Staff

Kim McCleary Blue is the President & CEO of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall, the city’s most prominent nonprofit public speaker forum, which has hosted past presidents, key business leaders and cultural icons since 1937. Her career experience includes senior executive positions in the nonprofit and private sectors, with accomplishments resulting from her skills in public affairs, strategic planning, fundraising, program management, marketing and operations. Prior to joining LAWACTH, McCleary was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of New Visions Foundation, which focuses on providing excellent educational opportunities to underserved youth. McCleary also spent more than 20 years at the Los Angeles Times serving in most of the major operational management roles. She is widely known for The Times’ community outreach efforts that she led as Vice President of Public Affairs. She also served as President of the paper’s charitable foundations, The Times Mirror and Los Angeles Times Foundations, and has served in a leadership position on numerous Los Angeles nonprofit boards. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a M.B.A. from Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management.

Alexander Messmann has been with the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall since 1987. He studied at universities in Germany and the United States and obtained a graduate degree in Public Administration from the University of Konstanz. Before starting his tenure at the Council, he had worked at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York and as a research assistant at the University of Konstanz.

With over 20 years of experience creating award-winning special events, Michele brings her extensive knowledge of sponsorship marketing to the position of Programs Director. Her portfolio of work in the arts and entertainment industry includes Fortune 500 companies, international festivals and large-scale company launches. She has created over 200 marketing campaigns for non-profit organizations throughout the country and enjoys the process of building brand awareness through public and private events. Michele looks forward to bringing her skills to LAWACTH and working in the world affairs arena.

Claire Krelitz is a strategic communications consultant for the LA World Affairs Council & Town Hall, where she advises on key projects in marketing, public affairs, and digital content. She previously served as the Communications Manager and Virtual Events Producer for the organization (2020-2022). In this role, she oversaw the organization’s marketing and communications, spearheaded the expansion into digital programming, and produced over 200 virtual events. Before joining LAWACTH, she worked on two nationally ranked podcasts at Crooked Media and is a graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA.

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