Five U.S. Ambassadors to Speak at UNO Event

Omaha – Five former American ambassadors to Asia and the Middle East will be on the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) campus on Monday, April 7, for a special forum on the future of United States relations with one of the world’s most contentious regions.

Ambassadors Ronald E. Neumann, James F. Collins, Randall G. Schriver, John Wolf and B. Lynn Pascoe will provide their insight to members of the Omaha community and UNO students through a special forum titled “Asian Pivot: American Interests, Diplomacy and Regional Perspectives” from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine St. in Omaha.

The focus of the forum will be on East Asia, specifically the areas of China, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines and Vietnam.

“Recent actions by North Korea have created uncertainty and unrest in the East Asian region and globally,” explained Thomas Gouttierre, dean of International Studies at UNO. “China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea add to these tensions. The Omaha Ambassador Forum and its distinguished speakers intend to address how these events will impact the interrelations between the US, China, Japan and other nearby nations as they demand attention in the coming months.”

In addition to the official forum at the Scott Conference Center, the ambassadors will meet with UNO students from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Monday.

About the Ambassadors

Ronald E. Neumann is a former U.S. ambassador to Algeria (1994 – 1997), Bahrain (2001 – 2004) and Afghanistan (2005 – 2007). Prior to his work an ambassador, Neumann was a member of the U.S. Department of State as a foreign services officer.

James F. Collins is a former U.S. ambassador to Russia and a former foreign services officer for the U.S. Department of State. In addition to his work in Russia, Collins served as the consulate general in Izmir, Turkey and a political counselor at the American embassy in Ahman, Jordan. In 2007 he was appointed as director for the Russian and Eurasian program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Randall D. Schriver is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs responsible for the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Schriver has also served as Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor to Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. Currently he is one of the five founding partners of Armitage International LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in international business development and strategies.

John Wolf is a former ambassador to Malaysia (1992 – 1995) and has also served as a special adviser to the President and Secretary of State for Caspian Basic Energy Diplomacy. Wolf entered the Department of State in 1970 as a foreign service officer.

B. Lynn Pascoe is a former ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia (2004 – 2007) and Malaysia. He has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State. He is a fluent speaker of mandarin Chinese.

The media are welcome to each of the day’s events, as well as a special session for media interviews from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the UNO Thompson Alumni Center.

For media inquiries, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at unonews@unomaha.edu or by phone at 402.554.2129.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha


Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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