TOP DIGNITARIES COME TO DENVER FOR '2008 ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROUNDTABLE'
July 31, 2008
DENVER, July 31, 2008 - The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has launched a series of 10 issue-oriented, non-partisan discussions, collectively entitled the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable. The event is aimed at fostering civic engagement and substantive public dialogue during the 2008 Democratic National Convention (Aug. 25-28, 2008).
Participants in the Rocky Mountain Roundtable include dignitaries from across the country and around the world, such as former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, NBC News journalist Tom Brokaw, former U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, actor and director Ben Affleck and Google Foundation Executive Director Larry Brilliant, among many others.
"For the first time in 100 years, Denver and the Rocky Mountain region will be the site of the presidential nominating convention," said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. "We're celebrating this occasion by bringing top leaders and experts to Colorado for the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable. We're excited to host such an important gathering of guests and locals, reaffirming our drive for civic engagement during the convention."
Held at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Complex, the Roundtable discussions are intended to take advantage of a unique opportunity to create profound dialogue on many of the most critical issues of the day, including women in leadership, energy and climate change, health, international relations, transportation infrastructure, philanthropy, emergency preparedness, technology, retirement security and education.
"The 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable gives Colorado residents a wonderful opportunity to participate with internationally-recognized and respected leaders from all walks of life," said Jim Polsfut, chairman of the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable and president of the Cordillera Foundation, an organization devoted to international grant-making and philanthropic consulting. "Diplomats, non-profit leaders, elected officials, and corporate CEOs all will be coming into Denver, and Colorado residents and guests will have the chance to experience Roundtable discussions and dialogue."
Each of the 10 Roundtables is designed as a discussion among 10 to 12 participants, with a total of more than 100 leaders participating. The audience for each discussion will vary in size from 250 to 2,300 people and will be drawn from dignitaries and visitors to Denver and from the local Colorado community. A facilitator will lead each Roundtable discussion, encouraging a dynamic, substantive interchange among the participants.
All the Roundtable discussions will be open to the public. Seating will be limited, with most Roundtables each priced at $12 general public admission. The 2008 Energy and Climate Roundtable has a $55 admission, which encompasses an all day program including lunch. Tickets will be available through the Denver Center for the Performing Arts web site, www.2008rmr.org/tickets.asp, starting Aug. 11.
"The Roundtable discussions provide very timely and key topics frequently discussed in the media and politics," said Stephanie Foote, president of the 2008 Rocky Mountain Roundtable and president and CEO of Laval Strategic Resources, LLC, which specializes in program development and project management. "Whether it is women in leadership, energy and climate change, or emergency preparedness, the important topics of the Roundtable have been dominating the news coverage and the minds of people in the U.S. and around the world."
Brief descriptions of each roundtable and speaker highlights are below. For exact times and locations at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, please visit www.2008RMR.org:
MONDAY
Unconventional Women
Since the suffrage movement, women in the United States have increased their profile and their impact on society in monumental proportions. Inspire the next generation of women to become candidates, mentors and leaders. How can more women be encouraged to register and vote? What success have women achieved in elected office in the United States, and what support might increase the number of women candidates and elected officials?
- Page Gardner, president, Women's Voices. Women Vote.
- Her Excellency Jane Swift, former governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis, D-CA
- Ambassador Swanee Hunt, adjunct lecturer, Kennedy School of Government, director of its Women and Public Policy Program (WAPP); former U.S. Ambassador to Austria
- U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO
Health: Wellness and Prevention
Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses affect millions of Americans. As a result, the U.S. economy is significantly impacted by lower productivity and increased health care costs. Is creating a culture of wellness through lifestyle choices and private/public policies critical to sustaining a growth-oriented economy? Is there sufficient capacity within the U.S. medical system to provide sufficient care?
- Honorable Tom Daschle, former U.S. senator and senate majority leader; special policy advisor, Alston & Bird; visiting professor, Georgetown Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University; distinguished senior fellow, Center for American Progress
- Dr. Denis Cortese, president and CEO, Mayo Clinic
- Mayor Thomas Menino, City of Boston
- Mayor Gavin Newsom, City and County of San Francisco
Transportation Infrastructure
The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission reported in January 2008 that the annual investment required to improve the condition and performance of all modes of surface transportation ranges from $225 to $340 billion over the next 50 years. What kind of public/private partnerships can meet that need? What are the financial and legal tools available to structure those partnerships?
- Honorable Dick Gephardt, former U.S. representative (MO), majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (1989-1995) and minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (1995-2003); founder, Gephardt Group, LLC
- Governor Edward G. Rendell, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and president, Policy Link
- Mayor Shirley Franklin, City of Atlanta
- Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, D-CN
Philanthropy: A Driving, Personal Force for Change
Wealthy private citizens are increasingly seizing the reins and unilaterally addressing local and global issues via direct, engaged philanthropy. Similarly motivated, corporations are increasingly challenging their clients and employees to engage in coordinated, widely-publicized philanthropic campaigns. When can philanthropy cut through bureaucracy and be a driving, personal force for change? Could philanthropic expansion degrade into philanthropic proliferation? How can individuals and corporations unilaterally innovate and energize philanthropically, while also collaborating? In what ways does philanthropy help a family to transfer a benefactor's values and not just wealth? When can investment in for-profit entities be a viable solution for meeting a philanthropic objective?
