The World Affairs Council of Montana is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to fostering understanding and engagement in international affairs.
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Mission Statement »

The Council, founded in 2000, enables Montanans to appreciate the relationship of foreign policy and international issues to their lives in the Rockies. The Council offers opportunities to better understand world events through people-to-people diplomacy, distinguished speakers, overseas visits, and educational outreach programs. As globalization reaches into all corners of the Big Sky, the Council seeks to help educate citizens about their increased political, economic, and cultural integration into the world community. We invite you to join us, and we appreciate your support and interest.

Who We Are »

Ambassador Mark Johnson (Ret.) – Council President and Founder

Ambassador Mark Johnson (ret.) is the Founder of the World Affairs Council of Montana and the national Vice Chair of the World Affairs Councils of America in Washington, D.C. He is a Mansfield Adjunct Professor at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center of the University of Montana.

Mr. Johnson retired from the U.S. State Department after serving 30 years in a variety of foreign policy positions, in the Middle East and Africa. He was United States Ambassador to Senegal from 1993-1996. At the time of his retirement, he was Deputy Inspector General of the State Department. His service includes postings in Kuwait, Egypt, Iran, and the Persian Gulf.

He is a fourth generation Montanan from Great Falls and is married to Sally J. Cummins who is an Attorney-Adviser with the State Department. They live in Lolo.

Aubrie Lyons – Executive Director

Aubrie Lyons is the currently the Executive Director for the World Affairs Council of Montana. Originally from Cleveland, OH, Aubrie came to Montana in 2000 to study at the University of Montana. She received her undergraduate degree from the School of Education in Political Science/History with a Secondary Teaching Certificate and is currently working on her graduate degree in Public Administration and International Development. She also currently serves on the MCPS Budget and Citizens Advisory Board.

Aubrie  first became involved with the World Affairs Council in 2003 as a volunteer. Over the years she has continued her work developing the Council’s flagship education programs including Academic WorldQuest, teacher workshops, and the Distinguished Speakers Program, which brings international experts and diplomats into the Missoula community and high school classrooms. Aubrie is committed to maximizing the Council’s impact particularly in rural schools and communities.

Robert Seidenschwarz – Chairman of the Board

Mr. Seidenschwarz earned his B.A. at the University of Montana. Professionally, he began as a registered representative at I.D.S. Financial Services in 1982.  In the spring of 1987, he left I.D.S. to become one of the original founders of the predecessor firm to S.G. Long & Co.  He is a licensed financial advisor specializing in Retirement and Estate Planning for individuals and businesses.

He is currently serving as Chairman of the Board for the Montana World Affairs Council for which he has been associated with for the last three years.  Mr. Seidenschwarz is an advocate for international education and is active in all aspects of program developments with the Council.

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Statement from our Founder »

It was almost ten years ago when I started the World Affairs Council of Montana. The goal was simple: To help connect Montanans with the world around them. In our short existence, we have done over 160 events including hosting distinguished speakers, and offering classroom programs, various community events on global issues, and teacher workshops. For example, Missoula is one of very few cities to have hosted the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It did not take long to understand that Montanans very much want to be engaged with global issues. Hundreds of folks from Western Montana come to our Distinguished Speakers Programs. Over 600 people showed up on a cold winter night to hear the Syrian Ambassador. We recently had a teacher drive over 500 miles from Eastern Montana to attend a workshop on Turkey in Missoula – this is like driving from Washington, DC to Montreal, Canada!

Our annual high school Academic WorldQuest Competition has grown from three Missoula schools to over 30 teams, arriving from places like Billings, Gardiner, Troy, and Arlee. In recent years, two Montana teams have placed 2nd and 4th at the national competition in Washington, DC. A recent visit from Ambassador Ndilowe of Malawi has resulted in the building of a ’sister school’ relationship between Missoula schools and Malawi students.

We believe that we could be achieving even more in our communities and schools to help expand awareness of global issues. The Montana World Affairs Council is the only organization of its kind in the state.

Like many other non-profit organizations, however, our constraint is resources. Over the years, we have operated on an annual budget of about $25,000. Outside of sponsorship, we receive no direct support from the University of Montana or the national World Affairs Councils’ office, and we receive no federal or state funding. All of our efforts have been on a volunteer basis.

I would like to thank all of our members for their generous support over the years, as membership dues account for 25% of our annual income. We are working hard to secure additional funding in the form of grants and sponsorships. In August, 1st Interstate Bank awarded our first matching grant challenge in the amount of $3,000. We were overwhelmed by the response of our members, and we exceeded all expectations! Thank you to all of our challenge grant donors. What a success!

We believe it is time to put the Council  on more solid financial footing so we can expand our efforts to promote citizen diplomacy and continue to build global awareness in our communities and schools. One of our goals is to create a salaried position for our Executive Director, Aubrie Lyons. We hope you will consider us worthy of your support and we are confident that our members will rise to the challenge.

- Mark Johnson