It is with deep sadness that we inform you that our stalwart Board Member, David C. Speedie, passed away on Thursday, October 2nd, at the University of Virginia Hospital. David was being treated for prostate cancer, and was scheduled to begin chemotherapy shortly. However, in spite of the accurate diagnosis, the cancer had become metastatic and difficult to control.
David was Senior Fellow and Director of the Program on US Global Engagement at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Policy in New York from 2007 to 2017. Prior to that he chaired the Program on International Peace and Security at the Carnegie Corporation in New York from 1992 to 2007. David had also served as Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of Government.
He was a thoughtful and tireless advocate for global peace who had a keen interest in improving US Russia Relations. A prolific writer and lecturer on the need for diplomacy and cross-cultural understanding, David traveled to Russia frequently. He was a close associate of our founder, Stephen F. Cohen.
Those who knew David will remember him not only as a brilliant man but as a decent and empathetic one. We will miss David greatly.
-Krishen Mehta for the Board