Upcoming events

    • 10/02/2025
    • 12:00 PM
    • Santa Rosa Country Club
    • 40
    Register


    Thursday, October 2, 2025 at Noon
    Santa Rosa Country Club

    Register HERE

    People Before Profits:

    Can It Work?

    with Georgia Kelly
    Mondragón Expert and
    Founder and Executive Director
    of Praxis Peace Institute


    Georgia Kelly's sponsor is Judie Coleman,
    WACSC Program Committee

    About the Program         

              In the 1950s, the Basque territory was one of the poorest regions of Spain. In 1956, a parish priest dared to imagine something different: an economy rooted not in competition, but in cooperation. He organized local workers into cooperatives—small seeds that grew into the now global economic powerhouse called the Mondragón Corporation, still guided by the motto “People Before Profits.”  It has made the Basque region, once impoverished, into the wealthiest and the most prosperous in all of  Spain.

              Discover the inspiring story of Mondragón, the world’s most successful worker-owned cooperative, in a thought-provoking talk "People Before Profits:  Can It Work?" by Georgia Kelly, Mondragón expert and founder of Praxis Peace Institute. 

              Kelly essentially questions:  What if leadership was measured not by how much executives make, but by how well communities thrive together?  And, what if the path to true prosperity isn’t chasing “more,” but discovering how much is "enough?"  

    Register HERE

     Date:  Thursday, Oct 2, 2025
     Time:  Noon
     Venue:  Santa Rosa Country Club
     333 Country Club Drive
     Santa Rosa, CA  95401 
     Menu:

     Meat and Vegetarian Options Available on the Buffet Table.

     Cost:  $45 for Members
     Bring up to 2 guests at the member price.
     $60 for Non-Members
     Health Note:  We suggest that everyone
     be vaccinated and wear a mask.

    Register HERE

    About Our Speaker         

              Georgia Kelly is the founder and executive director of Praxis Peace Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to education, community engagement, and the development of practical solutions for social and economic justice. With a background in writing, activism and music, Georgia has spent over two decades facilitating programs that explore the intersections of peace, economics, and civic responsibility.

              Georgia has led many seminars which take place in Mondragón Cooperative Headquarters in Spain, exploring the democratic processes that are so successful in the Mondragón cooperatives, as well as examining the culture and the politics of the Basque region.

    This is a program you won’t want to miss!
    So reserve today HERE.

    • 11/12/2025
    • 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
    • 3
    Register

    A CIA Officer's Journey
    From War to Peacebuilding

    With Janessa Gans Wilder
    Ex-CIA Officer and Peacebuilder

    Janessa's sponsors are
    Anne and Russ Peterson, WACSC members.

    About the Program

    Peace seems elusive in our war-torn world and many wonder what anyone can do about it. Enter Janessa Gans Wilder with A CIA Officer’s Journey from War to Peacebuilding. A California native, Wilder joined the CIA before 9/11, and in 2003 volunteered to serve in Iraq, where a 90-day tour turned into 21 months as a counterinsurgency analyst and political liaison. After a major battle between US Marines and insurgents in western Iraq, she had a personal awakening along the Euphrates River, which ultimately led to her forging a very different path as peacebuilder.

    Wilder will take us through her extraordinary journey culminating in her founding of the Euphrates Institute -- a non-profit peace-building organization currently active in over 40 countries.  Along the way she’ll share some lessons learned, including how each of us can play a role in bridging divides in our communities.

     Date:   Thursday, October 3, 2024
     Time:   12 Noon
     Venue:   Santa Rosa Country Club
      333 Country Club Drive,
      Santa Rosa, CA 95401
     Menu:    Herb Roasted Chicken Breast
       With Caesar Salad & Ciabatta Rolls
       or
       Cheese Ravioli
       with Tomato Basil Sauce
     Cost:    Members: $45.
       Want to bring a guest?
       Do so paying member’s price
        (limit of two per member)
     Otherwise:      $60 for Non-Members
     Health Note:     We suggest that everyone
        be vaccinated and wear a mask.

    Make Your Reservation Now!
    The Deadline to Register is September 25
    Register HERE

    About Our Speaker

    Janessa Gans Wilder grew up in Redding, CA. and earned degrees from Principia College and Stanford University, from which she was recruited to the CIA as an analyst. In Iraq she logged time in far-flung military outposts, interviewing insurgents in Abu Ghraib and High-Value Target prisons.

    After Iraq, Jessica founded the Euphrates Institute in 2006 and served as its CEO for 14 years. She is a frequent speaker in interfaith, community, government, international, and educational settings, and has written dozens of articles and been interviewed by major news outlets, including CBS, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, and Democracy Now.

    Janessa lives in Redding with her husband and three children where they enjoy spending time in nature (when they’re not evading wildfires).

    Sign up now – this is a rare opportunity to hear such an experienced speaker on this all-important subject.


Contact:

Phone: (707) 573-6014

Email: wacscca@gmail.com

Address:

P.O. Box 1433

Santa Rosa, CA 95402


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World Affairs Council of Sonoma County is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit educational organization.

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