Community Event: Freeport Speech - Examining Local Solutions to Global Challenges with Susan Thornton and Fiona Hill
2025-08-27 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | ME
Our friends at Freeport Speech are hosting an exciting program on Thursday, September 25 at the Freeport Performing Arts Center! Tickets are limited!

Examining Local Solutions to Global Challenges with Dr. Fiona Hill, Susan Thornton and Barrett Takesian

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Join Freeport Speech to hear Dr. Fiona Hill, formerly an official at the U.S. National Security Council specializing in Russian and European affairs, in conversation with former diplomat and Russia expert Susan Thornton and non-profit community builder Barrett Takesian in a discussion about strengthening grass roots organizations as a means to alleviate domestic dysfunction that can lead to national security crises.

Dr. Fiona Hill CMG is a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution and Chancellor of Durham University. Hill served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the U.S. National Security Council from 2017 to 2019, as well as national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the U.S. National Intelligence Council from 2006 to 2009. Hill has researched and published extensively on issues related to Russia, the Caucasus, regional conflicts, and strategic issues, as well as the link between deindustrialization and political populism. She is the author of the bestselling memoir There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century and co-author of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin. In December 2023, Hill was recognized by the United Kingdom as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for services to international relations and in July 2024, Hill was appointed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be an external reviewer for a Strategic Defense Review for the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom.
Susan A. Thornton is a retired senior U.S. diplomat with almost three decades of experience with the U.S. State Department in Eurasia and East Asia. She is currently a Visiting Lecturer in Law and Senior Fellow at the Yale Law School Paul Tsai China Center. She is also the director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Thornton received her M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and her B.A. from Bowdoin College in Economics and Russian. She speaks Mandarin and Russian.
Barrett Takesian grew up in Southwest Harbor, Maine. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 2012, he left the private sector to pursue his passion for youth development. What began as small squash clinics in the basement of the YMCA grew into Portland Community Squash (PCS) – a multicultural, multigenerational community center now serving 1,000 members on Noyes Street in Portland. The community squash model has since expanded beyond Maine, inspiring similar efforts across the U.S. and sparking adoption in other arts and sports organizations. Barrett has served as Senior Advisor for Community Squash at US Squash, Maine’s Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance, and Chair of Portland’s Out of School Time Network. He continues to champion community centers both locally and nationally, contributing to initiatives with the Sport for Development Journal, Laureus Sport for Good, the Aspen Institute, and the Brookings Institution.
Lead Sponsors for this event are David Douglas Stone and Joe and Carol Wishcamper
Net proceeds to beneift Portland Community Squash
Enjoy pre-lecture music by Shaina’s Strings for 30 minutes before the performance.

Community Event: AFIO January Meeting "the Rise of Xi Jinping"
2026-01-17 08:00 - 17:00
AFIO MEETING: January 17, 2026
2:00 p.m.
“Bathed in Red: Revolution, Corruption, and the Rise of Xi Jinping”
The Maine Chapter of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) will meet on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Kennebunk High School Economos Lecture Hall, 89 Fletcher St., Kennebunk, ME. The meeting is open to the public.
Our speaker will be Dr. Christopher Heurlin, Associate Professor of Government and Legal Studies and Associate Professor of Asian Studies at Bowdoin College. Dr. Heurlin is the author of Responsive Authoritarianism in China (Cambridge University Press, 2016) and the forthcoming The Enduring Power of Communism (Oxford University Press, 2026).
Dr. Heurlin’s presentation “Bathed in Red: Revolution, Corruption, and the Rise of Xi Jinping” will examine how Xi Jinping emerged as China’s paramount leader and consolidated power within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Drawing on existing scholarship, Dr. Heurlin will discuss how senior leaders are selected and promoted within the CCP, the role of factional politics—including Populists, Elitists, and Princelings—and how revolutionary family legacies continue to shape elite politics. He will also explore the use of anti-corruption campaigns as a key tool in Xi’s consolidation of authority.
This talk will provide the context for understanding contemporary Chinese politics and leadership dynamics at a time when China plays an increasingly central role in global affairs.
AFIO members, guests, and prospective members are welcome to attend. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation.
We look forward to seeing you on January 17.
PLEASE NOTE: For information on the event, please contact the organizers directly!
https://www.afiomaine.net/

Leadership in the High North 2026: Advancing Maine's Role in the Arctic
2026-04-22 18:00 - 2026-04-23 16:30
Leadership in the High North: Advancing Maine’s Role in the Arctic
April 22–23, 2026 Maine National Guard Regional Training Institute 289 Hildreth St. N, Bangor, ME
Contact: LTC (R) Darryl W. Lyon,— darryl.lyon@gmail.com

Event Description
Join Maine’s leading scholars, diplomats, business leaders, and security experts for a two-day symposium exploring our state’s growing role in the rapidly changing Arctic. From climate science and international trade to emergency preparedness and Indigenous inclusion, this conference connects Maine to one of the world’s most consequential regions.
Keynote Speaker: Ambassador Svanhildur Holm Valsdóttir, Embassy of Iceland
Day 1 — Wednesday, April 22
6:00 PM Welcome & Opening Remarks 6:30 PM Dinner 7:30 PM Keynote Address — Ambassador Svanhildur Holm Valsdóttir 8:30 PM Concluding Remarks & Preview of Day 2
Day 2 — Thursday, April 23
8:30 AM Breakfast Reception & Student Poster Session 9:10 AM Maine’s Academic Role in the Arctic — featuring Dr. Pips Veazey (UMaine Portland Gateway), Dr. Susan Kaplan (Bowdoin College), and UNE North 10:30 AM Maine’s Economic Role in the Arctic — featuring Maine International Trade Center, New England Ocean Cluster, and Maine Center for Entrepreneurs 12:15 PM Maine’s Diplomatic Role in the Arctic — featuring Dr. Mary Thompson-Jones, author of America in the Arctic 2:15 PM Maine’s Security & Emergency Management Role in the Arctic — featuring Benjamin Strong (Arctic Council), Magnus Nordenman, and USCG Sector Northern New England 3:30 PM The Way Ahead — closing discussion with Ambassador Valsdóttir and Commissioner Diane Dunn (Maine DVEM)
Lunch included. Extended networking breaks with student poster opportunities throughout the day.
Contact: LTC (R) Darryl W. Lyon,— darryl.lyon@gmail.com

Call for Student Posters
Students: Present your Arctic-relevant research alongside leading experts! Posters will be featured during structured networking sessions throughout the conference.

Free attendance for student presenters
Easels provided — just bring your poster (36×48″, vertical)
Topics: climate, geopolitics, trade, security, Indigenous studies, marine science, and more

Contact: Tyler Lissy, UMaine SPIA — lissyt@maine.edu

Presented by: World Affairs Council of Maine • Archipelago • UMaine School of Policy & International Affairs • Maine International Trade Center
Supported by: Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management • ArcticToday
