The World Affairs Council of Greater Richmond is looking for a new executive director. Randolph Bell, the nonprofit educational organization’s president, stepped down at the end of June. He remains a member of the board of directors. The council’s board chairman, James K. Martin, said the replacement process is under way and that the council has been in discussion with the national World Affairs Councils. An executive committee of the council is conducting the search, he said.

Virginia and the federal government need to get behind offshore drilling to bring money and jobs to the state, an energy company executive says. “We have the [energy] resources,“ said the executive, J. Larry Nichols.

Stabilizing the real estate market is key to ending this financial crisis, a banking executive told the World Affairs Council of Greater Richmond. John A. Allison IV, chairman of BB&T Corp., spoke to about 200 people at the Omni Richmond Hotel last night. Allison, 60, spoke about the financial crisis, its causes and possible cures.