The 2026 Annual Summit, organized by the Mroz Global Leadership Institute, will be held on February 19-20, 2026, at the College of Charleston. This is the 5th Annual Summit hosted by the Mroz Institute. This year, we will focus on Diplomacy and International Development. The summit will be held in conjunction with the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs (LCWA) in partnership with the College of Charleston Libraries.
We are bringing together foreign policy and diplomacy practitioners to examine the intersection of security and development, soft power and foreign assistance, democracy and civil society, as well as the role of international development in advancing the US’s foreign policy. Our speakers are NGO leaders and career foreign service officers who have worked at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of State.
Dr. Rajiv Shah, the President of the Rockefeller Foundation, will give the keynote address. Dr. Shah has been committed to advancing the mission of USAID to end extreme global poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies, while advancing security and prosperity.
The summit is an in-person event. It’s open to students, faculty, staff, and members of the Charleston community. All sessions will be held in Rita Hollings Science Center, room 101. RSVP today!
Thursday, February 19, 2026
- 3:00pm-4:30pm. Session 1. Panel discussion on the state of international development – with David Kramer, Peter Natiello, Nancy Ostrowski, Greg Howell, and Kawa Hassan.
- 4:30pm-5:20pm. Session 2. Civil society and post-conflict development in Syria and Iraq – by Kawa Hassan. Kawa Hassa is a Nonresident Fellow with Stimson’s Middle East and North Africa Program.
- 6:00pm. Keynote address: Dr. Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation.
Friday, February 20, 2026
- 9:00am-9:50. Session 3. Bringing Together Diplomacy, Development and Defense in Addressing Global Fragility – by Greg Howell. Greg Howell served as Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator in USAID’s Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean.
- 10:00am-10:50am. Session 4. The Case of the Colombian Peace Accords: A 3D Success? – by Peter Natiello. Peter Natiello is a career diplomat with 35 years in the Foreign Service. He served as USAID’s Senior Humanitarian and Development Counselor.
- 11:00am-11:50am. Session 5. The Power of Private Sector Partnerships in Advancing 3D Goals in Africa – by Nancy Ostrowski. Nancy Ostrowski is a former career diplomat who worked on national economic strategy, the intersection between security and development
- 12:00pm (noon)-12:50pm. Session 6. Democracy and Human Rights as Pillars of US Foreign Policy – by David Kramer. David Kramer is the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute and is a leading expert on Russia and Ukraine.
Check out our previous programs. Recordings from previous summits are available on the Mroz Institute’s YouTube Channel.
