Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Visits International Relations Class

Upper School history students in Kevin Conlon’s International Relations elective class recently had the good fortune and pleasure to host Anne Witkowsky, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability and Humanitarian Affairs and Parker class of ’78 graduate for an informal lunch discussion.

Witkowsky’s informal talk covered her years working with the Clinton administration on arms control policy and the last years of the Obama administration with the Defense Department, which involved being part of the Ebola response in West Africa. Students were thrilled to hear her first-person account of senior foreign policy meetings, and they asked great questions: What letter grade would you give the last three presidents on their foreign policy records? How predetermined are decisions before a National Security Council meeting? How damaging were Wikileaks to U.S. foreign policy?

Students were very impressed by Witkowsky’s candidness and honesty about the process of policy making. She noted that Parker prepares students well for the type of work she does, particularly regarding the critical thinking skills necessary. Conlon looks forward to video conferencing Witkowsky with his class next year to add a layer of meaning to the experience of creating a crisis simulation.