Brews & Views on July 5: The Real War Will Never Get in the Books

We have been a country at war for over a decade. With our military engagement in Iraq completed and our role in Afghanistan winding down, we can reflect upon the lessons of these conflicts and their potential implications for US national security. At the July Brews and Views special guest Drew Erdmann will share his perspectives on US policy in these countries since 2001 based upon his experiences that range from the State Department and National Security Council to Baghdad, Iraq and Herat, Afghanistan. Drew will be in discussion with Lenny Mendonca, director of global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company as well as founder of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.

When:
Thursday, July 5, 2012
6 to 8 p.m.

Where:
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
390 Capistrano Road
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019

Cost: Admission and snacks are complimentary. Beer, wine, and other beverages will be available for sale at the event. Ten percent of the proceeds from all dinner sales at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company for this event will be donated to the Cabrillo Education Foundation.

For More Information:
Call 650-728-2739 or visit www.hmbbrewingco.com

Speaker Biography:

Andrew “Drew” Erdmann
Drew Erdmann is a Partner working in the Washington, DC Office of McKinsey & Company.  His work focuses on strategy and organizational transformation in defense, intelligence, and development agencies.  Specializing in the intersection of economics and national security, he has recently led engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as Washington, DC.  He is also a leader in the Strategy Practice’s Global Forces service line, which analyzes the major global trends shaping the international landscape over the next two decades.  Since joining McKinsey in 2005, he has also advised senior leaders in the high tech, basic materials, manufacturing, financial services, and retail industries as well as the nonprofit sector. 

Prior to joining McKinsey, Drew served in the U.S. government.  He served on Secretary of State Powell’s Policy Planning Staff with lead responsibility for special strategic projects (including post-conflict stabilization in Iraq) and counterterrorism policy; with the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq as the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research; and, lastly, as Director for Iran, Iraq, and Strategic Planning on the National Security Council staff at the White House.  For his service in Iraq and Washington, he received two Superior Honor awards and a Meritorious Honor award from the U.S. Department of State.  For his service to Iraqi higher education, he also received awards from the University of Dohuk and the University of Technology (Baghdad).

Drew has taught international affairs at Harvard University and George Washington University, and published essays in The New York Times, The International Herald-Tribune, The American Interest, and other publications.  His most recent national security publications include “Private Sector Development in Afghanistan: The Doubly Missing Middle” in American Interests in South Asia: Building a Grand Strategy in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India (Aspen Strategy Group, 2011) and “Foreign Policy Planning Through a Private Sector Lens” in Avoiding Trivia: The Role of Strategic Planning in American Foreign Policy (Brookings Institution Press, 2009).  He has also served as an independent consultant to the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, and Department of State, and as an expert advisor to the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group.

He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (London), and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 

Drew received his Master of Arts and Doctorate in US diplomatic history from Harvard University.  He earned a bachelor of arts, summa cum laude, from Williams College, where he majored in history and political science, and then a second bachelor of arts, first class, in philosophy, politics, and economics as the Carroll Wilson Fellow at Worcester College, Oxford University. 

He lives in Saint Louis with his wife (a professor of microbiology at Washington University in Saint Louis), daughter and son.

Moderator Biography:

Lenny Mendonca is a director (senior partner) in the Washington D.C. and San Francisco offices of McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm.

Lenny is currently the leader of McKinsey’s U.S. state and local public sector practice.  For many years Lenny led the Firm’s knowledge development efforts overseeing the McKinsey Global Institute and the Firm’s communications, which includes theMcKinsey Quarterly, and has served for a decade on the McKinsey Shareholder Council (its board of directors). His client work focuses on service to public sector organizations, and over the course of his career he has helped dozens of government, corporate, and nonprofit clients solve their most difficult management challenges.

Lenny is the Chairman Emeritus of the Bay Area Council and the Economic Institute of the Bay Area, and was vice-chair of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council.  He serves on the boards of The New America Foundation, The Committee for Economic Development, Common Cause, California Forward, the Bay Area Science and Innovation Consortium, ChildrenNow, and The California Business for Educational Excellence Foundation.  He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and founder and chairman of Fuse Corps.

He received his MBA and certificate in public management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  He holds an AB, magna cum laude, in economics from Harvard College.

Lenny lives on the Half Moon Bay coast, south of San Francisco, with his wife and two daughters, where he is the founder and owner of the Half Moon Bay BrewingCompany.
two daughters, where he is the founder and owner of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.

ABOUT BREWS & VIEWS

Brews and Views is the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company’s regular speakers series that tackles public issues that affect us all, from the Coastside of California to Washington, DC. Started in 2009 by Lenny Mendonca, the founder of the Brewing Company and director at McKinsey & Company, Brews and Views serves as both a free public forum and fundraiser for Coastside nonprofit organizations (ten percent of all dinner proceeds are donated to a local nonprofit after each event). Previous notable guests include renowned forecaster Paul Saffo, managing director of foresight at Discern Analytics; Charles Kolb, president of the Committee for Economic Development; Mike McCurry, former press secretary for President Bill Clinton; Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle’s political reporter; and California State Assemblyman Jerry Hill.

Previous Brews and Views are playing as a series on local television station, PCTV on Channel 27, Monday nights at 7pm. For additional videos, visit HMB Media at http://www.youtube.com/user/HMBMediaProductions