The World Affairs Council is governed by a 69-person Board of Trustees. Past Chairman who remain in good standing are also members of the Board of Trustees. Trustee Emeritus are long-time members of the Council awarded the title for their service and dedication to the mission of the World Affairs Council. The Board of Trustees comprises some of Orange County’s top business, academic, government, and social leaders. The Trustees in turn have designated an Executive Board to provide policy and operational direction for the Council’s programs, membership, fund-raising and financial affairs, and educational activities. These efforts are supported by four standing committees, drawn from the Trustees and the Council’s members.
William Edwards was nominated by the Board of Trustees and elected by the general members as Chair of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Board of the World Affairs Council of Orange County Chapter for 2022 – 2023. The primary function of the Board is to introduce Orange County to leaders of foreign countries and prominent national figures by facilitating dialogue between Orange County’s political and business leaders and these influential individuals through regular monthly meetings, seminars, lectures and presentations.
World Affairs Council of Orange County Trustee Emeritus
| Dr. Harry Sahota | Mr. Hal Smith | Mr. Errol Mathieu | Theodore Wallace, Esq. |
World Affairs Council of Orange County Ambassadors at Large
| Amb. George Argyros | Amb. John Malott | Amb. Robert Tuttle | Serge Tomassian, Esq. |
| Amb. Gaddi Vasquez | Amb. Linn Williams |
World Affairs Council of Orange County Trustees
Class of 2023-2026 |
Class of 2022-2025 |
Class of 2021-2024 |
| Gunjan Bagla | Victoire Auguste-Dormeuil | Cyrus Ameri |
| Dr. Lawrence “LB” Brown | Susan Baaj | Sajindra Gunawardane |
| Regina Campbell | Craig Boardman | Jayne Herring |
| Candace Chen | Marco Carralero | Dr. Mark Chapin Johnson |
| Ronak Desai | Dr. Jeanett Castellanos | Diane Kim |
| Tom Erspamer | Dr. Gabriela Castaneda | Dr. Karen Lincoln |
| Jon Gould | Annie Chu | Dr. Kyle Longley |
| Paul Hamilton | Helen Haig | James Mayer |
| Steven Kechician | C. Bennett Jackson Jr. | Brett Mills |
| Yan Killy | Mani Kang | Rick Putnam |
| John Pierre Lafare | Stacey Keeley | Shezad Rokerya |
| Denise Mainero | Isaiah Leslie | Beatrice de Salles |
| Manuel Marquez | Chris Lynch | Alberto Sandoval |
| Liz Maxson | Bobby McDonald | Judge Tully Seymour (ret.) |
| Ryan Miller | Hon. Fred Minagar | Anita Sokolsky |
| Ken Petersen | Dr. Kevin Moncrief | Dr. Daniele Struppa |
| Robert Petrosyan | Rima Nashashibi | Lorelei Tanji |
| Neal Rickner | Naseem Qader | Rose Tsai |
| Congressman Harley Rouda | Ryan Quirk | Donna Gilbert Vann |
| David Smith | Dave Rice | Paul Vann |
| Shawn Collins | David Shilling | Fred Whitaker |
| Judge Nho Trong Nguyen | Hon. Van Tran | Tony Wang |
| Rick Muth | Tim Welch | Dr. Heidi Hardt |
