Frequently Asked Questions: 2026-2027 Council Scholar Award Program
What is the Council Scholar Award Program? The Council Scholar Award Program, now in its [...]
March 11, 2027: World Citizen Award Dinner Honoring Marvin Ellison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lowe’s Companies
Since 1990, the World Affairs Council of Charlotte has presented the World Citizen Award to prominent citizens and organizations that have enhanced our community's standing in the world through their accomplishments of international significance and contributions to the city, this region, and our international community.
November 12, 2026: Joint WorldQuest / Academic WorldQuest 2026 (In Memory of Pierre Lipton)
On November 12, the World Affairs Council of Charlotte will gather at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown for a joint evening of Academic WorldQuest and WorldQuest as high school students and adult teams play side by side, testing what they know about the world. This year's competition is held in memory of Pierre Lipton, who lived that very arc: first as an Academic WorldQuest competitor for Myers Park High School, and later as a WorldQuest player with the Charlottans.
October 28th, 2026: WACC National Security Series Lecture with Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, Former Senior Advisor, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Army Reserve, and Grand Strategist GalleryOctober 28th, 2026: WACC National Security Series Lecture with Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, Former Senior Advisor, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Army Reserve, and Grand Strategist
October 28th, 2026: WACC National Security Series Lecture with Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, Former Senior Advisor, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Army Reserve, and Grand Strategist
The World Affairs Council of Charlotte is pleased to welcome Asha Castleberry-Hernandez, national security and foreign policy expert, Army Reserve officer and author of Why National Security Matters, for a conversation on America's next moves in the Middle East as the war in Iran stretches beyond six months. What does the Iran War tell us about the limits and future of American power? Castleberry-Hernandez will offer insight into lessons emerging from the war in Iran, from America's projection of power and deterrence, its alliance with Israel, threats to U.S. national security, and the broader implications of America's grand strategy in the Middle East.
October 27th, 2026: YPWACC Drink About It: Cybersecurity for the Modern Professional
Join YPWACC at Gilde Brewing on Wednesday, September 30th for an evening that's part networking and part Oktoberfest. Meet globally minded peers from across Charlotte's business, civic, and international community, connect over a pint, and find out who can hold a full stein the longest.
October 15th, 2026: WACC Global Business Series with Brian Znotins, Senior Vice President of Network ​Planning for American Airlines
Brian Znotins knows the strategy behind Charlotte's rise as a global gateway better than almost anyone. As American Airlines' Senior Vice President of Network Planning, he oversees the route decisions that have made CLT the airline's second-largest hub powering approximately 90% of the airport's flights to over 170 destinations. Last year CLT handled about 53.6 million passengers and more than 570,000 aircraft operations, landing it 7th busiest globally for total aircraft movements and 35th for passenger traffic; numbers that put real weight behind connecting the Carolinas (and Charlotte) to the world.
October 14th, 2026: WACC Private Dinner with Ralph Lopez Massas, Senior Vice President of CLT Hub Operations, and Michael Wanner, Vice President of CLT Hub Operations. GalleryOctober 14th, 2026: WACC Private Dinner with Ralph Lopez Massas, Senior Vice President of CLT Hub Operations, and Michael Wanner, Vice President of CLT Hub Operations.
October 14th, 2026: WACC Private Dinner with Ralph Lopez Massas, Senior Vice President of CLT Hub Operations, and Michael Wanner, Vice President of CLT Hub Operations.
Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for an exclusive private dinner on Wednesday, October 14, with the leaders who run American Airlines' Charlotte hub: Ralph Lopez Massas, Senior Vice President of CLT Operations, and Michael Wanner, Vice President of CLT Operations. Ralph brings 31 years at American, including leading its largest international gateway in Miami and directing operations from London to Boston to New York. Michael, with 30-plus years in aviation, has spent recent years driving CLT's on-time performance and reliability. Together, they'll share what it takes to run one of the world's busiest airline hubs and how CLT connects the Carolinas to the world.
October 8th, 2026: WACC CEO Series with Vimal Kapur, Chairman and CEO of Honeywell Technologies
The World Affairs Council of Charlotte is pleased to welcome Vimal Kapur, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honeywell Technologies, as a featured speaker in WACC’s CEO Series on October 8th, 2026. Kapur will share his perspective on leading a global industrial company through major portfolio transformation, the role of automation and AI in U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, and navigating complex supply chains, regulation, and economic uncertainty.
October 8, 2026: WACC Partner Program (Virtual) – All the Presidents’ Wars: 25 Years of America’s War on Terror
What will war look like in a climate-ravaged world? Join WorldNow host Jim Falk for a conversation with Elliot Ackerman, NYT bestselling author and Atlantic contributor on his novel 2084: A Novel of the Future of War. Co-written with Admiral James Stavridis, 2084 imagines a planet fractured between equatorial nations devastated by climate change and wealthier but politically unstable powers like the U.S. and China, the latest in their trilogy following 2034 and 2054.
September 30th, 2026: YPWACC Octoberfest Social 2026
Join YPWACC at Gilde Brewing on Wednesday, September 30th for an evening that's part networking and part Oktoberfest. Meet globally minded peers from across Charlotte's business, civic, and international community, connect over a pint, and find out who can hold a full stein the longest.