Please join the Center for the Humanities, The Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Poland, and the American Institute of Polish Culture for a public lecture by Ambassador Mark Brzezinski as part of the 2024-2025 Series for the Lady Blanka Rosenstiel Endowed Program in Polish Heritage.

This lecture will consider the evolution of US-Poland security collaboration between 2021 and 2024. Given Russia’s further full-scale attack on Ukraine, security is sacrosanct in Central/Eastern Europe. The indivisibility of US-Polish security collaboration means there are not only military dimensions, but also refugee, energy, commercial, democratic and people-to-people dimensions. This holistic approach has protected against de-establishing influences in the region and has ushered a new era of cooperation in this 200 year plus relationship.

Mark Brzezinski was sworn in as the Ambassador of the United States to Poland on December 22, 2021. Ambassador Brzezinski previously served as U.S. Ambassador to Sweden from 2011 to 2015, spearheading innovative new approaches to advance U.S.-European trade and landing key Swedish investments, including Volvo’s decision to build a $1 billion factory in South Carolina.  He also arranged the first-ever U.S. Presidential visit to Stockholm, which brought together all five heads of governments of the Nordic countries for a summit that galvanized a U.S.-Nordic strategic approach on energy, innovation, and sustainability.  In 2015, he was asked by the White House to lead a strategic effort on the Arctic as the first Executive Director of the White House's Arctic Executive Steering Committee.

Ambassador Brzezinski was founder and previously the principal of Brzezinski Strategies LLC.  He was a Managing Director at Makena Capital Management, where he led the firm’s sustainable and ESG investing efforts.  For a decade, he was a partner at the law firm McGuireWoods LLP, where he helped build the law firm's international compliance practice.  From 1999 to 2001, he served on President Clinton's National Security Council staff, first as a Director for Russia and Eurasia, and then as a Director for the Balkans. 

Ambassador Brzezinski is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Trilateral Commission.  He was a Fulbright Scholar in Poland in 1991-93, during which he researched and wrote a book entitled “The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland.” In 2010, he was named to the State Department's Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.  He received a BA from Dartmouth College, a JD from the University of Virginia, and a PhD in Political Science from Oxford University. He is the proud father of a teenage daughter.

The Lady Blanka Rosenstiel Endowed Program in Polish Heritage is made possible by a generous gift to the University of Miami from The American Institute of Polish Culture, established by Lady Blanka in 1972. The gift, made in 2021, is intended to support program events and activities designed to celebrate Polish people and Polish culture.  The Program is aligned with Rosenstiel's commitment to educating audiences about the rich history of Poland and the substantial scientific, scholarly, and artistic contributions made by those of Polish descent. The Center for the Humanities is pleased and honored to lead efforts in coordinating the Program at the University of Miami, in partnership with the College of Arts & Sciences and The American Institute of Polish Culture.  

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