On November 7, UCBS Arts & Lectures donors gathered at the magnificent Montecito estate of Pete and Jillian Muller for an enjoyable dinner and enlightening discussion with International Rescue Committee (IRC) President David Miliband.
During an extended reception, top level donors mingled poolside with Miliband while partaking in gourmet passed nibbles and beverages. Guests then were seated in comfy furniture in the house, where the hosts, legendary hedge fund manager Pete Muller and IRC boardmember Jillian Muller, welcomed them. Pete shared how his mom’s family fled Europe in the 1920s and his Dad fled in the 1940s. He reflected on how we are all connected in this world and thus how important it is to take care of those who are displaced.
Miliband began by explaining why he took the helm of the IRC five years ago. First, he sees the challenges the IRC faces — how to get medical aid into Syria against the will of the government, how to extend education to girls in Afghanistan against the will of the Taliban, how to tackle sexual violence against women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo, how to ensure that refugees coming to the U.S. lead successful lives — as some of the most difficult and important questions in global public policy. Second, he sees the IRC as a sleeping giant, not really visible. And third, the fact that both his parents were refugees fleeing the Nazis in Europe gives him a personal connection to the IRC’s mission.