DR. BLAIR A. RUBLE is a Distinguished Scholar at the WILSON CENTER in Washington, D.C., and previously served as the Center's Vice-President for Programs, and Director of its Kennan Institute. Educated at the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA and the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, where he received his PhD in Political Science, he is the author of seven book-length works, including PROCLAIMING PRESENCE FROM THE WASHINGTON STAGE; THE MUSE OF URBAN DELIRIUM; WASHINGTON'S U STREET: A BIOGRAPHY; and, CREATING DIVERSITY CAPITAL. The Muse of Urban Delirium and Creating Diversity Capital are available in Ukrainian translation. He received an honorary doctorate from the Ukrainian Modern Art Research Institute.