Upcoming Speakers
Mike Block, Balla Kouyaté, and Edward Pérez
Thursday, October 30 at 7PM (in the Camden Opera House)
Topic: SOFT POWER — The Musical Ambassadors of Silkroad
What better way to demonstrate the impact of cultural exchanges than actually to experience this form of “soft power” in action. A trio of Silkroad musicians of different cultural backgrounds will present a concert for our Mid-Coast Community. Silkroad is an organization established in the 1990’s by cellist Yo Yo Ma to “advance global understanding, deepen learning, and promote cross-cultural collaboration.” The performance by Silkroad musicians, Mike Block, Balla Kouyaté, and Edward Pérez will provide a clear demonstration of the powerful impact when different cultures work together. Ben Hartley, the Executive Director of Silkroad, will introduce the trio and speak about the work of Silkroad and its global impact.
Jane Holl Lute
November 17, 2025
Topic: Securing the Homeland Since 9/11: What Have We Learned?
Jane Holl Lute currently serves as a director of Union Pacific Railroad, Marsh McLennan, and Shell plc. Ms. Lute served as deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2009-2013. She also served as special advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, where she has held senior positions in peacekeeping, peace building, and political affairs. She served as chief executive officer of the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a not-for-profit organization providing cybersecurity services for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments. Ms. Lute is also strategic director for SICPA North America, a company that protects the integrity and value of products, processes, and documents, including most of the world’s banknotes. She began her distinguished career in the United States Army, serving in Europe, Desert Storm, as well as on the National Security Council staff under both Presidents George H.W. Bush and William Jefferson Clinton. Ms. Lute holds a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University and a J.D. from Georgetown University.
Blas Nuñez-Neto
December 11, 2025
Topic: Status of Asylum Laws and Practices
Blas Nuñez-Neto is a Senior advisor at WestExec. He is a leading expert on homeland security, counter-terrorism, immigration, and trade policy with extensive management experience and a broad range of contacts in the executive branch, Capitol Hill, foreign governments, and the private sector. In a number of key roles inside and outside the government, he has tackled some of the most challenging policy issues facing the country, negotiating landmark international agreements and brokering bipartisan legislation.
He most recently served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for Migration and Southwest Border Coordination at the National Security Council, where he coordinated the whole of government response to migration and border management and helped formulate national policies designed to address migratory flows.
Prior to this appointment, Blas served as Assistant Secretary for Border and Immigration Policy and Acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In these roles, he led the response to the unprecedented surge in global migration that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, and headed diplomatic engagements with countries in the Western Hemisphere to coordinate migratory policy and negotiate international agreements. He also held key leadership positions at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the largest federal law enforcement agency, serving as the Chief Operating Officer and as a Senior Advisor to the Commissioner.
Blas previously served as Associate Director and Senior Policy Researcher for the RAND Corporation’s Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center. Additionally he provided expert counsel for Members of Congress as a Senior Professional Staff Member at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and as an Analyst at the Congressional Research Service.
Blas holds an M.A. in Government Administration and a B.A. in Political Science and English from the University of Pennsylvania.
Nader Habibi
January 12, 2026
Topic: The Economy of Iran in the Shadow of International Sanctions and the Supreme Leader
Nader Habibi is the Henry
J. Leir Professor of Practice in the Economics of the Middle East at Brandeis University’s Crown Center for Middle East Studies. Before joining Brandeis University in June 2007, he served as managing director of economic forecasting and risk analysis for Middle East and North Africa in Global Insight Ltd. Mr. Habibi has worked in academic and research institutions in Iran, Turkey and the United States since 1987. He earned his master’s degree in systems engineering and his PhD in economics from Michigan State University. His most recent research projects are a) Economic relations of Middle Eastern countries with China, b) Impact of sanctions on Iran’s middle class, c) Analysis of the excess supply of college graduates in Middle Eastern countries, d) Economic relations of Turkey with Iran and Arab countries. Habibi served as director of Islamic and Middle East Studies at Brandeis University (August 2014-August 2019). Links to his publications are available here.