A live online conversation with former U.S. Ambassadors to Belgium Tom C. Korologos and Howard W. Gutman
Please join us on October 21 at 10 AM (EST) for the online broadcast of a virtual discussion on the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the possible impact on the relationship between Europe and the United States. The event will be introduced by General Delegate Yves Wantens and moderated by Senior U.S. Correspondent Greet De Keyser, and feature two former U.S. Ambassadors to Belgium: Tom C. Korologos and Howard W. Gutman. The senior diplomats will give their perspectives on the upcoming election, the deciding factors, and how it may affect the Transatlantic relationship.
To view the streaming broadcast please use the form on this page to register now. Approximately one week before the event we will email you instructions on how to view the broadcast.
We welcome suggestions for questions. When registering for the event you have the option of submitting questions in advance. Be sure to include specifics as to whom to direct the question (i.e. a specific panelist or the panel as a whole). Unfortunately, we won’t be taking questions during the live event, but submitting them in advance will help us determine the focus topics. We can’t promise an answer to every question, but all questions are welcome and encouraged.
About the Participants
Tom C. Korologos
Tom C. Korologos served as United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium from July 2004 through February 2007.
From May to December, 2003, Ambassador Korologos was Senior Counselor to Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, Administrator, Office of Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Baghdad and in the Defense Department, Washington, DC. He was also responsible for all CPA Congressional affairs including a key role in the passage of the President’s Iraq reconstruction supplemental budget request.
Prior to going to Baghdad, from 1975 to 2003, Ambassador Korologos served as Chairman of the Executive Committee and was co-founder of Timmons and Company, a Washington consulting firm. He served in the Nixon and Ford Administrations as Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs (Senate). He also served nine years under Senator Wallace F. Bennett (R-UT).
Ambassador Korologos has attended every Republican National Convention since 1972, serving several times as Director of Official Proceedings. He was a senior advisor to Senator Dole during his 1996 Presidential bid. In 2001, he served in the Bush-Cheney transition and managed the confirmation of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense as well as other nominees appointed by President Bush.
Currently, Ambassador Korologos serves as a Strategic Advisor at DLA Piper.
Howard W. Gutman
Howard W. Gutman served as United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium from August 2009 through July 2013.
Before being named Ambassador, Mr. Gutman was a partner with the Washington D.C. law firm of Williams & Connolly LLP. In his over twenty-six years with the firm, Mr. Gutman handled the full gamut of litigation, investigation, and counseling matters.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Gutman served as a Special Assistant to F.B.I Director William H. Webster, focusing on counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence; as a law clerk to Justice Potter Stewart (retd.) on the United States Supreme Court; and as a law clerk to Judge Irving L. Goldberg on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Mr. Gutman served as an adviser to a variety of Democratic candidates, including assisting in races for President, Governor, Senate, and Congress. He assisted the 2008 Obama campaign on constituency work, media and fundraising and was a Trustee on the Obama Presidential Inauguration Committee. He also assisted the Gore campaign in the post-election litigation in 2000.
Currently, Ambassador Gutman leads the Gutman Group, a diversified global consulting, investment, and transactional practice.
Greet De Keyser
Greet De Keyser is the Senior US Correspondent for VTM, the main commercial television station in Flanders. De Keyser has been living and working in Washington, DC., reporting on American politics, for over 20 years. For VRT, the Flemish Public Broadcasting Company, she reported on American politics and every major election between 2000 and 2015 and in 2016 she covered the presidential election for VTM. Earlier in her career, De Keyser reported on events in South Africa, Algeria, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Iraq. In 2010, De Keyser was made a Knight in the Order of the Crown. The award was bestowed in recognition of her work as a journalist in the United States.
Yves Wantens
Yves Wantens is the General Delegate of the Government of Flanders to the United States of America. Previously he served in this same capacity in postings in Warsaw, Madrid, and Pretoria. Prior to his diplomatic career with the Government of Flanders, Mr. Wantens had over a decade of experience in the field of development cooperation in Southern Africa.
Watch
You can view the discussion online by visiting:
https://www.flandersintheusa.org/2020-watch