December Fellows Alumni Lunch with Chris Kolenda

*This event is only open to Fellows Alumni.

The World Affairs Council Fellows Program offers a unique professional development opportunity to a small group of greater Seattle's business and community leaders. The Fellows convene monthly for breakfast discussions with carefully selected high-caliber international experts who offer unparalleled insight into current global issues, in addition to meeting throughout the year for additional Council events and dedicated networking opportunities.

About the Speaker

Christopher D. Kolenda, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, is the Founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy and helps solo practitioners and small business owners grow a meaningful, joyful, and profitable business.

Chris is a warrior, diplomat, and sage, combining assertiveness, statesmanship, and wisdom to help his clients gain dramatic wins. A West Point graduate, internationally renowned combat leader, and retired Army colonel, he defied conventional wisdom in Afghanistan by developing a strategy that motivated a large insurgent group to switch sides, the only example of such success in the 20-year history of the war.

His unique warrior-diplomacy has been featured in The New York Times bestselling books: The Outpost by Jake Tapper and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson, as well as Steve Coll’s Directorate S and several others. His contributions have also been cited in journals and newspapers such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, and The London Times, and he’s appeared on nearly every major news network in the US and UK. His books include Leadership: The Warrior's Art, which has sold over 50,000 copies, The Counterinsurgency Challenge, and Zero-Sum Victory: What We’re Getting Wrong About War.