Barbour to attend Clinton Global Initiative meeting to Chicago

Barbour to attend Clinton Global Initiative meeting to Chicago

PRESS RELEASES
Secretary Geithner to Join President Clinton at CGI America
June 16, 2011

The First Clinton Global Initiative Meeting Focused Solely on the U.S. Will Highlight Innovative Ideas for Spurring Job Creation and Economic Growth

More Than 600 Leaders From Business, Government, and Civil Society To Attend, Including Haley Barbour, Stephanie Burns, Mitch Daniels, Rahm Emanuel, Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., Jennifer Granholm, John Hickenlooper, Tony Hsieh, Judith Rodin, James E. Rogers, and Tom Vilsack

NEW YORK — Today, President Bill Clinton announced the program and featured participants for CGI America, which will bring together more than 600 leaders from businesses, nonprofits, and all levels of government to develop and highlight ideas for spurring economic growth and creating jobs in the United States. The event, the first Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting to focus exclusively on the U.S., will take place in Chicago on June 29-30.

“I am looking forward to taking the Clinton Global Initiative model — which has already improved the lives of 300 million people worldwide — and applying it to challenges within the U.S.,” President Clinton said. “Innovative job creation initiatives are being implemented across the country, and CGI America will bring together leaders from all sectors to share their ideas so we can replicate and expand the most successful strategies.”

At CGI America, participants will focus on strengthening American industries, unlocking capital for innovation and entrepreneurship, advancing energy efficiency and smart infrastructure, and educating the next generation for the workforce. The CGI America program will include panel discussions on:

Education in America: Regaining Our Edge, which will explore how to revitalize the U.S. educational system and train American workers for the 21st century economy;
American Success Stories, which will highlight leaders who have spurred job growth by developing creative responses to unique local challenges; and
Energy Innovation and the Built Environment, which will explore how cities can create jobs and reduce emissions by making buildings more sustainable.
The meeting will also include working groups on green buildings, the healthcare workforce, infrastructure, manufacturing, the rural economy, service corps, startups, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, veteran employment, and workforce development. During the working group sessions, participants will develop Commitments to Action – new, specific, and measurable plans to spur job creation and improve the economy.

At the closing session of CGI America, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will join President Clinton for a special one-on-one conversation about the state of the economy and the Obama Administration’s plans to help spur private sector job creation and improve America’s competitiveness.

Featured participants also include Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi, Stephanie Burns, chairman of Dow Corning, Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago, Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., president and CEO of TIAA-CREF, Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, Bob McCann, CEO of UBS Wealth Management Americas, Pete Peterson, founder of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Michael Porter, professor at Harvard Business School, J.B. Pritzker, managing partner, the Pritzker Group, Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, James E. Rogers, chairman, president, and CEO of Duke Energy, Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Other corporations and organizations participating in CGI America include Aetna, AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, APCO Worldwide, Applied Materials, AstraZeneca, Bank of America, Bayer, Becton, Dickinson & Co. (BD), Best Buy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Booz Allen Hamilton, the Brookings Institution, BT Group, CareerBuilder.com, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Center for American Progress, Cisco, City Year, the Coca-Cola Company, Covanta Energy, Darden Restaurants, Deutsche Bank Americas, the Dow Chemical Company, the Economist, Edelman, Eli Lilly & Company, Ernst & Young, ExxonMobil, Facebook, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, the Ford Foundation, the Goldman Sachs Group, Habitat for Humanity International, Hertz, Hess, Intel, the J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson Controls, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kiva.org, LinkedIn, Lockheed Martin, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, the Newsweek Daily Beast Company, NRG Energy, Pat Tillman Foundation, Paychex, Procter & Gamble, Prudential Financial, Rotary International, Teach for America, the Travelers Companies, United Auto Workers, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Labor, United Nations Foundation, USAID, Verizon Wireless, Visa, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, and Zynga.

For more information please visit www.CGIAmerica.org and follow @ClintonGlobal (http://twitter.com/clintonglobal) for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #CGIAmerica. Detailed press logistical information is below.

CGI is grateful to the sponsors of CGI America: the J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, Tom Golisano, the Dow Chemical Company, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, and ExxonMobil.

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings, which take place in New York each September, have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, along with heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place September 19-22 in New York City.

CGI America is the first CGI meeting focused solely on the U.S. The CGI community also includes CGI University, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

What: CGI America (www.cgiamerica.org)

Where: Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 East North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611

When: June 29-30, 2011

Applying for Credentials: All media must apply for credentials and must be approved by CGI in order to attend. The deadline to apply is 6 p.m. ET on Monday, June 27. Journalists may apply for credentials on site but pre-registered media will be given priority. To apply for media credentials, fill out the form at http://forms.clintonglobalinitiative.org/press/public/view.php?id=32.

Picking Up Credentials: Approved press may pick up their credentials at CGI’s press registration desk on the first floor of the Sheraton on Tuesday, June 28, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, June 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursday, June 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Valid government-issued ID is required. If applying on site, please bring press ID as well. For additional information contact Meb Byrne at meb.byrne@clintonglobalinitiative.org.

Access: All plenary sessions are open press. Working group sessions are closed press.

CGI Media Center and Workspace: The media center is located on the first floor of the Sheraton. Wired and wireless Internet access will be provided. Phones will not be provided.

Wireless Microphones: Please do NOT bring or use wireless microphones on site, as they will interfere with the wireless PA systems.

Mult Box: Output specifics are: XLR for audio and BNC connection for video.

Sat Truck Parking: There are a limited amount of satellite and microwave truck parking spaces available. Please contact Seth Bellaff at seth@tuckerproduction.com.

Twitter: Follow @ClintonGlobal (http://twitter.com/clintonglobal) for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #CGIAmerica.

Live Webcast: All CGI America plenary sessions will be webcast at http://live.cgiamerica.org.

Photos: Photos from the meeting will be available on CGI’s Flickr account at http://www.cgiamerica.org/flickr.

Facebook: Highlights, news, and photos from CGI America will be shared on the CGI Facebook page: www.facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.