Conference Speakers

Rita Colwell
Rita Colwell, chair of Canon U.S. Life Sciences, Inc., served as the director of the National Science Foundation from 1998–04. She also is on the faculty of the University of Maryland at College Park and Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Colwell earned her bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Purdue University, and a doctorate in oceanography from the University of Washington. Over the course of her career she has authored or co-authored 16 books and more than 700 scientific papers, produced an award-winning film, Invisible Sea, was president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and has been awarded 45 honorary degrees. She is a member of the microbiology societies of the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Bangladesh and the United States, and a geological site in Antarctica has been named in recognition of her work in Polar Regions. Her most recent interest is global infectious diseases and she currently is developing an international network to address emerging infectious disease in the developed and developing world.

Per Egil Hegge
A native of Stjördal, Norway, Per Egil Hegge has served on the staff of the leading Norwegian daily paper, Aftenposten, since 1962. He has held positions as the paper’s correspondent in London, Moscow and Washington, and was editor of the weekend magazine from 1984 to 1988, and culture and arts editor from 1992–1998. Hegge has written 10 books on a wide array of issues, including two on Soviet foreign policy, two on U.S. foreign policy, two biographies, one on the usage of the Norwegian language and one on the dissolution of the Norwegian-Swedish union. His current project is writing the official biography of His Majesty King Harald, which will be published in 2007.

Christine Ingebritsen
Christine Ingebritsen is a professor of Scandinavian Studies and associate dean of undergraduate education at the University of Washington–Seattle. She earned her bachelor’s degree from William Smith, her master’s degree from Columbia University and her doctorate from Cornell University. She has published widely on Scandinavian foreign relations, including the European Union and the role of Scandinavia in world politics. From 2005–07 she will serve as president of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study.

Geir Lundestad
Geir Lundestad is the Director of the Nobel Institute in Norway and also serves as the secretary to the Nobel committee members. He received his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Oslo, followed by his doctoral work at the University of Tromsø. Since 1970 he has been a professor of history in Norway, at the Universities of Oslo and Tromsø, and has twice held visiting professorships at Harvard University. Lundestad has written 11 books in English, including his most recent title, The United States and Western Europe Since 1945: From Empire by Invitation to Transatlantic Drift.

James L. Johnston
James L. Johnston is a policy advisor, director and secretary of the Heartland Institute in Wilmette, Ill., a nonprofit organization devoted to turning ideas about health care, education and the environment into social movements. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Southern California, plus graduate work towards a doctorate at UCLA, Johnston served as an economist with the RAND Corporation, the Institute for Defense Analyses and secretary of the U.S. Treasury. He recently has retired from his position as senior economist at Amoco Corp., and now serves on the board of directors of the Institute for Energy Research and the Acton Institute for Religion and Liberty. His current research focuses on electric utility deregulation and he has published a general theory of regulation.

Terje Osmundsen
After undergraduate study in the United States at St. Olaf College and American University, Terje Osmundsen completed his graduate work in Norway, earning a doctorate in political science from the University of Oslo. His professional resume includes such positions as chief political advisor to the Prime Minister of Norway and President of Universitetsforlaget, the Scandinavian University Press. He currently is the founder and chief editor of Mandag Morgen, a weekly publication offering business analysis for industry executives. Over the course of his career he has published numerous articles on political and industrial topics.

Ragnhild Sohlberg
Ragnhild Sohlberg is former vice president of Norsk Hydro, a leading offshore producer of oil and gas that also pioneers renewable energy and energy efficient solutions. She has more than 30 years of experience in professorship and research both in the United States and Norway, including her position as an adjunct professor at the Norwegian School of Management in the fields of strategic planning and industrial/ environmental ethics since 1993. She currently serves on 11 boards and commissions and has published more than 30 articles on electricity conservation, defense manpower policies and environmental issues. Sohlberg earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and completed her doctoral work at the RAND Graduate School in California.

Knut Vollebæk
Knut Vollebæk has served as ambassador of Norway to the United States since 2001. After earning a political science degree from the University of Oslo in 1967, Vollebæk spent a year at the University of California–Santa Barbara. He received his master’s of science in economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen, Norway. Vollebæk has practiced diplomacy since joining the Norwegian Foreign Service in 1973. He has served as Norway’s minister of foreign affairs (1997-2000), as the Norwegian delegate to the United Nations (1982-83, 1986-88) and as chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He also has held numerous positions within the United Nations.