(From left to right)

Sylvia Whitlock, Mayor Bill Bogaard and Alden E Stoner on behalf of Participant Media

Article and Photography by RACHEL YOUNG

Click here to view article and photos of event

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(From left to right)

UNA-USA Southern California Division President Mel Boynton, 2013 Global Citizen Award recipient Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, Congressman Adam Schiff, and UNA-USA Southern California Division Vice President and event chair Barry Simon.

The sold-out 6th Annual West Coast Global Forum was a great sucess. Many thanks to Barry Simon for his amazing hard work in creating this event. The 2013 Global Citizen Award recipients were:

The Honorable Bill Bogaard
Mayor of Pasadena

Sylvia Whitlock
Rotary International District Governor

Participant Media
Providing Entertainment that Inspires Social change

Keynote Speaker:
Peter Yeo, UN Foundation
Vice President for Public Policy
Executive Director, The Better World Campaign

Download Forum Program (PDF)

Message from the President

Welcome to your SoCal UNA-USA Website! Check out your local chapter websites and help us educate, advocate, and grow to ‘Help the UN Help the World’.

Each of your eleven local UNA-USA chapters is helping to inspire international understanding and cooperation through the United Nations. Working with you and your chapters, our division is working with local chapters to enhance support for events, education, advocacy, and growth throughout Southern California and southern Nevada.

It has been my privilege to serve as your division president since 2009, so 2013 is my final year before our new president takes the helm.  I look forward seeing you at your local programs and SoCal events. For more information, visit our Calendar of Events or check back at our website often.

It is up to you and me to help make U.S. participation in the UN supportive of peace, human rights, environment, health, and women’s rights around the globe. You make a difference as an active member!

Chris Whatley announced as new UNA-USA Executive Director

Washington (PRWEB) August 13, 2013

The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA), a program of the United Nations Foundation, today announced that Chris Whatley will join the organization as Executive Director. In this role, he will lead UNA-USA's nationwide membership, educational, and human rights programs, at the heart of the movement of Americans who support the important work of the United Nations.

"Chris is joining us at a pivotal time in the history of UNA-USA and the UN Foundation, when the opportunities to actively support the UN are greater than ever," said UN Foundation President & CEO Kathy Calvin. "His years of experience in international affairs and dedication to powerful grassroots advocacy will help take UNA-USA to even higher levels of engagement and effectiveness in the years to come."

Whatley will lead UNA-USA’s national staff in Washington, D.C. and New York, and will head up the Association’s efforts to increase membership, advocate on behalf of the UN and UN causes, and educate the next generation of UN supporters in the U.S. through UNA-USA’s Global Classrooms Model UN program. He will also be responsible for the close coordination of UNA-USA with other programs, initiatives and activities of the United Nations Foundation and its sister organization, the Better World Campaign.

"As someone who has experienced the critical importance of UN peacekeeping and the work of the specialized agencies firsthand, I look forward to working with UNA-USA members and staff to continue the Association’s strong legacy and further build the UNA-USA network to help ensure a positive U.S.-UN relationship for the future," said Whatley.
Before joining UNA-USA, Whatley served as Deputy Executive Director and Washington Office Director of The Council of State Governments where he served as a voice for U.S. states in Washington, D.C. and oversaw the Council’s federal advocacy and international outreach. He began his career as a field-based program officer for the International Republican Institute running democracy assistance projects in Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Whatley holds a B.A. in Government from Angelo State University and an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.