Press Release
WILLIAM DAVIS, DIRECTOR OF U.N. CENTER, TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR FRANK CHURCH CONFERENCE OCT. 20
William Davis, director of the United Nations Center in Washington, D.C., will give the keynote address for the 20th annual Frank Church Conference, titled “The Global Environment: From Kyoto to Copenhagen,” on Oct. 20. Davis will speak on “The Political Climate for Climate Change Negotiations” at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Union Building Jordan Ballroom. His address is free and open to the public.
Davis is the United Nation’s senior representative in Washington, serving as a spokesman for the organization and working with officials in the executive branch, Congress, the media, civil society and the business community to further the relationship between the U.N. and the United States.
Before joining the United Nations, Davis was the director for global and functional affairs in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs. He oversaw the department’s interaction with the U.S. Congress on global priorities such as international organizations, human rights, refugees, counter-narcotics and international environmental affairs. He led a staff of 10 foreign policy professionals who served as liaisons with Congress. Davis also was the department’s senior legislative adviser on relations with Congress regarding the Secretary of State’s Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization.
Daytime conference sessions are from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Speakers include:
- William Meadows, president, The Wilderness Society
- Matthew McHugh, former congressman (D-NY), counselor, The World Bank
- Dan Miller, former congressman (R-Fla.), professor, the University of South Florida and former fellow at the Kennedy School of Government
- Michael Buck, National Association of State Foresters
- John Gardner, vice president for energy research, policy and campus sustainability, Boise State
- Don Reading, vice president, Ben Johnson Associates
For more information or a complete conference schedule, visit Frank Church Institute or contact Garry Wenske, executive director, The Frank Church Institute at (208) 426-2941, or garrywenske@boisestate.edu.