World Affairs council of the desert

​​James D McFarlin, Chairman

​Immediate Past President of World Affairs Council of the Desert, Jim led us through the Covid-19 years, introducing livestream events and keeping us informed and updated on world affairs. A former Air Force officer and high tech CEO, he is a recognized authority, author and popular national speaker on cybersecurity and cyberwarfare. His cyber thriller, “Aftershock: A Novel” debuted as an Amazon pick of the month and is widely read internationally.

​Jim previously served as Chair of the Program Committee, bringing outstanding speakers to our desert to inform and educate our members and guests at the WACD Dinner/Speaker Events at Thunderbird Country Club.

Ambassador (Ret.) Thomas T. Riley, Vice President

​Tom was the United States Ambassador to Morocco from 2003 to 2009, receiving the State Department’s 2009 Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service, the only award given by the State Department to a political-appointee Ambassador.

Born and raised in San Mateo, California, Tom received his BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford, he worked as an engineer at Boeing for a year, then attended Harvard Business School, receiving his MBA, and then went on to work at TRW Mission in London and Paris.

​After four years, he returned to the U.S. and began a 20+ year career in Silicon Valley in several and varied organizations as founder and director. He is the holder of United States Patent 5303767 for an energy management system and is married to Nancy Vieira da Rosa Riley, a former tax attorney.

Linda holds a Ph.D. in Mineral Economics and an M.S. in Geochemistry from Penn State, and a B.S. in Geology from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Career highlights include improving efficiency and policy at Lawrence Livermore National Security, managing a $200 million project at Bechtel to dismantle Soviet biological weapons facilities, and leading research and strategic planning at the Idaho National Lab.

In retirement, Linda has led community efforts such as a statewide census for Audubon California and organizing fundraising for the Martis Camp Community Foundation. Her career blends high-level technical expertise with a commitment to community and environmental stewardship.​

Christine Hughes, Secretary

​Christine Hughes, a third-generation native San Franciscan, has over 30 years of executive level marketing and communications experience. She has held senior positions at prominent companies such as Novell, Xerox U.S. Operations, and Gartner. Additionally, she served on the board of directors of the Pacific Research Institute and later became Vice President of Development. From 2015 to 2020, Ms. Hughes was the President of CalWatchdog, a non-profit journalism organization focused on California policy issues.

In her distinguished career, Ms. Hughes has held several notable positions, including being a George W. Bush Presidential appointee to the Kennedy Center Advisory Arts Board and a White House appointee to the Navy's Advisory Subcommittee on Naval History. She also played a crucial role as a founding trustee for the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. Currently, Ms. Hughes is actively involved in various organizations, serving as the Chair of the board for the Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory Foundation, Chair of the Lincoln Club of Coachella Valley, and a member of the executive board of ConservAmerica. She resides in Rancho Mirage with her husband, Abe Ostrovsky.

Mr. Barouch, a New York City native, graduated from Hunter College in 1965 with a BA in Political Science and Economics. After serving in the U.S. Army Reserve and spending part of 1969 in Vietnam, he moved to Maine in 1971, co-founding and directing a consumer advocacy group. His interest in healthcare policy led to a 35-year career, including leadership roles in Maine's Department of Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine.

Robert Conrads

Bob Conrads is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Colchis Capital Management, an alternative investment firm in San Francisco, and oversees its real estate credit and equity investment funds. He co-founded Marlette Funding (Best Egg), Imagine Homes, Colchis Venture Capital Opportunity Fund, and Teatree Inc. Before Colchis Capital, he was a Senior Partner at Sienna Ventures and held executive roles at Indigo America and Indigo, NV. ​ He also led the Global Investment Banking Technology Group at Credit Suisse First Boston and worked at McKinsey & Co. for twelve years.

Bob has a background in atomic and molecular physics, having conducted research for the US Atomic Energy Commission and the National Science Foundation. ​ He has served on various boards, including The Chadwick School and Georgia Institute of Technology, and is currently on the St. Louis University High School Endowment Finance Committee. ​ He holds degrees in physics from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

He is a private pilot and enjoys golf, pickleball, mountain biking, skiing and fly fishing. We’re pleased to welcome Bob and his wife Sherry to the World Affairs Council.

