APEC 301 - What’s Happening in Seattle? Conversation with the Seattle APEC Host Committee
VIEW EVENT DETAILSThirty years since Seattle hosted the very first APEC Leaders’ Summit, this August Seattle will host the third Senior Officials’ and several Ministerial-level meetings (SOM3). These meetings will include women’s empowerment, health, energy, food security, disaster management and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). All meetings will be coupled within the theme of “digital month.”
Join us on July 20 for a timely and informative discussion on the latest APEC updates in Seattle. We’ll hear from members of the Seattle APEC host committee on activities and meetings, the city’s preparations, the importance of APEC as a global, multilateral institution and for the Seattle region, and how to get involved.
This program follows our APEC 101 (What Can We Expect from APEC 2023 in San Francisco) and APEC 201 (Where Are We Headed Now) events hosted on February 28, 2023 and June 21, 2023.
AGENDA
- 5:00 p.m. Event Starts and Welcome Remarks
- 5:02 p.m. Opening remarks by Seattle Deputy Mayor Greg Wong
- 5:05 p.m. Moderated Q&A Discussion
- 5:40 p.m. Audience Q&A
- 6:00 p.m. Event Concludes
Zoom link will be sent a day before the event.
SPEAKER BIOS
Greg Wong is the Deputy Mayor of External Relations for the City of Seattle. He is responsible for fostering collaborative relationships with community groups, non-profit organizations, and local businesses and directing the mayor’s external relations team. Wong joins the Mayor’s Office after serving as Interim Director at the Department of Neighborhoods. Prior to joining the City, he was an attorney who worked on complex issues such as gun violence prevention, combatting climate change, and creating a more equitable tax code. He is a recipient of the Seattle Council PTSA's Golden Acorn Award and Seattle Public School's Citizen Service Award for his work leading school levy campaigns. Wong has a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Western Washington University. He looks forward to engaging with community so they can share their priorities and ideas with the Mayor’s Office.
Alex Parle joined the National Center for APEC as Program Manager in July 2003 and served in several policy and program-focused roles before being named Executive Vice President in 2013. In his current role he oversees NCAPEC’s policy advocacy efforts, communications function and engagement with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). Alex is also responsible for NCAPEC’s external relations, including with governments and other business organizations in APEC economies. During the U.S. hosting of APEC in 2023, Alex is serving as Executive Director of the APEC Business Advisory Council, an advisory body which comprises three senior executives from each APEC member economy.
Prior to joining NCAPEC, Alex supported the human resources function during the design and construction phases of Universal Studios Japan, a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. He also worked for the Kobe municipal government for three years in support of the city’s international relations efforts.
Edward Alden is the Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, and the Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016). His first book, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11 (Harper Collins, 2008), was a finalist for the Lukas Book Prize for narrative nonfiction. He has directed several CFR-sponsored independent task forces, including the 2018 report The Work Ahead: Machines, Skills, and U.S. Leadership in the Twenty-First Century and the 2009 report U.S. Immigration Policy. He was previously Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times and is a columnist for Foreign Policy. He is currently at work on a co-authored book, When the World Closed its Doors: The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Future of Border Control, to be published by Oxford University Press in 2024.
Stacey Jehlik serves as the City of Seattle's International Affairs Director. She manages international delegations, oversees Seattle's 21 sister city programs, and develops strategies for maintaining and bolstering Seattle's international relationships.
Karin Zaugg Black serves as the International Business Protocol Liaison for the Port of Seattle and advises on protocol matters related to international delegations of business leaders, dignitaries, and government officials to facilitate positive business relationships. She supports the port’s various lines of business, including Airport, Seaport, Cruise, Fishing, and Economic Development, and Tourism.
Ms. Zaugg Black served as Communications Director for the City of Seattle Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (OED) and the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and has held other roles at the Japanese American Chamber of Commerce, Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI), and the Mayor’s Office of Kobe, Japan, on the JET program, serving as Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) from 1993-1996.
Ms. Zaugg Black currently serves on the Japan-America Society of the State of Washington board as past chair, as vice chair of the City of Seattle’s International Advisory Affairs Board, and as co-chair of Greater Seattle Partners’ Marketing Council. She served as president of the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association from 1998 to 2015 and continues to serve on the board as past president.