The League of Women Voters of Washington County (LWVWC) continues its Drinks and Dialogue gatherings in June. This event will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at Crisis Brewing, 210 S. Nelson Hackett Blvd., in Fayetteville.

The guest speaker will be Lt. Gen. (Retired) Jay B. Silveria, who currently serves as president of the University of Arkansas System. He will speak on ways to foster communication across differences in beliefs and life experiences, underscoring our shared need to improve our community systems.

Silveria began his term as U of A System president on Jan. 15, 2025. Previously, he served as associate vice president and executive director of Texas A&M University and the Bush School of Government & Public Service in Washington, D.C. and is a former superintendent at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A command pilot with more than 3,900 hours in elite military aircraft, Silveria has flown combat missions over the Balkans and Iraq and served as Vice Commander at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. He has commanded a Fighter Wing, an Air Operation Center and a Fighter Squadron, and was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal and a Bronze Star, along with multiple Air Medals, during his career.

Silveria retired from a 35-year career in the U.S. Air Force in November 2020, after spending the last three years of his service as superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Raised in an Air Force family, Silveria is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and in 1986 completed undergraduate pilot training. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Social Science degree from Syracuse University, attended the National War College at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C., and was a senior executive fellow at Harvard University, where he also attended the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

This event is open to the public, and admission is free.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to encouraging informed and active participation in government. The group does not endorse any candidates or political parties.

To learn more about the League of Women Voters of Washington County, please visit LWVARWC.org.

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About the League of Women Voters of Washington County
The League of Women Voters of Washington County is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization that empowers voters and defends democracy. The League is committed to ensuring that all eligible voters have the opportunity and the information to participate in local, state and national elections. For more information, visit LWVARWC.org.