Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon presents two leaders from the Global South who will engage us in conversations around leadership, faith and politics from their unique perspectives. Our Collins Lecturers will be Ambassador Cecilia Adeng, South Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Juan Guaido, opposition leader and former Interim President of Venezuela. See their bios below. The event will be hosted at the University of Portland on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m.
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2024 COLLINS LECTURERS
Ambassador Cecilia A.M. Adeng is a South Sudanese national. This February, she became the Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Sudan Mission to the United Nations, the country’s first female representative to UN. Before her appointment, she was Deputy Permanent Representative of South Sudan’s Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2018 to 2023, having served as Deputy Head of Mission to the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi between 2015 and 2018. Adeng obtained a master’s degree in public administration from Howard University, Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn.
Juan Gerardo Antonio Guaidó is a Venezuelan opposition politician. In January 2019, Guaidó was sworn in as Interim President of the Republic of Venezuela. He fulfilled his obligation until December 2022; during this time, he was recognized as the Interim President by 60 countries. Guaidó studied industrial engineering at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) in Caracas and went on to earn two graduate degrees in public administration, including one from George Washington University. At UCAB he was one of the founders of the Venezuelan Student Movement. After the 2007 Venezuelan protests, where Guaidó played an important role, he helped found “Voluntad Popular” party in 2009.
The annual Collins Lecture/Summit explores issues related to religion and social ethics. They have been a signature event of EMO and its predecessor organization the Portland Council of Churches since 1967. The event is funded by the Collins Foundation. Learn more about past Collins Lectures, including video and/or audio.
