SAUSALITO, CA, November 2, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Wilford H. Welch has been recognized for achievement in strategic thinking, futurism and climate change.

Mr. Welch has distinguished himself as a strategic thinker and futurist. Since 2016, he has served as an author, keynote speaker and lecturer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing on global warming and climate change. In this capacity, he delivers speeches and lectures to organizations such as the World Affairs Council, presents leadership, teamwork and risk management programs to corporations, and teaches climate change at the Presidio Graduate School. He also conducts virtual instruction on the climate crisis to high school teachers throughout the United States.

In 1961, shortly after graduating from Yale University, Mr. Welch received a fellowship from the Yale-China Association to teach English at the New Asia College in Hong Kong to refugees who had fled from China. From 1963 to 1966 he studied law at the University of California at Berkeley, becoming the first law school student in the United States to study the legal system in the Peoples Republic of China.

Upon graduation from law school, Mr. Welch joined the U.S. diplomatic service in Washington DC, where he worked directly for William P. Bundy, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs during the Johnson administration. During the following Nixon administration, Wilford worked directly for the new Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, Marshall Green, who, like Bundy, oversaw US policy in the entire region, including our thirteen U.S. embassies located in the capital of each country.

In April of 1969, while on a trip to the thirteen embassies in East Asia with the new Assistant Secretary of State, Wilford suggested to Ambassador Green that he propose to President Nixon that the United States establish diplomatic relations with China. Ambassador Green did exactly that the day after their return to Washington. In February of 1972, President Nixon went to China to meet Chairman Mao and establish diplomatic relations between our two countries. Mr. Welch was then enticed to move to Cambridge Massachusetts to become the Director of Asia Affairs at Arthur D. Little International Inc. (ADL), which, at that time, was the largest consulting firm in the world.

During his near decade with ADL he worked as an international business consultant for such multinational corporations as Citibank and Toyota, and for governments, including those of the United States, Korea and Taiwan, (on the development of their electronics industries), Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq.

From 1980 to 1994, Wilford served as publisher of The WorldPaper, a foreign affairs publication based in Boston, that appeared each month in twenty-six countries and six language editions. The WorldPaper was unique editorially in that its fourteen associate editors covering each region of the world were not Americans living abroad but the leading journalists from each region, thus the tag line, "the voices of the world speaking on their own behalf about issues of global concern."

From 1995 to 2015, Mr. Welch led trips abroad for Cross Cultural Journeys, a travel company creating trips to thirty-one developing countries exploring what we can learn from other cultures, including indigenous wisdom keepers. During this period, he also served as chairman of the Cross Cultural Journeys Foundation.

In 1994 and 1996 he and his wife Carole Angermeir co-founded and led two major "Quest for Global Healing" conferences in Ubud, Bali. South African Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu was a featured speaker and participant in both five-day gatherings.

From 2021 to 2025 Wilford was a faculty member at the Presidio Graduate School, where he has taught climate change, and collaborated with educators nationwide. His teaching focused on the urgency of the climate crisis and encouraged participants to take meaningful action.

Another initiative that Wilford is currently co-leading is EverestandEnterprise.com during which he and fellow high-altitude mountaineer Steve Goryl give stimulating presentations to corporate audiences about what they can learn from high-altitude mountaineers about goal setting, risk management, team composition and teamwork and "Leaving No Trace."

In addition to these roles, Mr. Welch has served as a board member and chair of the National Outdoor Leadership School, (NOLS), and the NatureBridge Golden Gate campus, providing outdoor educational experiences.

Mr. Welch's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California Law School and a PMD degree from Harvard Business School.

Determination and clarity of vision have been central to Mr. Welch's success throughout his international career spanning five distinct fields. He credits his ability to let things flow naturally—rather than forcing outcomes—as an important lesson learned over time. This approach has allowed him to remain tireless in pursuit of goals that serve a greater purpose beyond personal achievement.

Mr. Welch has published three books that reflect both his professional expertise and personal journey. "The Tactics of Hope: How Social Entrepreneurs Are Changing Our World" (2008) explores how innovative leaders are driving social change globally. "In Our Hands: A Handbook for Intergenerational Actions to Solve the Climate Crisis" (2021), offers practical guidance for addressing environmental challenges across generations. His most recent book, "Values & Circumstances That Shaped A Life: A Wild Journey" (2025), recounts lessons learned throughout his life while sharing insights into contemporary global challenges. He is currently writing another book entitled "Your Choice," which aims to inspire collective action on climate change by emphasizing why and how individuals as well as humanity as a whole need to take the actions needed to shape how this story ends.

Born in New Haven, Mr. Welch has enjoyed mountain climbing alongside his writing and professional commitments. He climbed Mount McKinley, (Denali), on a 30-day climb, and was the leader of the support team on Mount Everest which removed 5,000 pounds of climbing trash off the high camps. He took a photo of Mount Everest from the Tibetan side which became the cover photo of the National Geographic Society's climbing map of the world's highest mountain.

Family is central to Mr. Welch. He is married to Carole Angermeir, has two wonderful daughters, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Throughout every stage of his varied career—whether serving as diplomat, educator, author or mountaineer, Mr. Welch has demonstrated exceptional expertise in strategic thinking, futurism and climate change advocacy while remaining steadfastly dedicated to service above self-interest.

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