ADDRESS FROM OUR INCOMING BOARD PRESIDENT

Dear Members, Partners, Donors and Supporters of the San Diego Diplomacy Council Team:

It is truly an honor and privilege to serve as the incoming Board President of the San Diego Diplomacy Council for 2018-2019.

The San Diego Diplomacy Council has a long and rich history in our community of building global relationships and expanding mutual understanding by arranging professional, educational and cultural exchanges.

We connect community and business leaders in the San Diego region with their counterparts around the world with approximately 700 international leaders visiting San Diego each year through our exchange programs, we directly contribute to the local economy, connect our business community with international visitors to address common challenges including citizen safety, economic opportunity, social justice and environmental sustainability.

As I look forward to the coming year, I am excited about the opportunities we have before us. We continue growing our International Visitor Program and we’ve had great success in our custom programs that promote diplomacy as a way of life. Our global social hour and talk about events continue to grow and attract new members while our new sports diplomacy and cyber security programs expand our offerings to the community.

The Board and Staff have made the Diplomacy Signature Fundraiser a unique celebration that our members truly appreciate with international entertainment, respected keynote speakers and the bestowment of the Hostler Diplomat of the Year Award, Partner Agency of the Year Award and Member of the Year Award. Our annual event helps us attract additional sponsorships that fund our general operational expenses. The Board and I anticipate the 2018 fundraiser to once again be a wonderful experience for the community.

To support the Diplomacy Council’s continued growth and success, my priorities will be to attract in new business and individual members to grow our base of support, support the leadership of the Diplomacy Council Advisory Board, support the professional development of the leadership and staff and promote our programs to the San Diego community, our partners and the global community.

Sincerely,

J.C. Thomas III

President

San Diego Diplomacy Council