March 5: WACC Speaker Series Panel with Rachael Dean Wilson (R), Head of External Affairs, and David Salvo, Deputy Director (D) both at The Alliance for Securing Democracy

Foreign Interference and the 2020 Election

It’s all a game of global influence. Governments have always sought to shape political and other conditions around the world to their own benefit. As a representative democracy, American elections ought to be a reflection of the interests and preferences of the electorate, not of foreign regimes. With Russia, China, Israel, Iran, and other actors spreading disinformation and launching cyber-attacks, how do we protect our 2020 elections?

Foreign election interference happened in 2016 and it’s been continuing ever since then. It may have an uptick during an election cycle, but it’s a 24/7, 365-days-a-year threat,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said earlier this month. U.S. intelligence and military agencies are working to counter the threat, but administration leaders and members of Congress haven’t been able to agree on proposed election interference legislation.

Founded by Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio’s foreign policy advisers following the 2016 election, the Alliance for Securing Democracy operates on the belief that bipartisanship is central to combating the threat of foreign interference in an impactful way. Rachael Dean Wilson and David Salvo will share their expert insight on the current state of the 2020 elections, the role of state-backed media, and how North Carolinians can stay informed on disinformation and voter security.

                    

• Register online
  
• Credit card payments (non-PayPal transactions): Please call 704-687-7762 for payment processing over the phone
• Check payments: Please make your check payable to “World Affairs Council of Charlotte” and mail it to the following address:

World Affairs Council of Charlotte
UNC Charlotte – CHHS 227
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223

All reservation cancellations must be completed at least 3 business days prior to an event for a full refund. Please let us know in advance if you have dietary restrictions so that we can make the appropriate accommodations.

Biography

Rachael Dean Wilson is the head of external affairs at the Alliance for Securing Democracy. Rachael honed her strategic communication skills while serving in senior roles on Capitol Hill and political campaigns, as well as working in corporate communications and PR consulting. Most recently, Rachael served as communications director to Senator Jon Kyl and prior to that, she was a regional PR Director at Whole Foods Market where she managed strategic, crisis and consumer communications for the company’s Mid-Atlantic and South regions. Rachael worked for the late Senator John McCain for six years, most recently serving as his Senate communications director and as an adviser to his reelection campaign in 2016. From 2014 to 2015, Rachael was the vice president of public relations at a boutique communications firm, where she built and managed the PR team, worked with a broad range of clients and developed new business. From 2010 to 2014, she worked as Senator McCain’s press secretary in the Senate. She began her career as a press assistant on McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. Rachael received a bachelor’s degree in communications and public service from the University of Pennsylvania.

David Salvo is the deputy director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) and a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). Salvo is the principal author of The ASD Policy Blueprint for Countering Authoritarian Interference in Democracies. He has appeared on media including NPR, CNN, Fox Business, ABC News, and VOA. Prior to joining GMF, Salvo was a Foreign Service Officer at the State Department, serving most recently as the deputy secretary of state’s policy advisor for Europe, Eurasia, and international security issues. Salvo also advised seniorlevel State Department negotiators on the protracted conflicts in the South Caucasus, worked on U.S. policies toward NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and served overseas in Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He speaks Russian and Serbo-Croatian and has a basic knowledge of French. Salvo received his master’s degree from Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies and a bachelor’s degree in government and Russian from Georgetown. He is an avid music lover and plays in several DC-area bands, including a tribute to the nationally renowned rock band Phish.