HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY TO THE PACIFIC COUNCIL
May 30 is the official 25th birthday of the Pacific Council on International Policy. On that date in 1995, the California Secretary of State (then Bill Jones) approved the Pacific Council’s articles of incorporation.
The Pacific Council emerged at a time when the world was becoming increasingly interconnected. The Council’s founders believed that the West Coast, not just the D.C.-New York corridor, had an important role to play in grappling with global issues and developing improved U.S. foreign policy. By building the Pacific Council as a membership organization, they aimed to reframe U.S. foreign policy as a concern not only for foreign policy practitioners, but also leaders from sectors like business, media, politics, academia, and law.
“For 25 years, the Pacific Council has been a place where people from across the political spectrum could come together to engage in civil discourse about the most pressing international issues of the day," says Dr. Jerrold D. Green, president and CEO of the Pacific Council since 2008. "As we reflect on our history, we are also at a departure point to rethink and relaunch our impact here in Los Angeles for the next 25 years.”
If the Pacific Council has had an impact on you at some point in the past 25 years, we ask you to consider donating to support our mission to build the capacity of Los Angeles and California for impact on global issues, discourse, and policy. As a nonprofit organization, we are experiencing the extreme effects of the global pandemic, and your support will help us persist through this crisis to continue to bring you quality programming and community connections for the next 25 years.
A few highlights from our history:
2003:
The Council began hosting local, national, and international delegations.
2005:
The Council held its 10th Anniversary Gala and honored founding President Abraham Lowenthal.
The Board also selected Geoffrey Garrett as the Council’s new president.
2008:
The Board selected Dr. Jerrold Green as the next president and CEO of the Pacific Council.
CFR and the Pacific Council ended their formal affiliation.
2009:
The Council moved off the USC campus and into an office in downtown LA. The Council’s affiliation with USC continues.
2010:
The Council held its inaugural Spring Conference.
The Council began holding teleconferences to inform members about important international affairs stories.
2011:
Former U.S. Secretary of State and early Pacific Council supporter Warren Christopher passed away.
President Obama nominated John Bryson, then-Co-Chair of the Council’s Board of Directors, to be Secretary of Commerce.
2013:
The Council was selected as an official observer to the Military Commission hearings in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The Council honored U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with the first Warren Christopher Public Service Award.
2015:
The Council launched a new website, still in use today. The website included an online Newsroom for the first time, where members can publish analysis and commentary on international policy issues.
The Council also published its Global LA report, launched a video about the Pacific Council for its 20th anniversary, and held a gala featuring former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
2016:
The Council’s GTMO Task Force published its first report, Up to Speed: To Fairly and Transparently Expedite the Guantánamo Trials, Put Federal Judges in Charge.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a special address on trade, economic policy, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the Pacific Council.
And the Council awarded the second Warren Christopher Public Service Award to Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland (1990-1997) and the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002).
The Council also elected its first-ever member class with a majority of women, and hosted the first Members Weekend conference without a single all-male panel.
2017:
LA Mayor Eric Garcetti delivered his inaugural State of the Global City Address to the Pacific Council.
The Council hosted a gala featuring President George W. Bush.
Congressman Adam Schiff incorporated recommendations from the Council’s GTMO Task Force report Up to Speed in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2018.
2018:
The Council rebranded its signature conferences: Spring Conference became the Global LA Summit and Members Weekend is now PolicyWest.
The Council launched a new collaboration with the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and Professor Philip Seib, a long-time Pacific Council member, to create a graduate-level class on foreign reporting.
The GTMO Task Force published its second report, A Matter of Time: To Propel the Guantánamo Cases Toward Trial, Send in Federal Judges with the Authority to Enforce Scheduling Orders.
2019:
The Council launched a new animated video about the Pacific Council.
2020:
The Council is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the launch of a new strategic plan, while rolling out more digital content during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more about the Council’s history in our Founders Series:
Timeline of Pacific Council Accomplishments from 1995-2020: A Retrospective
A look back at some of the significant moments in the Pacific Council's history.
The LA Times’ 1995 Interview on Founding the Pacific Council
In May 1995, the Los Angeles Times interviewed Dr. Abraham Lowenthal about the founding of the Pacific Council on International Policy in an article titled “Redefining U.S. Foreign Policy by Focusing on the Pacific Rim.” In our 25th year, we share it from the archives.
The Academic Champion: Dr. Susan Shirk
As one of the six women who served as founding Directors of the Pacific Council in 1995, Dr. Susan Shirk saw the advantages of being part of the international policy organization early on.
Remembering Robert F. Erburu, Early Pacific Council Leader
In this 25th year of the Pacific Council’s history, it is fitting to remember Robert Erburu’s indispensable leadership in establishing and guiding the Pacific Council, writes Pacific Council founding President Emeritus Abraham Lowenthal.
The Foreign Editor: Karen Elliott House
Karen Elliott House recalls her experience with the early Pacific Council and what value it has brought to her life and to Los Angeles.
The Local Perspective: Linda Griego
The creation of the Pacific Council in 1995 piqued Linda Griego’s interest in international affairs and made it clear to her that LA was destined to become a global city.
Jane Olson: The Pacific Council is a West Coast Institution
Jane Olson discusses her role in the early days of the Pacific Council, what role LA can and should play on the international stage, and what she hopes the Council will look like in the years to come.
Steven Sample & USC Officials Helped Build Pacific Council
Dr. Steven Sample, former president of the University of Southern California, provost Lloyd Armstrong, and other senior USC officials played an integral role in launching and building the Pacific Council on International Policy, writes president emeritus Abraham Lowenthal.
Yukio Okamoto, Former Council Director: An Appreciation
Abraham Lowenthal remembers Yukio Okamoto, a distinguished Japanese diplomat, trusted senior advisor to successive prime ministers of his country, influential international consultant, and a long time Board member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, who recently passed away from COVID-19.
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If you would like to share stories, experiences, or photos from the past 25 years with the Pacific Council, please email us at engage@pacificcouncil.org or share them with us on social media.
