Singapore has a unique and strong position as a major influence in the Pacific nations. Consul-General Chin will outline the current government, economy, education, and healthcare in Singapore today, and explain the close relationship Singapore has to California and the Bay Area in particular.

Consul-General Chin assumed the post of Consul-General of Singapore in San Francisco in 2010. He covers California, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington State. His Foreign Service career began in 1989 with an assignment in Washington, D.C. He was later posted to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Mumbai in India.

He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Studies, and earned a Master of International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of London in 1996. In 1999 he was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver).

He is accompanied by his wife Julie, the 2012-13 president of the Diplomatic Spouses’ League of San Francisco, and daughter Jordan.

At its recently-concluded 18^th National Congress, the Chinese Communist Party made significant changes to its Politburo Standing Committee, the country’s highest executive body. How will these changes affect the country’s domestic and foreign policies? Do China’s new leaders see the “pivot towards Asia” policy announced by the White House as an unwarranted attempt to expand American influence? Who among the new faces will emerge as the key decision makers, and what are their ties to the various party elders who still wield considerable behind-the-scenes influence? 

Dr. Chang is uniquely qualified to answer these questions. She attended university and conducted her dissertation field work in China and worked for two years in business development at an IT company in Shanghai. She was also employed for two years by a Silicon Valley-based Taiwanese venture capital company active in China.

Reg Green is the father of Nicholas Green, a seven-year-old boy from Bodega Bay who was shot in Italy in a botched carjacking in 1994. The decision by Reg and his wife Maggie to donate his organs and corneas, which went to seven Italians, led to a worldwide awareness of donor shortage. Howard Nathan, president and CEO of the Gift of Life Donor Program, says, “No one has done more for public awareness in organ donation in the entire world.”

At the time, Italy had nearly the lowest donation rate in Western Europe. Now it has one of the highest. The Greens produced documentaries that are shown in schools, hospitals and church groups around the world. The made-for-television movie, Nicholas’ Gift, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, has been seen by 100 million people.

Green was born in Britain, where he was chief business writer for The Daily Telegraph of London, and a freelance commentator for the BBC. The Greens now live in La Canada, California. They have a 23-year-old daughter and 16-year-old twins.

THIRD QUARTER 2013 PROGRAMS

Menu: • Sonoma mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and seasonal vegetables • potato salad • corn on the cob • grilled BBQ chicken • bratwurst • veggie alternative • ice cream sundae

BOOK SALE -- all proceeds will be used for WACSC programs Please bring books to donate for the sale.