WACC Private Dinner

Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for a private dinner with Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, national security expert, Army Reserve officer, and author of Why National Security Matters for a candid, off-the-record conversation on America’s next moves in the Middle East as the Iran War stretches past six months.

Drawing on over a decade in the region, including her role as a Senior Executive in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and diplomatic postings in Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan, Castleberry-Hernandez will explore what the war reveals about the limits of American power, its alliance with Israel, and what comes next for U.S. grand strategy in the Middle East.

 

 

  • WACC Private Dinner Sponsorship and Underwriting – DOWNLOAD LINK

Program Information: 

Date: Tuesday, October 27th, 2026
Check-In & Networking: 6:00 – 6:30 PM
Dinner & Discussion: 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Location: TBA
Cost: $120 (WACC Member Rate) | $140 (Non-Member Rate) — limited to 24 people
*Includes pre-dinner wine, salad, entrée, dessert, wine during dinner, and coffee service

 

 

 

Biography: 

Asha Castleberry-Hernandez is national security and foreign policy expert, military officer in the Army reserves, former congressional candidate and author of a memoir, Why National Security Matters. She has over a decade of experience in Middle East policy, including as a Senior Executive in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State and diplomatic service in Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan. Previously, she served as Cyrus Vance Visiting Professor at Mount Holyoke College, also taught at Fordham, George Washington and Baruch College and handled foreign & military affairs for the Office of Congressman George Latimer.

Asha is a Council on Foreign Relations term member, Senior Fellow at the Diplomat Courier, and a member of National Security Leaders for America, a non-partisan network of former military and civilian leaders from across the political spectrum uniquely qualified to provide expert insight on U.S. national security and its impact on our democracy and economic stability. A recipient of numerous honors, including the Middle East Policy Council 40 Under 40, she is frequently featured in major media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, BBC News and The Washington Post.