For SAM-members only.
Join us for a virtual conversation with the U.S. Embassy’s Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Liam O’Flanagan to discuss “The role of the United States in this rapidly changing world.” The discussion will be moderated by SAM Chair of the Board Elina Lehtinen.

There will be plenty of time for discussion and Q&A, so come with questions in mind in English and in Finnish.

Signed up closed on 16.3. at 14.00.

Registrants will receive an email with a Teams link to the webinar at 15:00 on the day of the event, which will allow them to participate in the event. To participate, you will need a computer or mobile device and a working internet connection.

If you are not yet a SAM member, it’s quick and easy to join on our website.  Membership fee is only 39 eur per year.

***
Liam O’Flanagan joined the State Department in 2004. He currently serves as the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Finland and has also served as the Political-Economic Counsellor. Prior to Finland, Liam served as the Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), where he led a 20-person section with an $8m multi-year budget. Prior to that, he served as the Political-Military Affairs Officer in BiH. Other tours include Kabul, Afghanistan, where he dealt with civilian prison issues; Washington, DC, where he served as the Belarus Desk Officer; and Kosovo, where he worked as the Human Rights & Political-Military Affairs Officer. He also served in two consular tours in London, UK and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Prior to the State Department, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. He received his master’s degree in Public Policy at the University of Chicago in 2004, and his Bachelor’s Degrees in History and Government from the University of Notre Dame in 1998.

Elina Lehtinen works as the Communications Director at the John Nurminen Foundation. She has been SAM Chair of the Board since 2019. Lehtinen has worked for more than 10 years as Communications and Fundraising Manager at the conflict resolution organization CMI. Lehtinen has been responsible for CMI’s external communications, branding, private fundraising and has been involved in the creation of the Ahtisaari Days. Elina is a Harvard Kennedy School graduate (MPA) on Politics and Leadership and she has a Masters Degree from University of Helsinki on Political Science, International relations.

She has previously worked as a consultant at Bell Pottinger communications agency, and as a journalist at Helsingin Sanomat, Ilta-Sanomat and Yle Radio. He has lived abroad with his family for eight years – in the United States and the Middle East.