Poland. Ukraine. Russia. NATO. The Future of European Security. Few countries are closer to Europe’s defining security challenges than Poland.
As the war in Ukraine escalates and NATO faces a changing security landscape, Poland is playing a pivotal role in the future of European defense and the transatlantic alliance.
Join Bogdan Klich, Poland’s Acting Ambassador to the U.S. and former Defense Minister, for a conversation about what lies ahead for Poland, Europe, and security. Klich joins Jason Jakubowski, President & CEO of Connecticut Foodshare and political science professor at UConn and CCSU, for this special GSF2026 event.
Thursday, November 5 | 11:30am – 1pm
World Affairs Council, Café, Hartford CT
Conversation + Networking Reception / Lunch
Tickets: $30 General Admission, $20 Member Admission
Global Security Forum 2026 Series: Fault Lines.
The international system is under pressure. Alliances are fracturing and new rivalries emerging, creating new fault lines in the world.
Join us for GSF2026, where leaders, policymakers, strategists, and experts reveal the pressures reshaping global security – and the choices that will define what comes next.
GSF2026 All-Access Pass (CTWAC Members Only)
Your ticket to all in-person and virtual GSF2026 events for just $75, including your name listed as a supporter and an invitation to a private reception with David Sanger. Click here to unlock this member-exclusive offer.
Featuring
Mr. Bogdan Klich
Acting Ambassador of Poland in the U.S.
Mr. Bogdan Klich is the Head of Mission in the Embassy of the Republic of Poland as of 18th November 2024. He has been Senator in the Polish Parliament between 2011 and 2024. Between 2015 and 2019, he was Minority Leader of the Polish Senate. Mr. Bogdan Klich served as Poland’s Minister of Defence from 2007 to 2011 and was a member of the European Parliament.
Mr. Bogdan Klich managed the Information Department at State TV Centre in Cracow between 1990 and 1992. He then was Head of the International Centre for Development of Democracy in Krakow from 1993 to 1999 and Head of the Institute for Strategic Studies from 1999 to 2003. In 1998 and 1999, he was an Adviser to the government plenipotentiary for Poland’s accession negotiations with the EU. Mr. Klich graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Krakow Medical Academy and the Faculty of Philosophy and History at the Jagiellonian University. He was a lecturer at the Institute of European Studies at the Jagiellonian University. Mr. Klich has authored numerous publications on foreign policy and international security. In the late 1970’s and 1980’s he was active in the democratic opposition movement.
Moderated By
Jason Jakubowski
President & CEO, Connecticut Foodshare
Jason Jakubowski is President & CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, the official Feeding America food bank serving the entire state of Connecticut. With a dedicated team of 125 employees and more than 6,700 volunteers, Connecticut Foodshare distributes more than 45 million meals each year through a statewide network of 600+ pantries and mobile distribution sites. Throughout Jason’s tenure, Connecticut Foodshare has been named a “Top Workplace” nine times by the Hartford Courant and Hearst newspapers; and in 2020, Jason received the prestigious C-Suite Award from the Hartford Business Journal for his organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining Connecticut Foodshare, Jason served as Vice President of External Relations at Hospital for Special Care and he worked as the Director of Corporate & Community Development at Charter Oak State College. Jason holds adjunct faculty appointments at both the University of Connecticut School of Public Policy and Central Connecticut State University’s Department of Political Science.
Jason holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Connecticut, and he is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program. At the age of 21, Jason was elected to the New Britain City Council followed by two terms as City Treasurer. In 2012, he was one of Connecticut’s seven Presidential Electors for Barack Obama.
Jason has chaired the Board of Directors at both Leadership Greater Hartford and Community Health Resources, as well as Feeding America’s national Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee (PEAC). Jason currently serves on the boards of the Connecticut Food Association, and the Connecticut Community Nonprofit Alliance. He served on the Transition Teams for Governors Ned Lamont (2018) and Dannel P. Malloy (2010), and in 2019 he received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the National Association of Leadership Programs. In 2021, he received the Polaris Award for Visionary Leadership from Leadership Greater Hartford.
Jason currently lives in West Hartford with his wife and five children. He is slightly obsessed with UConn basketball and the New York Yankees and Knicks (which have brought him a lot of joy), and with the New York Jets (which have not).
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The World Affairs Council of Connecticut provides a platform for open dialogue and the exchange of ideas on global issues. The views expressed by speakers and contributors to this organization’s public programs—in person, online, and through affiliated social media sites— are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the official policies or positions of CTWAC, its individual staff, board members, members, or sponsors. As a nonpartisan and nonpolitical organization, CTWAC’s purpose is to foster informed discussion and greater understanding of the world, without endorsing any particular viewpoint.
