On January 23, 2024 the Tennessee World Affairs Council hosted Ambassador Charles Ray for a program focused on the Blueprints Report.

Early on the 23rd, Ambassador Ray visited the Battle Ground Academy, a private school in Franklin, TN near Nashville. He was welcomed by staff, teachers, and by approximate 40 students from the Leadership Group. His presentation focused on the roles of diplomacy in the present age, and the steps one can take to pursue a successful and rewarding diplomatic career.

Following this visit, Ambassador Ray attended a luncheon at Pinnacle

Financial Partners, a leading regional bank and TNWAC Corporate Member, that included key business leaders and other community leaders in a discussion on American diplomacy.

For the main event, Ambassador Ray presented at Belmont University for a Global Town Hall. This presentation was moderated by Ambassador Charles Bowers, TNWAC Advisory Board Member. It was an important dialogue, where they discussed the importance of the “Blueprints” in today’s modern diplomatic

challenges.

A column on Ambassador Ray’s visit and American diplomacy was published in The Tennessean, a member of the USA/Today network. It was written by Karl Dean, former Nashville and Davidson County Mayor and current TNWAC Chairman, and Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Ryan, TNWAC President Emeritus, and a career U.S. Navy officer. Read the full piece here: American diplomacy is being hamstrung by petty politics on Ukraine, Israel and more