Students and young professionals were invited to apply for a half-day conference being held at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 11th. The conference brought together young global leaders from across the U.S. for a day of workshops, speakers, and discussions on how the transatlantic community can ensure fair and even global development. Students heard from top experts and then had the chance to weigh in with their own views.
At the conference, students learned strategies for talking about global security issues with Americans and techniques for organizing town hall meetings in their communities on America's role in the world. Students also had the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with a diverse group of young leaders, equipping them with the knowledge, support and structure to implement these ideas in their neck of the woods.
The conference is cosponsored by Americans for Informed Democracy and the Atlantic Council of the United States. Americans for Informed Democracy seeks to build a new generation of globally conscious leaders who can shape an American foreign policy appropriate for our increasingly interdependent world. The Atlantic Council promotes constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st century.
Bio
Craig Cole
Executive Director, Five Talents
Before coming to start Five Talents (www.fivetalents.org), Craig spent four years with Food for the Poor, one of the largest relief and development organizations based in the United States. He held several program and fundraising positions while working extensively with churches in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially in Haiti.
He has a master’s degree in economic development from Eastern College, St. David’s, Pennsylvania. While there, he worked as a consultant with two non-profit organizations in inner-city Philadelphia. He has a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Iowa and worked for the Daily Herald newspaper (Chicago) for five years. His father and brother are both Episcopal priests. He is married and has two children.
Gary McMahon
Principal Economist, Global Development Network
Gary McMahon is Principle Economist with the Global Development Network. He previously worked at the World Bank, the International Development Research Center and Laurentian University. He has published on a wide range of subjects in development economics and has edited numerous books on development and transition economies. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Western Ontario.