May. Stay
tuned!
The BCFR's regular series of dinner meetings run from
September through May of each season. The speakers at these meetings
are knowledgeable international and national experts on a wide variety
of foreign policy topics. The speakers provide insights
and perspectives about current foreign relation issues that are often
hard to obtain from other sources. 
