From Tennessee's World Affairs Council, September 24, 2015, NASHVILLE
– Tennessee’s World Affairs Council announced today that Ms. Samar S.
Ali, distinguished local attorney and former Assistant State
Commissioner for International Affairs, has been elected to the Board of
Directors. Ali is a member of the Nashville law firm Bone, McAllester
and Norton where she concentrates on cross-border transactions,
international law and private diplomacy.
In making the
announcement Council President Patrick Ryan said, “The Tennessee World
Affairs Council’s ability to deliver global awareness education programs
and resources to the community is greatly enhanced by the addition of
Ms. Ali to our board.” He added, “She has built a sterling record of
accomplishments advancing public and private interests in the global
arena in Washington and in Tennessee and we are thrilled to have her as a
member of our board.”
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVL_ZlmE7-LJ9EALxIwnVlbCD8cnG8BsvR_yb8hTkqpffADoEApAGkgr5Pg53tK9J9HguLeKV-V5PBvYjYPdKgaQAlov5-9D_R21KNgu9lSV5SUwWmjnntNsVFUUBIzmZSKjOypC69OJk/s1600/Samar-Ali_cropped1-350x175-300x150.jpg) |
Samar Ali |
Ms. Ali, a
Vanderbilt University alumna – undergrad and Law School – worked as a
White House Fellow and adviser in the Homeland Security Department in
Washington and in Doha, Qatar before being named by Governor Bill Haslam
as an assistant commissioner in the Tennessee Economic and Community
Development Department. There she managed the state’s global economic
relations overseeing an international strategic plan to build
international commerce related jobs and opening and managing offices
around the world to boost Tennessee trade and investment.
In
addition to working in Administrative Law, Business and Corporate Law
and International Law practices at Bone, McAllester and Norton, Ms. Ali
is Director at Lodestone Advisory Group in Nashville, specializing in
international business development. “Ms. Ali’s work in the community
includes numerous boards and projects serving public interests and we’re
gratified that Nashville leaders of her caliber count the World Affairs
Council as among the educational organizations that have earned their
support,” said Ryan. “The Council’s mission of educating and inspiring
people, especially youth, to learn more and engage more in global
affairs is an important element of citizenship and I’m sure Ms. Ali’s
time and talents will make a difference in tackling that challenge.”
The
World Affairs Council is an independent, nonpartisan educational
organization that is part of a 96-member network of similar grassroots
organizations in the United States, the World Affairs Councils of
America. They serve to educate Americans on international developments.
“Although some of the country’s world affairs councils are almost 100
years old there had never been one in Tennessee until we established our
Council several years ago in Cookeville,” said Ryan. “We’ve recently
launched from Nashville after several years in Cookeville and it’s
rewarding to know that leaders like Ms. Ali are directly supporting our
service to the community and we can benefit from their vision.”
The
Tennessee World Affairs Council, a nonprofit group, hosts town hall
meetings where visiting speakers share insights and perspectives on
global issues; small group discussions at venues around the city; and
global awareness programs in schools like the WorldQuest program for
students that encourages world affairs familiarity through competition.
WorldQuest, which includes a trip for the state’s winning team to a
national championship match in Washington, recently launched the
2015-2016 season. Past Nashville winners have included teams from Martin
Luther King, Jr., Magnet High School and Montgomery Bell Academy.
The
speakers program, which is hosted at Belmont University, is very
popular, said Ryan. He noted that visits from foreign Ambassadors, like
past events with the Kazakh and Czech envoys, were popular and
insightful. In addition other leaders and specialists are regularly
featured and provide equally informative presentations. “We aim for
monthly speaker events including about four ambassadors this year, and
we’re in talks with the embassies of Russia, South Korea, Italy and
others for visits.” On October 5th the Council and Belmont will host a
Town Hall on US-China economic relations.
Top Stories