Experts on immigration and refugee policy to speak

Tuesday, July 30, 5 – 7 p.m., Orcas Grange

— from David Turnoy for San Juan County Democrats —

The San Juan County Democrats will be hosting a presentation by two experts on immigration, refugee policy, US foreign policy leadership, and international cooperation. This event will take place at the Orcas Grange from 5:00 until 7:00 on Tuesday, July 30. This sure to be one of the most informative presentations of the season, so please put this on your calendar. Admission will be on a sliding scale of $10-$25.

Susan Martin is the Donald G. Herzberg Professor Emerita in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She previously served as the Director of Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of International Migration. She currently chairs the Thematic Working Group on Environmental Change and Migration at the World Bank. Before coming to Georgetown, Dr. Martin served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, chaired by the late Barbara Jordan. Dr. Martin is the author or editor of more than a dozen books. She is currently working on the second edition of her book, A Nation of Immigrants, updating the manuscript to assess developments in US immigration policy since its original publication in 2010. Dr. Martin is a member of the World Refugee Council, serves on the Board of Directors of Jesuit Refugee Service USA and the Center for Migration Studies and is on the advisory boards of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Presenting along with Susan is Necia Quast, a senior career Foreign Service officer and an economist. Necia served in countries all over the world during a career that spanned close to thirty years. She served in eight different embassies on four different continents, and she is still in touch with many of her former colleagues. Her experiences and observations could easily fill a very interesting book.