Election 2020 Preview: A Bipartisan Perspective

Sep 21, 2020 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Event Level Rating: IV

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Event Description

The 2020 Presidential Election campaign season in the United States is well underway, with elections on Tuesday, November 3rd. Upcoming Presidential debates are scheduled to take place on September 29, October 15, and 22nd, and Vice-Presidential debates on October 7th. The outcome of the elections, whether a President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence, or a President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, will not just affect citizens of the United States, but also the world, including those of us here in Vietnam.

Learn what this means for you and your company. Join Nelson Cunningham, McLarty Associates President & Co-founder and longtime Biden insider, as well as Ambassador Richard Burt, McLarty Managing Partner and well-known Republican foreign affairs strategist, as they break down the U.S. political process and road to elections and beyond, including key policy differences, and what the outcome is likely to mean for U.S. foreign policy in the region — and your businesses.

AGENDA

7:00 PM	Check-in
7:05 PM	Audience welcome and speakers introduction by Mary Tarnowka, Executive Director, AmCham Vietnam – HCMC & Da Nang
7:10 PM	Opening remarks by Nelson Cunningham, President and Co-Founder, McLarty Associates
7:20 PM	Opening remarks by Amb. Richard Burt, Managing Partner and Eurasia Director, McLarty Associates
7:30 PM	Audience Q&A moderated by Mary Tarnowka, Executive Director, AmCham Vietnam – HCMC & Da Nang
7:55 PM	Closing Remarks
8:00 PM	Event ends

COST

SPEAKERS

Nelson Cunningham

President and Co-Founder

McLarty Associates

Nelson Cunningham first worked for Joe Biden over two decades ago, when he came to Washington to serve as Biden’s General Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Over the past year, Nelson has been deeply involved in the Biden campaign. He served on the Obama-Biden transition team in 2008 and has also advised every Democratic presidential campaign since 2004 on foreign policy and trade matters

Prior to co-founding McLarty Associates in 1998, Mr. Cunningham served in the White House as Special Advisor to President Clinton on Western Hemisphere affairs and as General Counsel at the White House Office of Administration. Nelson Cunningham holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Stanford University.

Amb. Richard Burt

Managing Partner and Eurasia Director

McLarty Associates

Amb. Richard Burt was a political appointee in senior foreign policy roles in the Reagan and George HW Bush administrations. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany and Assistant Secretary of State for Europe under President Ronald Reagan, and under President George H.W. Bush was chief negotiator for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) between the United States and the Soviet Union. Later, Ambassador Burt was a top national security advisor to John McCain’s 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns. He was also a one-time advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Amb. Burt also worked for many years with McKinsey, and early in his career was a New York Times reporter. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.A. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

MODERATOR

Mary Tarnowka

Executive Director

AmCham Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang

Mary Tarnowka serves as the Executive Director of AmCham Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.

Prior to her time with AmCham Vietnam, Mary worked extensively to help U.S. businesses thrive in Asia. As U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City from August 2016 to July 2019, she oversaw a period of tremendous growth in the U.S. comprehensive partnership, including two unprecedented visits by a U.S. president to Vietnam in 18 months. Mary actively promoted mutual peace, prosperity, and people-to-people ties in central and southern Vietnam. She particularly focused on strengthening the bilateral trade and investment partnership in the dynamic southern region.

Mary was a member of the senior Foreign Service, with decades of experience in Asia, including postings in Seoul, Delhi, Shanghai, and Taipei, as well as at the State Department’s China Desk and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Prior to joining the State Department, Mary worked as a Certified Public Accountant and Manager at KPMG’s International and High Tech Tax Division in San Francisco.