Annual Event Save the Date: Friday, October 17 to Sunday, October 19 in Washington, D.C.
Dear RBFAA Members:
Please Save the Date for our Annual Event Weekend starting on Friday, October 17 to Sunday, October 19, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Our Saturday night Annual Event Dinner will be held at the District Architecture Center in Washington, D.C.
We are excited to see everyone in October and hope you will join us then.
Tickets are on sale HERE!
New Info Added!
Friday (10/17)
6:00 – 9:00 pm | Cocktails, light food, and networking at the Metropolitan Club
Saturday (10/18) Program
Venue: Pillsbury law firm DC Office
9:30 – 10:00 | Doors open & light food/coffee
10:00 – 11:15 | Keeping the Bridge Strong: How Transatlantic Organizations Lead in Turbulent Times
Panelists: Christian Haenel (American Friends of von Humboldt Foundation), Rachel Rizzo (Bosch 36, Atlantic Council), Constanze Stelzenmüller (Brookings), Sudha Wilp (Bosch 14, German Marshall Fund)
11:15 – 12:15 | Future of the RBFAA with Q&A
12:15 – 12:45 | Lunch
12:45 – 2:00 | RBFAA Annual Business Meeting
2:00 – 3:15 | Mini Masterclasses: Bosch Alumni on Today’s Defining Issues
- Liz (Kosobuki) Johnson (Bosch 30): Tariffs & Trade
- Adam Hunter (Bosch 20): Immigration
- Trooper Sanders (Bosch 19): AI / Tech
Evening Program
Venue: District Architecture Center
6:00 – 7:00 | Doors open and cocktail hour with appetizers
7:00 – 7:40 | Welcome remarks & keynote with Julie Smith
7:40 – 9:00 | Dinner
Sunday (10/19)
10:30 – 12:30 | Brunch at the home of Eric Opp, in Arlington, VA
Keynote Announced: Ambassador Julianne Smith, US Permanent Representative to NATO (2021-2024) & Bosch Fellow (XIII)
Ambassador Julianne Smith (Bosch Fellow XIII) has graciously agreed to be our Keynote Speaker at the Annual Event Weekend Saturday Night Gala, where she will discuss the Future of Transatlanticism.
Julie Smith is a distinguished national security expert with three decades of experience in U.S. and European defense policy, transatlantic relations, and geostrategic risk. She has held senior leadership positions at the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State where she has shaped NATO’s response to the Ukraine war, advanced U.S.-European economic and military partnerships, and addressed global security challenges stemming from China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia
Most recently, Smith served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO (2021–2024), where she played a pivotal role in securing Allied support for Ukraine, coordinating intelligence sharing with Allies, and finalizing Finland and Sweden’s accession to the Alliance. She also led efforts to integrate China into NATO’s Strategic Concept.
During the Obama administration, Smith served as Acting National Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Joseph Biden. Prior to that role, she served as the Principal Director for European and NATO Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Her career spans influential roles at think tanks such as the German Marshall Fund, the Center for a New American Security, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where she published extensively on grand strategy, Russia, counter-terrorism, and China’s deepening relationships in Europe.
Smith has been honored with multiple awards, including the Order of the Polar Star of Sweden, the U.S. Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award, the Sue M. Cobb Award for Diplomatic Excellence, and the Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany. Fluent in French and German, she has conducted extensive research in Europe, including fellowships at the Robert Bosch Academy and the American Academy in Berlin.