On June 12-14, President Bill Clinton will host the sixth annual Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, convening nearly 1,000 participants from across sectors to develop and implement Commitments to Action – new, specific, and measurable plans and projects – to encourage continued economic growth, support long-term competitiveness, and increase social mobility in the United States.
CGI America is a working meeting in which attendees participate in small group discussions on topics including energy innovation, sustainable cities, financial opportunity, STEM and early childhood education, college and career readiness, and workforce development, with the goal of forming partnerships to create commitments that will make a tangible difference in these areas.
This year, attendees will collaborate on the importance of early learning programs in addressing poverty’s impact on students; bolstering STEM education to ensure workers have the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century; creating quality jobs that support worker wellness and professional development; harnessing the potential of alternative energy and sustainable infrastructure; and supporting U.S. cities looking to transform their local economies; among others.
Program highlights at CGI America will include sessions such as:
• America in the World: Staying Ahead, where President Clinton will speak with leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, including Ian Bremmer, Sandy Douglas, and Shirley Ann Jackson, to explore how attendees can improve U.S. competitiveness;
• Communities in Transition: Building a Sustainable Future, a discussion in partnership with Quartz, moderated by Kevin J. Delaney, Editor in Chief and President of Quartz, with Donnel Baird, W. Paul Bowers, and Adrianna Quintero, which will address how attendees can invest in resilient preventative measures to mitigate and adapt to resource changes and ensure socially and environmentally sustainable growth;
• Overcoming Poverty; Improving Opportunity, a discussion with Michael McAfee, Patrick T. McCarthy, Randi Weingarten, and Marian Wright Edelman on creating preventative approaches to alleviate poverty while supporting children to realize their full potential;
• Now What? Investing in the Long-Term, a discussion hosted by Bloomberg TV with moderator David Westin, Anchor at Bloomberg TV, and Robert L. Johnson, Steven Sugarman, and Alex Taylor, Executive Vice President of Cox Enterprises, Inc., who will discuss smart investments they believe will have a lasting return for all Americans and make the nation more competitive globally; and
• Investing in Quality Jobs, which will include a one-on-one conversation with President Clinton and President Carter on how CGI America attendees can strengthen the American economy.
Featured speakers and participants will include: George Arison, Founder and CEO, Shift Technologies, Inc.; Donnel Baird, CEO, BlocPower; Tracy Bame, President, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation; William Basl, Director, AmeriCorps State and National, Corporation for National and Community Service; Birmingham Mayor William A. Bell; Jim Bildner, CEO, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation; W. Paul Bowers, Chairman, President and CEO, Georgia Power Company; Ian Bremmer, President, Eurasia Group; Crystal Bridgeman, Senior Director, Workforce Development Programs, Siemens Foundation; John H. Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc.; President Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, Founder, The Carter Center; Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner, Social Security Administration; Kevin J. Delaney, Editor in Chief and President, Quartz; Sandy Douglas, President, Coca-Cola North America, The Coca-Cola Company; Barbara Dyer, President and CEO, Hitachi Foundation, Hitachi; Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder, Children's Defense Fund; Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation; Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges; Brian Hook, President, John Hay Initiative; Heather Hurlburt, Director, New Models of Policy Change, New America; Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Saru Jayaraman, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United; Robert L. Johnson, Founder and Chairman, The RLJ Companies; John V. Ladd, Administrator, Office of Apprenticeship and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; Terri Ludwig, President and CEO, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.; U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, West Virginia; Jesse Martinez, Co-founder and Co-chair, Latino Start-up Alliance; Michael McAfee, Director, Promise Neighborhoods Institute; Patrick T. McCarthy, President and CEO, The Annie E. Casey Foundation; Leslie Miley, Director of Engineering, Slack; Janet Murguía, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza (NCLR); Thomas Perez, Secretary of Labor, U.S. Department of Labor; Rachel Peric, Deputy Director, Welcoming America; Michael Peterson, President and CEO, Peter G. Peterson Foundation; Adrianna Quintero; Founder and Executive Director, Voces Verdes, Director of Partner Engagement, Natural Resources Defense Council; Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; Veronika Scott, CEO and Founder, The Empowerment Plan; Theia Washington Smith, Executive Director, Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, City of Atlanta; Steven Sugarman, Chairman and CEO, Banc of California; Alex Taylor, Executive Vice President, Cox Enterprises, Inc.; Laura D. Tyson, Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Jason Walsh, Senior Policy Advisor, Executive Office of the President, The White House; Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; David Westin, Anchor, Bloomberg TV; Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics. For the full program and list of participants, visit cgiamerica.org.
On Saturday, June 11, Mayor Reed will lead volunteers in a Clinton Foundation “Day of Action” to promote food access and security throughout the City of Atlanta. Volunteers will work with several community-based organizations on activities ranging from planting trees, to sorting fresh fruits and vegetables, to gardening in communal lots.
The 2016 CGI America meeting will include a Day of Action — the 31st overall. Founded and led by Chelsea Clinton in the wake of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Clinton Foundation Day of Action program mobilizes thousands of volunteers to give back to their communities. To date, the Clinton Foundation Days of Action program has mobilized more than 6,000 volunteers and donated more than 25,500 volunteer hours.
