This lecture series was founded in 2016 in honor of Sandy Berger, former national security advisor to President Bill Clinton and former WFP USA board treasurer and secretary.

During his board tenure, Sandy utilized decades of experience in the White House and Washington D.C., to strengthen U.S. leadership in alleviating global hunger and addressing growing humanitarian crises around the world.

In the spirit of Sandy’s legacy, this lecture series features a speaker or organization that is focused on tackling the most pressing issues facing the humanitarian system today.

WFP USA established the Samuel R. Berger Lecture Series in 2016 as a tribute to Sandy’s work as chairman of WFP USA’s board and his commitment to preserving the American legacy of leadership in fighting global hunger.

WFP USA convened the inaugural Samuel R. Berger Lecture at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington DC, which featured Secretary Madeleine Albright in a conversation with WFP USA president and CEO Rick Leach about the growing humanitarian crises and link to food insecurity. In 2017, Stephen Hadley, former national security advisor was the esteemed Lecture speaker and reaffirmed Sandy’s belief that investing in global food security is among the most effective tools we have in our foreign policy toolkit to protect American interests and ensure global stability