Veteran Diplomat Haass Speaks at Breakfast

Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat, respected scholar of international relations and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks at the 19th annual Westmont President’s Breakfast on Friday, March 1, from 7-9 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. Tickets cost $125 per person and go on sale Friday, Feb. 2, at 9 a.m. at westmont.edu/breakfast. Seating is limited, and tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Haass, who served as president of the Council on Foreign Relations for 20 years, worked in the State Department under Presidents George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, at the White House under George H.W. Bush, and at the Pentagon under Jimmy Carter. He was U.S. envoy to the Cyprus negotiations and the Northern Ireland peace process, and after 9/11 was U.S. coordinator for the future of Afghanistan.

He has written or edited 14 books on American foreign policy, one book on management, and one on American democracy. His latest work, “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens” (Penguin Press, 2023), became a New York Times bestseller. He also authors a weekly newsletter, Home & Away, available on Substack.

Haass earned a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College and was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, where he completed master’s and doctoral degrees. He won the State Department’s Superior Honor Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and the Tipperary International Peace Award.

Past President’s Breakfast speakers include the late Gen. Colin Powell, the late David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Condoleezza Rice, David Brooks, Walter Isaacson, Thomas Friedman, Robert Gates, Gen. Stan McChrystal, Gen. Michael Hayden, Peggy Noonan, Daniel Kahneman, Nancy Koehn and Michael Lewis.

The Westmont Foundation, local businesses and individuals sponsor the President’s Breakfast to promote discussion of significant issues. BMO is the Lead Sponsor this year. Special thanks to U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management. Gold Sponsors include Bon Appétit Management Company, Davies, David and Anna Grotenhuis, HUB International, La Arcada Plaza, MATT Construction, Lindsay and Laurie Parton, Reicker Pfau, and Warren and Mary Lynn Staley. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, contact Steve Baker, Westmont associate vice president for advancement, at (805) 565-7156.