LEWISTON — David Whittlesey, former director of operations with Interpeace, will be the featured speaker at the Great Falls Forum lecture series from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library.

Whittlesey’s talk is titled “From Bowdoinham to Bangladesh . . . and Back: Personal Reflections on International Assistance.”

For 30 years Whittlesey worked on the world stage, living in Iceland, France, Morocco and Bangladesh while traveling to 60-some other countries. During his career he worked in three contexts: as a Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Department of State and in the Bureau for Refugee Programs; with the International Organization for Migration, first as head of Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance and subsequently as director for Strategic Planning and Human Resource Development; and with an international nonprofit, Interpeace, as director of operations and senior adviser.

Although he continues to consult with Interpeace, these days Whittlesey focuses his attention locally in his hometown of Bowdoinham. He is one of the forces behind the Bowdoinham Community Development Initiative, a nonprofit that stimulates, grows and sustains healthy local enterprises by focusing on farms, food systems, forests and the arts.

In his forum presentation, Whittlesey will look back over his career and explain the various roles that governments and nongovernmental organizations play in terms of international assistance. In addition, he will reflect on the real impact that individuals and organizations have when working on these issues internationally and locally.

Admission is free to all forum events and no reservations are required. The Lewiston Public Library is at 200 Lisbon St.

Attendees are invited to bring brown-bag lunches, or to take advantage of the forum’s partnership with Guthries cafe and request one of the eatery’s custom-made, gourmet sandwiches or salads to be delivered to the library in advance of the talk. Orders may be placed by calling Guthries at 376-3344. The menu is available at www.guthriesplace.com. Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available on-site at the library.

The Great Falls Forum is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal. For more information, contact the Lewiston Public Library at 513-3135 or www.LPLonline.org.