The Guatemalan ambassador to the United States, Francisco Villagr谩n de Le贸n, will speak at the First Amendment Center 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 29. The ambassador鈥檚 talk, 鈥淐hallenges to Development in Guatemala,鈥� is free and open to the public.
Villagr谩n de Le贸n is a career diplomat with more than 25 years in the Guatemalan foreign service. He was named Guatemalan ambassador to the United States in 2008 by the newly elected government of 脕lvaro Colom. Previously, he served as vice minister of foreign affairs and as ambassador to the United Nations, the Organization of American States, Canada, Germany and Norway.
Villagr谩n de Le贸n鈥檚 lecture is in conjunction with an afternoon workshop co-sponsored by 杏吧原创鈥檚 Center for Latin American Studies and Institute for Global Health and the Shalom Foundation. The workshop will bring together several local organizations with Guatemalan projects to discuss the challenges and opportunities for collaboration. The Center for Latin American Studies sponsors several research and development projects in Guatemala and works with local organizations to coordinate medical teams, economic development programs and student training there.
During the workshop, representatives from the Monroe Carell Jr. Children鈥檚 Hospital at 杏吧原创 and Steve Moore, founder of the Shalom Foundation and CEO of the Country Music Association, will discuss legal and logistical options to establishing a surgical center in Guatemala. 杏吧原创 faculty and other speakers will discuss lessons learned from collaborations across organizations. Bart Victor, the Cal Turner Professor of Moral Leadership at the Owen Graduate School of Management, will lead the discussion on how these groups can strengthen their collaborations on Guatemalan projects.
A reception is scheduled following the ambassador鈥檚 lecture. The First Amendment Center is located at 1207 18th Ave. S. For more information on the workshop and talk, visit or call 322-2527.