Dr. Michael Karp

After double-majoring in history and religious studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, Michael earned his MA and PhD in history at Saint Louis University. Since earning his PhD, he has had the unique privilege of teaching in a variety of settings including an independent middle school, public high schools, dual enrollment programs, and community colleges and universities across the United States. In 2020, Michael was hired as one of the first tenure-line faculty at the Palm Desert Campus of California State University, San Bernardino, where he teaches courses in United States history, World history, environmental history, and the history of the American West. He is also Co-Director of the Porter History-Social Science Resource Center at the university.

​For the 2020-2021 thru 2024-2025 seasons, Michael served on the Academic WorldQuest Committee as the Director of Educational Outreach and helped to stage the Academic WorldQuest Competition during the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his wife Blair became parents for the first time with the birth of their son Lawrence in April, 2023.

Dan Kinney

​Dan graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BS in Economics after earning a U.S. Navy college scholarship. He completed pilot training with the U.S. Navy Air Training Command and served on navy ships, including a year supporting U.S. troops in Vietnam. He finished his naval service as a Flag Lieutenant to two naval air command admirals.

Dan then spent thirteen years with IBM, rising through managerial roles in sales and marketing across the U.S. His success at IBM led to leadership positions at Plantronics, Inc., and other tech companies, and he graduated from the prestigious Stanford Executive Institute. Building successful teams was a hallmark of his career.

Dan was also deeply involved in charitable organizations. He and his wife, Paula, supported inner-city youth through the I Have a Dream Foundation (IHAD) and served on several nonprofit boards in Portland, OR, including The Business Educational Compact, The Self Enhancement Board, The MESA Board, and medical boards at the Brain Institute and Providence St. Vincent Hospital’s Cancer Leadership Board. Dan and Paula reside in Rancho Mirage.

Joseph Manso, Programs Committee Co-Chair

Joseph Manso is a seasoned diplomat and served 38 years in the Foreign Service. He was U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) from 2020- 2023.

His notable prior roles include extensive expertise in multilateral affairs, military, and law enforcement matters. His career highlights include serving on the faculty of the National War College, acting as the U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO, and directing the Americas Program in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). His international assignments include positions at the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, the U.S. Mission to the UN in New York, and postings in Iraq, Bolivia, Mexico, and Spain.

Paula Sinclair

​Paula has an extensive background in international affairs and education. Her interest in world affairs began as a high school exchange student and winning the Rochester United Nations Essay Prize. A Smith College graduate, she was among the first women to study at Dartmouth College and earned a master's in educational administration from Cornell University, where she worked as Assistant Director of Admissions and an undergraduate advisor.

Her career in the US Foreign Service included roles as Director of the American Cultural Center in Lisbon and Press Attaché in Rio de Janeiro. She then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and held marketing and communications positions at Women's Wear Daily, W magazine, and Price Waterhouse.

M.L. "Tux" Tuxhorn

​Tux Tuxhorn, a native of Riverside, California, moved to Northern California in 1970 to attend Chico State University, earning a degree in accounting and passing the CPA exam. After a brief stint in accounting, he shifted to land development and construction in Sonoma County.

Tuxhorn's companies have developed and built hundreds of residential units in Sonoma County, including homes, apartments, parks, commercial sites, wetland mitigation banks, affordable housing, and related infrastructure. His notable ventures include completing defunct projects in the Los Angeles Basin, arbitrating construction disputes, and consulting for attorneys, CPAs, and banks on projects in default, foreclosure, and bankruptcy.

In 2017, Tuxhorn and his wife, Beth, began planning for retirement, but the Tubbs fire prompted them to help rebuild 46 fire-damaged homes, including their own.

Tuxhorn has served as a Santa Rosa planning commissioner, President of the Northern California Home Builders Association, and board member of the National Bank of the Redwoods Mortgage Company and Sonoma State University's Entrepreneurship program.

A lifelong learner and global affairs enthusiast, Tuxhorn has attended San Francisco World Affairs meetings since the 1990s and now looks forward to engaging with the World Affairs Council of the Desert.