15TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

The 15th Anniversary Gala will bring together 200 guests to join us in rekindling hope and lighting new legacies. We will honor individuals and organizations that have lit the life-saving path of progress for the people of Laos.

We will celebrate key champions, including Senator Patrick Leahy, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), Stanley Brown, and members of the California coalition for the inclusion of Laotian American History. We will recognize the contributions of Founding Director, Channapha Khamvongsa. We will renew our collective commitment and inspire a new generation to carry forth the torch for a safer Laos.

Date: September 10, 2019, 5:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: Carnegie Institution for Science (Washington, DC)
Dress Code: Festive and Semi-Formal

For more information:
[email protected]
+1 (202) 841-7841
www.legaciesofwar.org

PROGRAM BOOKLET

CONGRESSIONAL HONORARY COMMITTEE

THE HONORABLE
DON BEYER (D-VA)

THE HONORABLE
SEAN DUFFY (R-WI)

THE HONORABLE
ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA)

THE HONORABLE
ALAN LOWENTHAL (D-CA)

THE HONORABLE
GRACE MENG (D-NY)

THE HONORABLE
MATT CARTWRIGHT (D-PA)

THE HONORABLE
TOM EMMER (R-MN)

THE HONORABLE
RAUL GRIJALVA (D-AZ)

THE HONORABLE
BETTY MCCOLLUM (DFL-MN)

THE HONORABLE
JACKIE SPEIER (D-CA)

THE HONORABLE
JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX)

THE HONORABLE
ANNA ESHOO (D-CA)

THE HONORABLE
JIM HIMES (D-CT)

THE HONORABLE
JIM MCGOVERN (D-MA)

MEET OUR CO-CHAIRS

ALEXANDRA HINIKER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CHAIR

Alexandra Hiniker has worked on humanitarian disarmament issues around the world for more than a decade. In Laos, she was the Cluster Munition Coalition representative, working in close partnership with the Lao government, the United Nations, and civil society to plan and implement the First Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. She then moved to Lebanon for the Second Meeting of States Parties. Alexandra has also worked for the United Nations mine action program in Cambodia, and advocated for stronger humanitarian disarmament policies as the PAX Representative to the United Nations in New York.

Alexandra earned a B.A. from the University of Chicago, an M.A. from Uniwersytet Jagiellonski in Krakow, Poland, and an M.S. in Urban Policy and Leadership from Hunter College. She also studied at Sciences Po-Paris.

BENJAMIN RHODES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Benjamin Rhodes was the “Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting” from 2009-2017 under President Obama. During his tenure, Rhodes spearheaded initiatives to help President Obama engage with countries, like Laos, in hopes of fostering good relations, development, and human rights. In 2011, Rhodes was included in Time Magazine’s “40 under 40” list of powerful and prominent young professionals. Before joining the former president’s administration, Rhodes worked on Obama’s speechwriting team during his campaign for the presidency. Days before leaving office, Obama appointed Rhodes as a member of the US Holocaust Memorial Council.He resides in Washington, DC with his wife and two daughters. He received his BA in English and Political Science from Rice University and his MFA in creative writing from New York University.