Former Secretaries Cohen and Kerry to discuss defense and diplomacy Nov. 5 at UMaine
“Defense and Diplomacy in an Uncertain World” will be the focus of the 2019 Cohen Lecture Nov. 5 at the University of Maine.
Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen will be joined in the discussion by former Secretary of State John Kerry. Moderating the discussion will be Felicia Knight, president of The Knight Canney Group.
The 1 p.m. event at the Collins Center for the Arts, the 12th in the William S. Cohen Lecture Series presented by UMaine’s Cohen Institute for Leadership and Public Service, is free and open to the public. To attend or request a disability accommodation, call 207.581.1755 or go online.
Cohen, a Bangor native who represented Maine in Congress for 24 years before joining President Clinton’s cabinet, established the series when he donated a collection of his Congressional papers to UMaine’s Fogler Library. In 2001, he also donated his papers from his tenure as secretary of defense.
Cohen is CEO and chair of The Cohen Group in Washington, D.C., which provides global business consulting.
Kerry served as secretary of state from 2013–17. He served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013, and chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009–13.
Kerry is the Distinguished Fellow for Global Affairs at Yale University and the Visiting Distinguished Statesman for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
UMaine’s Cohen Institute for Leadership and Public Service models, promotes, and teaches leadership and civic engagement through programs that reflect and honor the legacy of Secretary Cohen’s public service. The Institute trains future generations destined for leadership roles in a variety of disciplines to be ethical, visionary, innovative, civil, thoughtful and independent-minded in the service of Maine, the nation and the world. A particular focus is sponsoring initiatives that bring together academic experts and civic leaders from diverse political backgrounds to forge informed consensus on a range of contemporary policy challenges.
Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745