| WHAT: | Press Conference with Former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom |
| WHEN: | Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. |
| WHERE: | National Press Club Bloomberg Room 529 14th St. N.W. Washington, D.C. |
| DETAILS: | The Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies of The Catholic University of America will hold a brief press conference with Suzan Johnson Cook, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Johnson Cook was the principal adviser to both the president and secretary of state for religious freedom globally. She was the first African-American and the first female to hold this position. She was the third ambassador at large since its creation under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, and represented the United States' concerns for religious freedom in more than 25 countries and more than 100 diplomatic engagements, integrating religious freedom into the United States' foreign policy and national security priorities. The Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies is an academic think tank that considers issues of contemporary policy from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church's moral and social teachings. In October, the Institute announced the appointment of Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng as a distinguished visiting fellow. |
| SPONSOR: | The Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies |
| MEDIA: | To cover the press conference, contact Katie Lee or Mary McCarthy Hines in the Office of Public Affairs at cua-public-affairs@cua.edu or 202-319-5600. |