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WWU’s Laurie Trautman to speak at European Commission’s ‘Beyond Borders’ event

Laurie Trautman

Laurie Trautman, director of Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute, will speak at the European Commission’s “29th Beyond Borders: Breakfast Debate,” a virtual event June 4 exploring cross-border collaboration outside Europe. 

Trautman is scheduled to speak about the U.S.-Canada border region alongside other speakers on other border areas: U.S.-Mexico, Central Asia, Kenya-East Africa, and Argentina-Brazil-Uruguay. 

The program is sponsored by the EU’s Border Focal Point Network, an online professional network designed to build growth and cohesion in EU border regions. 

"The opportunity to engage with experiences in other global contexts enables us to broaden our perspectives here in the Cascadia region, while also allowing us to showcase some of the leadership, collaboration and challenges we face as a cross-border community," Trautman said. 

All of the Border Focal Point Network's webinars are available online. 

Also this week, Trautman will speak in an online training course at the U.S. State Department’s National Foreign Affairs Training Center. The June 2 virtual panel on the US-Canada Border is part of a series of webinars intended to build base knowledge about Canada and Canadian society among U.S. diplomats who will be working in or on issues related to Canada. The session is not open to the public.

Trautman has participated in similar trainings offered by the U.S. Department of State previously, as well as equivalent programs offered to Canadian diplomats with postings in the U.S. 

About the Border Policy Research Institute: 

The multidisciplinary Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University undertakes research to inform policymakers on matters related to the Canada–United States border, particularly in the Cascadia region. The BPRI is the nation's only academically based research institute dedicated to the study of the Canada - US border. 

More information: Laurie Trautman, Laurie.Trautman@wwu.edu