AGLN Blog

We like to say that summers in Aspen begin with "Ideas" and end with "Action." Presented in partnership with The Atlantic, the Aspen Institute annually produces the Aspen Ideas Festival, convening thought leaders from around the world and across disciplines to engage in dialogue around the ideas and issues that shape the world today. Among those thought leaders are Fellows from across the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Below, we highlight Fellows presenting at the Ideas Festival. Learn more about them below, including their program topics and when they are scheduled to present. We're excited to welcome some of these Fellows back to Aspen at the end of July to help them move from thought to action at the Resnick Aspen Action Forum. 

The 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival will be held in Aspen, CO from June 22, 2017 to July 1, 2017. View the full Aspen Ideas Festival agenda here. 

Friday, 6/23/17

Care Work: A Shared Win for Business and Employees
12:00 PM — 1:00 PM
Sue Siegel, Henry Crown Fellowship Program

The responsibility of caregiving can turn a working person’s life upside down. Two-thirds of workers who also care for a family member or friend experience some kind of job-related upheaval, according to AARP and the National Alliance of Caregivers. With associated productivity losses costing some $34 billion every year, the problem hits business on its bottom line. Some forward-looking companies are beginning to do things differently as they discover that flexible workplace policies reduce absenteeism, boost morale, and serve as a valuable employee recruitment tool. How do we make the workplace friendlier to caregivers? Should paid leave become national policy?

Saturday, 6/24/17

What No One Else is Saying About Our Health Care System
8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
Fellows in the inaugural class of the Aspen Institute's Health Innovators Fellowship — visionary leaders from diverse corners of the American health care ecosystem — are challenging accepted orthodoxy. In four provocative talks, these experts say what few others will about how health care works — and doesn’t work — in the United States, and share their most creative ideas for new approaches. In a highly interactive format, audience members can explore the speakers’ assumptions and solutions, and engage in a meaningful exchange of ideas. More information about the panel can be found here.


Moderator: Lisa Suennen, Health Innovators Fellowship

Speakers: 
Patrick Hines, Health Innovators Fellowship
Shannon Jaccard, Health Innovators Fellowship
Daniel Kraft, Health Innovators Fellowship
Rebecca Onie Milder, Health Innovators Fellowship

Merck for Mothers Presents: Turning the Tide on Maternal Mortality
10:20 AM – 11:20 AM
Amy Crockett, Liberty Fellowship

Every two minutes, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. This is a global issue that impacts families, their communities, and society, including here in the United States where maternal mortality is on the rise. What combined efforts need to be implemented to solve for poor maternal health outcomes, and the widening disparities we see in the United States and around the world? This program will examine the multiple factors leading to maternal deaths — from the rise in chronic conditions to inconsistency in managing obstetric emergencies and limited data on why women are dying. Hear about how maternal mortality is being tackled across sectors — from private and nonprofit organizations to health care providers — to improve quality of care across communities.

Building a Caregiving Society
Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Henry Crown Fellowship

Whether they are tending to an elderly parent, a disabled partner, an injured child, or an ailing friend, most people are deeply committed to caring for those they love. But surely compassionate public policies, generous employer benefits, access to respite and other supportive services, and strategies to train and reward a caregiving workforce can make that arduous task easier. The United States lags far behind other countries in responding to a problem certain to intensify as the population ages. How do we build a caregiving infrastructure that can sustain us all? Are there good models around the globe?




Tuesday, 6/27/17

The Foundation of the 21st Century
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Allan Golston, Henry Crown Fellowship Program

You seek lasting change. But is your foundation built for that purpose? Is the traditional grantmaking model up to the task? Some foundation leaders think not. Increasingly, they are considering ways to leverage all of their assets to achieve their philanthropic goals. Among the most daring, the FB Heron Foundation has committed all of its endowment capital to advancing its poverty-fighting mission. The Walton Family Foundation considers impact investments to be an important tool in advancing its conservation goals. And the Case Foundation, dedicated to market-driven solutions, is building the ecosphere for impact investing, a potential trillion-dollar market. Hear how these and other leaders are maximizing the impact of each foundation dollar.

Creating Value for Great Ideas: Take Them to Scale
10:20 AM – 11:20 AM
Aimée Eubanks Davis, Pahara – Aspen Education Fellowship
Richard Barth, Pahara – Aspen Education Fellowship

In the innovation process, ideation is the creation of a great idea. But that’s not enough. Scaling is required to create value for great ideas, and this stage requires skills the entrepreneur often does not natively possess. Braddock Scholars is a response to this need. This Aspen Institute program chooses promising business ventures, profit or not-for-profit, from the widespread Aspen innovative family, and couples them with a handpicked mentor, who works with the business for a year. The story of Braven represents a textbook case of how these perspectives are brought to bear on a highly promising business model, with significant contributions from the Aspen Institute family along the way. Learn more about this inspiring story from Rick Braddock, who created the scholars program, mentored Braven, and is now on its board; Braven Chairman Richard Barth, CEO of Kipp, probably the most prominent educational reform movement in the country; and Aimée Eubanks-Davis, Braven’s CEO.


Wednesday, 6/28/17

Allstate Presents: A World of Good—How Leaders Can Empower Youth to Make a Difference
10:20 AM – 11:20 AM
Rajiv Vinnakota, Pahara – Aspen Education Fellowship

Today’s young people are full of talent, ideas, and the drive to make a difference. They want to create a world full of good — and we can help. Learn how leaders empower youth to make a difference and continue to help young people build a better world for all of us.


The Moral Imperative to Act: A Conversation with McNulty Prize Laureates
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Nicola Galombik, 2015 McNulty Prize Laureate, Africa Leadership Initiative – South Africa
Dele Olojede, 2011 McNulty Prize Winner, Africa Leadership Initiative – South Africa
KC Hardin, 2016 McNulty Prize Laureate, Central America Leadership Initiative

Today’s structural problems — globalization, displacement, automation — are compounded by social strains — extremism, protectionism, disinformation. New leaders must defend ethics, prove that change and consensus is possible, and pioneer more equitable futures. Meet individuals who have brought their skills and spirit to bear on critical problems that others have failed to solve, or even attempt. How can you bring transparency to a corrupt media and government? How can gangs be convinced to demobilize and embrace honest employment? How do youth who have been failed by education get the skills they need for careers that will lift them and their country? Hear their stories as they host a dialogue on the moral imperative to lead with conscience.



Aspen Ideas Festival Young Adult Forum
4:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Jonathan Greenblatt, Henry Crown Fellowship Program

Join us for an interactive evening of presentations, small group discussions, performances, and opportunities to engage with other participants. Featuring Harold Green, Jonathan Greenblatt, Neal Katyal, Jon Lovett, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Manoush Zomorodi, and more. 

Saturday, 7/1/17

How Can Democrats Get Their Groove Back?
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Cory Booker, Henry Crown Fellowship Program

“When they go low, we go high,” Michelle Obama famously said during the epically nasty 2016 presidential campaign. But that strategy didn’t win Democrats the White House or Congress. What are the issues that Democrats must capitalize on to win back needed ground in the midterms? Can they shake the elitist label that has plagued them? What will it take for America to make visceral connections with Americans as populism explodes? To learn more about the festival including a deeper dive into the programming that features AGLN Fellows, please visit www.aspenideas.org.