Private Dinner

Throughout the year WACC offers exclusive opportunities for small group discussion time with our renowned speakers, experts and foreign dignitaries at our Private Dinners.

Past private dinners include the following:

  • Robert Walker, President of the Population Institute
  • Col. Mark Mykleby, USMC, Ret., Senior Fellow, Smart Strategy Initiative at the New America Institute
  • Russell Gold, Wall Street Journal journalist and author of “The Boom: How Fracking Ignited the American Energy Revolution and Changed the World”
  • George Friedman, Founder and Chairman of Stratfor and author of “Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe”
  • Lyle Goldstein, Professor and Author of “Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry”
  • Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, German Federal Minister of Defense (2009-2011); German Federal Minister of Economics & Technology (2009)
  • H.E. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Ambassador of Singapore to the U.S.
  • Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Director of Peace Corps
  • Matthew Bishop, Globalization Editor at The Economist 

Private Dinner Events

September 22nd, 2026: WACC Private Dinner with Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Director of Research for the Foreign Policy Program, Inaugural Holder of the Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at the Brookings Institution, and Author

Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for a luncheon on Tuesday, September 22 with Michael O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research for the Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, three-decade advisor to the Pentagon, CIA, and Congress, and author of To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategy Since the Revolution as he draws on 250 years of American conflict to examine how the U.S. conducts military operations and what that history reveals about a nation still defining its identity as a global superpower at the moment of its semiquincentennial.

September 9th, 2026: WACC Private Dinner with Chris Inglis, Former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency and the First National Cyber Director

Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for an exclusive private dinner on Wednesday, September 9, 2026 with Chris Inglis, former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency and the first National Cyber Director of the United States. Limited to 24 attendees, this private dinner offers candid conversation on cybersecurity, national security, and the threats shaping our digital future.

July 10th, 2026: WACC Ambassadors Circle Series Breakfast with H.E. David Hamadziripi, Ambassador of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the United States

Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for an exclusive breakfast on Friday, July 10, featuring His Excellency David Hamadziripi, Ambassador of the Republic of Zimbabwe to the United States. This special event offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from Ambassador Hamadziripi as he discusses the current state of U.S.–Zimbabwe relations, the changing diplomatic and economic partnership between the two nations, and emerging opportunities for trade, investment, and business collaboration between North Carolina and Zimbabwe. The conversation will also explore Zimbabwe's role in a rapidly dynamic global landscape, including the economic, political, and security challenges the country faces amid ongoing worldwide instability and conflict. Attendees will gain valuable insights into Zimbabwe's strategic priorities, regional influence in the African continent, and efforts to foster sustainable growth and international engagement.

June 18th, 2026: WACC Private Dinner with Zoran Krneta, General Manager at Charlotte Football Club

Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte for a private dinner with Zoran Krneta, General Manager at Charlotte Football Club on June 18th.  Limited to 24 individuals, this is the perfect opportunity for WACC members and supporters to have the opportunity to talk to Krneta about Charlotte as a soccer city and an emerging global sports destination, the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 coming to North America, and sports as a unifying force around the world.