- Ted Turner, American media mogul and philanthropist
- Rick Schaden, founder and chairman, Quiznos and Consumer Capital Partners
- Larry Brilliant, executive director, Google Foundation
America's Retirement Challenge
To prepare for the retirement, Americans are increasingly aware of the critical planning that should start in early adulthood and continue throughout a lifetime of employment. What are the financial tools needed to create long-term financial security? What is the policy role of advocacy groups for seniors? How can retirees manage the unpredictable financial needs of not just themselves, but increasingly, of their parents, as well?
- U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-OH
- Tucker Hart Adams, president and CEO, The Adams Group, Inc.
- Dr. Christian Weller, senior fellow, Center for American Progress; associate professor of public policy, University of Massachusetts Boston
- Mayor Dannel Malloy, City of Stamford
Education
American 15-year-olds are significantly below the international average in math and science. Out of 30 countries participating in the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment, America's 15-year-olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science. Meanwhile, more than 1.2 million American students drop out of school every year. That's more than 6,000 students every school day and one student every 26 seconds.
At the post-secondary level, more than one in three college freshmen enroll in at least one remedial course to catch up on skills they should have learned in high school. Clearly, American schools must make a change. Solutions may lie in better standards, more creative teacher compensation, extended learning time, more widespread early childhood education, and the integration of technology at school and at home, among other initiatives.
- Honorable Roy Romer, former governor of Colorado; former superintendent, Los Angeles Public Schools
- Walter Isaacson, president and CEO, Aspen Institute; chairman, Teach for America
TUESDAY
Energy and Climate Change
The global challenge of climate change has moved to the top of the boardroom agenda as businesses strive to balance their economic interests with social and environmental concerns. What role will alternative fuels play in the new energy environment? How can we make up for the loss of traditional manufacturing jobs by creating the secure and high-paying green jobs of the future? What kind of carbon standards might withstand corporate and political scrutiny as markets evolve? What role might local governments play in this context? What policy, technological, corporate, and NGO solutions can be brought to the forefront?
- Ira Magaziner, chairman, Clinton Climate Change Initiative
- Mayor Will Wynn, City of Austin
- Carol Browner, former administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; principle, The Albright Group, LLC
- Tim Wirth, president, United Nations Foundation
- Ray Suarez, senior correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
- Sir Nicholas Stern, economist and I.G. Patel Chair, London School of Economics and Political Science
- Vijay Vaitheeswaran, correspondent, The Economist
- Honorable Federico Pena, former secretary, U.S. Department of Energy; managing director, Vestar Capital Partners; former mayor, City and County of Denver
Emergency Preparedness
The United States is increasingly focused on the critical functions of emergency preparedness, on possible strategies to improve those functions, and on innovative mechanisms to finance them. How do we protect and maintain our water and food supplies, energy resources, communications systems and aviation facilities during times of extreme duress or overload? What role should public-private sector partnerships play in planning for and protecting critical infrastructure? How do we enhance the quality of information and distribution systems to minimize safety concerns?
- Sue Mencer, policy director, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck's Government Relations Group; former director, Office for Domestic Preparedness within Department of Homeland Security
- James Lee Witt, CEO, James Lee Witt Associates, part of GlobalOptions Group; former director, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Philip (P.J.) Crowley, senior fellow and director, Homeland Security, Center for American Progress
- Dr. Douglas Jackson, president and CEO, Project C.U.R.E.
Technology
U.S. workers are increasingly in service professions, often with the ability and/or requirement to work from anywhere, or everywhere. In theory, business entrepreneurs can start and manage companies anywhere, but in practice, they do so where there are desirable places to live, where educated employees are available, and where state-of-the-art infrastructure exists, especially wired broadband and wireless connections. Does the U.S. provide a fertile ground for technological development and entrepreneurship? Does the U.S. provide all Americans with the opportunity to participate in the information age?
- Phil Weiser, executive director, Silicon Flatirons Telecommunications Program
- Bill Kennard, former chairman, Federal Communications Commission
- John Seely Brown, senior fellow, University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Communication
WEDNESDAY
International Relations
Co-hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Democratic Institute, and the University of Denver Graduate School of International Relations, the Roundtable will feature a keynote address by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Two roundtables will also take place, one on the topic of global poverty and the other on the attitude of American citizens on the United States' role and standing in international affairs.
- Honorable Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state; principal, The Albright Group, LLC; chair and principal, Albright Capital Management, LLC; chairperson, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs; chairperson, Pew Global Attitudes Project; president, Truman Scholarship Foundation; co-chair, first Michael and Virginia Mortara Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
- Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former ambassador, United Nations; vice chairman, Persus
- Hernando de Soto, economist and president, Institute for Liberty and Democracy
- Ben Affleck, actor and director
- Nancy Birdsall, president, Center for Global Development
- Tom Brokaw, NBC News journalist and author
For more information, please visit www.denverconvention2008.com.
About Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee
The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has four contractual partners in its work. Those partners are the Democratic National Convention Committee, the City and County of Denver, Kroenke Sports and its own Executive Committee.
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