05/12/2026
Please join CWAC, in collaboration with USC’s Walker Institute, for our next Palmetto Forum on The U.S. and the Compact of Free Association Agreements (COFA) with Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Federated States of Micronesia. [NOTE: Ticket window closes on May 22 - secure your spot today! Registration 🔗 in bio ⬆️]
This month, we are excited to welcome John D. Brewer, Director of the Office of Insular Affairs U.S. Department of the Interior & the World Affairs Councils of America National Board of Directors, to discuss COFA and how it supports U.S. interests and national security in the Pacific. In his current role, Mr. Brewer coordinates federal policy for the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands. Brewer also supports the Assistant Secretary for Insular, International, and Ocean Affairs.
Prior to joining the Interior Department, Brewer served 14 years in various leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These include Administrator of the United States Foreign Agricultural Service; Special Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for Intelligence Issues; and Special Assistant to the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. He has also held senior posts at the U.S. Departments of State, Defense, and Treasury. Brewer worked in the private sector at American International Group (AIG), a financial services and insurance company and Booz Allen Hamilton, a multinational consulting firm.
COFA and U.S. interests in the region are not well-known to many of us, so please don’t miss this enlightening discussion!
