The Chautauqua Experience in Summer

Marc Glassman has promoted independent film and documentaries from his Toronto home. Founder of the Images Festival and board member for Cinematheque Ontario, Marc is also editor-in-chief of POV, Canada’s premier independent film magazine, as well as major contributor to Playback, Take One and Montage, the magazine of Canada’s Director Guild. When not contributing to publications, Marc is also a bookstore owner, reviewer for CMX-FM 96.3 and promoting the Toronto film industry.

Molly Williamson, a retired Foreign Service officer who served six U.S. presidents, was the Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Energy and interim ambassador to Bahrain. She was also Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce responsible for the Middle East, South Asia, Oceania, and Africa, and served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense responsible for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Molly is a board member of the American Foreign Service Association and American Academy of Diplomacy.

Dr. Ori Soltes teaches theology, philosophy and art history at Georgetown University. He has also taught across diverse disciplines for many years at The Johns Hopkins University, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Siegel College in Cleveland, and other colleges and universities. He has lectured at dozens of museums across the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and has been interviewed for a score of programs on CNN, the History Channel and Discovery Channel. He also hosted a popular series on Ancient Civilizations for middle school students. For seven years, Ori was director and chief curator of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum, where he created over 80 exhibitions focusing on aspects of history, ethnography and contemporary art. As director of the National Jewish Museum, he co-founded the Holocaust Art Restitution Project and has spent ten years researching and consulting on the issue of Nazi-plundered art.

Peter S. Wenz is one of those aging leftist, feminist, environmentalist vegetarians often seen jogging near universities. He was chosen as a University Scholar of the University of Illinois and is currently emeritus professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Springfield. He received his bachelor’s in philosophy from now-SUNY Binghamton in 1967 and his Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Peter has held faculty positions at universities around the world and specializes in environmental ethics, medical ethics, constitutional law and political philosophy.

Phil Shull retired in 2016 after 31 years with the Foreign Agricultural Service. His interest in food security and international relations was sparked as a boy living in India where he saw severe malnutrition. Philip worked towards maximizing exports of U.S. food and agricultural products and promoting global food security through trade negotiations, capacity building, food safety, biotechnology, marketing and promotion, scientific exchange, and economic analysis. His overseas assignments included Korea, Argentina (including Uruguay and Paraguay), Hong Kong, Philippines, and three postings to China.