The seventh season of Stephen C. Widom Cultural Arts at Emanuel begins on Sunday, Oct. 14 at 3:00 p.m., with a conversation between Richard Haass and Nick Akerman moderated by NY1 anchor Errol Louis.
Haass is in his 15th year as president of the Council on Foreign Relations.
In 2013, he served as the chair of the multiparty negotiations in Northern Ireland that provided the foundation for the 2014 Stormont House Agreement. From January 2001 to June 2003, Haass was director of policy planning for the Department of State, where he was a principal advisor to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Confirmed by the U.S. Senate to hold the rank of ambassador, Haass also served as U.S. coordinator for policy toward the future of Afghanistan and U.S. envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process.
From 1989 to 1993, he was special assistant to President George H.W. Bush and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. In 1991, Haass was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal for his contributions to the development and articulation of U.S. policy during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Haass is the author or editor of 13 books on American foreign policy and one book on management. His latest book is “A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order,” published in 2017 by Penguin Press.
Nick Akerman, a nationally renowned lawyer with more than 40 years of experience, represents clients in complex civil and criminal matters and high-profile government investigations.
Prior to private practice, Ackerman served as a federal prosecutor as well as a member of the Watergate prosecution team. He was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted white collar criminal matters, including bank frauds, stock frauds, complex financial frauds, environmental and tax crimes.
Ackerman served as Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor with the Watergate Special Prosecution Force under Archibald Cox and Leon Jaworski.
He is an expert on the criminal and civil applications of the Racketeer and Corrupt Organizations Statute, the Economic Espionage Act, the federal Securities Laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and State Trade Secret and Restrictive Covenant Laws.
He also is an expert on computer crime and the protection of competitively sensitive information and computer data. • Nick appears regularly on MSNBC and speaks and writes regularly for The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Hill, Politico, and US News & World Report.
Following the dialogue, there will be a Q&A, book signing and refreshments.
Tickets are $20 or 2 at $35. For further information about subscription discounts and to purchase tickets, call (516) 482-5701.
Temple Emanuel of Great Neck is located at 150 Hicks Lane in Great Neck.
