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As income inequality grows, leaders have the power to unite and divide us. The Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship invests in diverse, entrepreneurial leaders from a range of sectors who have breakthrough ideas to build economic security, educational success, and health and well-being for families in the US. Hear from several dynamic leaders from the Ascend Fellowship on the...
Bob Chapman, the CEO of $3 billion global firm Barry-Wehmiller who was recently named the No. 3 CEO in the world in Inc. magazine’s article “They Lead in a Totally Unique Way,” will share his transformation from manager to leader and his realization that business could be the most powerful force for good in the world. His message, also captured in a Harvard case study and...
While Admiral William McRaven may be best known for orchestrating the Special Operations raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, his storied Navy career also includes the capture of Saddam Hussein and the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips. These accomplishments, while significant, are part of a much larger responsibility, he says, which is to lead with discipline and focus. In...
Simon Sinek believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. With a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home every day feeling fulfilled by their work, Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to...
In April of 2018, two black men walked into a Starbucks in Philadelphia for a business meeting. Ten minutes later, while waiting for their colleague to arrive, a manager called the police and they were arrested. Rosalind Brewer, one of the most accomplished African American women in business had just become COO of Starbucks. In navigating how the company should respond to...
If climate change is the issue that defines the 21st century, how are we preparing the next generation to lead on this challenge? Deans from two of America’s top institutions focused on climate — Stanford and Columbia — discuss their approach to educating tomorrow’s leaders with a person key to hiring them: the chief sustainability officer at General Motors.
In every field — business, politics, science, tech, and sport — women are breaking barriers in unprecedented numbers. Women CEOs frequently outpace their male counterparts in delivering profits, women are at the forefront of scientific research (CRISPR, anyone?), and women coaches exceed expectations for leading teams … of men. As more women have taken up posts in DC than...
Richard Besser recently assumed the role of president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. A pediatrician, Besser served most recently as ABC News’s chief health and medical editor and was previously acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He w...
“To be principled means to consistently operate with principles that can be clearly explained,” writes Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs. Dalio has written and shared the principles that guide him in life and business in his best-selling book, Principles: Life & Work, in hopes that others will do...
We need an unprecedented nature of innovation if we are to address the challenges of our time. Traditional innovation methodologies such as human-centered design are excellent for designing products and services, but how do we address complex, scaled, and critical challenges that are systemic in nature? Professor Banny Banerjee will speak about the mindsets, processes, and...
Today, there is global demand for prosperity that is inclusive, sustainable, and fair. Growth without equity is no longer an acceptable outcome. Who is going to lead us into a future where growth and social equity go hand in hand? From the private sector to government to philanthropy and everywhere in between, women are driving change on new terms, with powerful results. J...
Over the past century, women have made significant strides in achieving leadership positions, but they still have a long way to go to achieve parity in jobs, pay, and representation in business, science, government, or academia. In this session, we’ll examine the embedded gender biases that bar women from leadership positions, and ask what strategies women (and men) can em...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has upended settled arrangements of the balance of geopolitical power and raised questions about the US approach to foreign affairs more broadly. What does the conflict in Europe mean for the challenges presented by China and other actors on the global stage? What will US leadership in the Middle East look like going forward? Has the volatility...
The way history books tell it, the story of science and technology is one where the heroes are almost exclusively men. But we as a country have recently come to think of female and trans leadership differently, allowing the stories of past scientific pioneers to surface. This new perspective has enabled talented technologists to take greater leadership in the innovation se...
From Washington to Biden, presidents have changed America — and the world — for both better and worse. If the American presidency is the ultimate test of leadership, what does it take to succeed as president, and how can we pick better ones?
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham shares a view of Abraham Lincoln, who managed to hold the country together despite threats to democracy and the devastations of the Civil War. Understanding Lincoln, his unwavering commitment to democratic principles, and this period in history provides a critical lens to comprehending America’s contemporary challenges, and the...
Scientific evidence suggests that we can change our brains by transforming our minds and cultivating habits of mind that will improve well-being. These include happiness, resilience, compassion, and emotional balance. Each of these characteristics is instantiated in brain circuits that exhibit plasticity and thus can be shaped and modified by experience and training. Menta...
Clothing and recreational equipment company Patagonia has sued the Trump administration over its resolution to reduce the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monument. CEO Rose Marcario says she’s acting according to the company’s values, and customers buy its products because it protects public lands, develops sustainable fabrics, and invests in sustainable...
In a time of uncertainty, rapid change, and disruption, who is best positioned to move society forward? Many are losing faith not only in government, but in the institutions of journalism, nonprofits, and higher education. What role should these organs of civil society play in today’s fractured world, and how can people of good will come together to best make a difference?...
Strategic, highly focused philanthropy—combining head and heart—has attracted a growing number of individuals and families and those who advise them. Donors merge passion, drive, and empathy with strategy, and employ the tools—be it grants, social investments or mentorship—to best meet the need. While professional expertise and academic training inform their initial choice...