Dr. Marilyn Seiber will discuss what is happening today in Cuba, reviewing the “perfect storm” of the U.S. embargo, Cuban Government policies, and Covid 19.  She will describe U.S. policies toward Cuba through recent Administrations, as well as the actions of The Presbyterian Church (USA) and its ecumenical partners in Cuba to address the humanitarian crisis that Cubans are now suffering.
 
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been a partner with the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba since issuing a joint Mission Statement in 1986.  Since then, over 90 U.S. Presbyterian churches have joined with counterparts in Cuba forming strong, active bonds, working together in mission, sharing each other’s stories, becoming friends and family, participating in celebrations and holidays, learning of each other’s challenges and joys.  These U.S. church partners have been the eyes on the ground for 35 years, observing the impact of the U.S. embargo on Cuba and the results of Cuban Government policies that have affected how Cubans live and struggle daily—for food, medicines, toiletries, and equipment of everyday life.
 
Marilyn J. Seiber has been involved with Cuba since 2004, traveling there 21 times. She chairs the Cuba Partners Committee for The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.  that has a partnership with First Presbyterian-Reformed Church of Havana. Dr. Seiber has served on the Steering Committee of the Cuba Partners Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA), and currently is a member of the Network’s Advocacy Committee.  She has organized a similar Cuba network for National Capital Presbytery.
 
Dr. Seiber is an international economist retired from federal service on Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch.  Her expertise on international trade, finance, and monetary policy has enabled her to serve at the highest levels of government.  She was Senior Economist on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Banking and Financial Services and Chief Economist on the Committee on Small Business working for the Ranking Member and Chairman, respectively. In the Executive Branch, she served as Director of International Economics at the National Security Council; Special Assistant and Economic Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Economic and Agricultural Affairs and to the Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; advisor to the General Counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; and Deputy Director of the Rent Advisory Board for the Cost of Living Council during federal wage and price controls.  She has served as an economic consultant to the World Environment Center, and has been an Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Government and the University of Maryland University College.  She has written and published two books on developing-country debt. She received her Ph.D. in International Relations and International Economics from The American University in Washington, D.C.
 

Journalist Sanam Maher spent several years investigating the murder of Pakistan’s first social media celebrity, Qandeel Baloch. Questions arising from Maher’s investigation—What kind of woman is the country’s culture willing to tolerate? And how did Qandeel encourage a generation of Pakistani women to inhabit the same online spaces she was viciously trolled in—broaden into larger questions of how sex is being talked about, and, as importantly, how it isn’t. To censor those discussions is to refuse to have a conversation about one’s own culture and society. If instead we invited those conversations, what is the worst that could happen?
 
Sanam Maher covers stories on Pakistan’s art and culture, business, politics, religious minorities, and women. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Caravan, Roads & Kingdoms, and The Times Literary Supplement, amongst others. Her first book, A Woman Like Her: The Short Life of Qandeel Baloch, appeared in 2018. She participates in the International Writing Program’s Fall Residency courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. 
 

Jerald Schnoor is the Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Co-director of the Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research. Schnoor’s research interests include phytoremediation, groundwater, and water sustainability with special fields of knowledge in water quality modeling, aquatic chemistry, and climate change.  Dr. Schnoor is a registered Professional Engineer and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

​A new report, the sixth in a series since 1990, Climate Change 2021:The Physical Science Basis was released this fall by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the report a “code red for humanity.”  Among its many findings, “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.”  Widespread and rapid changes have occurred in the atmosphere, ocean, biosphere and glaciers.  Furthermore, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are the highest concentration in at least 2 million years; methane and nitrous oxide are the most in more than 800,000 years; and our average temperature on earth is the warmest in at least 2,000 years.

Iowans face more frequent and severe storms, greater runoff and soil erosion, warmer nights, and more humidity, pollen and mold spores.  In California and the western US, climate change manifests as drought and wildfires; in the Northeast as flooding, and in Miami as blue-sky flooding.  If you live in coastal Louisiana, it means more intense hurricanes, power outages and floods.  Last year, thirty named storms set a US record, and 13 of those hurricanes made landfall, also a record.

A turning point could be the upcoming United Nations Glasgow Climate Conference, November 1-12, also known as COP26.  There, the world will try to agree on greater cuts in nationally-determined greenhouse gas emissions, more funding for the most vulnerable nations (The Green Climate Fund), ending oil exploration and production, constraints on international financial transactions, and limits on international travel.  Cuts in emissions of 50% by 2030 and net-zero by 2050 are deemed necessary to avoid catastrophic warming and dangerous interference with the climate system.

Global response to transitioning out of the fossil fuel age to renewable energy, electric vehicles, battery storage of wind and solar power, a smart grid, a rebuilt infrastructure, and a circular economy promises high quality jobs, resilience to climate change, and an engine for economic development in the 21st century.  In short, climate action promises healthier ecosystems and people, cleaner air, stable climate, a dynamic economy, and a sustainable future for our children.

Each winter for the past 16 years, a Miles of Smiles team travels to conduct medical missions in the remote Western Highlands of Guatemala. In partnership with Rotary, Iowa MOST has been able to dramatically impact the health and quality of life of hundreds of families through cleft lip/palate and cataract surgeries.  Join Deb Dunkhase, Project Leader, to learn how Iowa MOST embodies Service Above Self to change the lives of some of the most vulnerable, poverty-stricken families in the world.
 

​For over thirty years, Deb Dunkhase dedicated herself to education in the state of Iowa.  Her work has involved direct teaching with elementary level students and leadership roles working closely with parent and teacher groups to bridge the gap between formal and informal education.  In 2019, Deb retired from her role as the Executive Director for The Iowa Children’s Museum, a successful nonprofit organization in Coralville inspiring every child to imagine, create, discover, and explore through the power of play. Dunkhase is a strong advocate for the transformative power of play and it’s link to creativity and lifelong learning.
 
Since retirement, Deb created a new nonprofit called Open Heartland serving over 250 Central American and Mexican immigrant families in Johnson County as they navigate through poverty, lack of food, housing insecurity, and the daily threat of deportation and separation from their children – all compounded by Covid-19.  Dunkhase also leads the annual Rotary District 6000 Iowa MOST (Miles of Smiles) cleft palate and cataract medical mission to serve the indigenous Mayans of Guatemala.
 
Deb strongly believes in Service Above Self and changing the world one small act of kindness at a time.