September 3, 2023

Mitchell Reiss Named New Chair of International Churchill Society

The International Churchill Society (US) and the International Churchill Society (UK) have announced the election of Ambassador Mitchell Reiss to be the Chairman of both organizations. Reiss succeeds the outgoing Laurence Geller CBE starting October 5th.

“I am succeeding the visionary and philanthropic Laurence Geller who has devoted himself to this cause with his characteristic integrity, energy, and intelligence for the past 20 years,” Reiss said. “These are impossibly large shoes to fill, but the society’s mission remains the same: to ensure that Winston Churchill’s memory stays green, his fierce commitment to freedom and democracy continues to inspire, and his example of courage in the face of adversity remains relevant to today’s challenges.”

Geller has been the Chairman of the International Churchill Society (US) for twenty years and has been the Chairman of the International Churchill Society (UK) since 2016. “To have someone so accomplished in various fields, from being an Ambassador at the United States Department of State to the President of Washington College, as our new Chairman fills me with incredible confidence and excitement for the future of the two International Churchill Society organizations,” Geller said. “I am certain the important impact provided by these organizations will grow exponentially under Mitchell’s leadership.”

“Speaking on behalf of the Churchill family, I am thrilled that Mitchell Reiss has been selected as the next Chairman,” Randolph Churchill, great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, said. “His energy, charisma, and history of successfully leading historical organizations will build upon the monumental legacy left by Laurence Geller.”

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Reiss previously served as the Director of Policy Planning at the US State Department and as President George W. Bush’s Special Envoy to the Northern Ireland Peace Process with the rank of Ambassador. For his work with the British and Irish governments to help end the “Troubles,” he earned the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Award for “exceptionally distinguished service.” In spring 2023 he was awarded an honorary degree from Queen’s University Belfast.

Reiss was CEO and president of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where he engineered the organization’s financial turnaround, and increased its fundraising, visitation, and social relevance. He has served as President of Washington College. Mitchell earned his J.D. at Columbia University and D.Phil. in International Relations from Oxford University.

The International Churchill Society (US) is a 501(c)3 educational non-profit organization in the United States and the International Churchill Society (UK) is a Registered Charity in the United Kingdom. By celebrating the timeless values of Sir Winston Churchill, both organizations embolden future generations to defend, enhance, and promote the values he embodied: freedom, democracy, and human rights.