October 16, 2013
toOctober 20, 2013

2013 Young Leaders Seminar

Atlanta, GA - Invite Only

The French-American Foundation hosted its annual meeting of Young Leaders, 40 promising French and American individuals from various fields, in Atlanta, Georgia, October 16th-20th, 2013.

2013 Young Leaders

Since 1981, our flagship program has fostered a strong network of transatlantic leaders.  The program takes small groups of carefully selected up-and-coming leaders in government, business, media, military, culture, and civil society and provides them with the opportunity to spend five days discussing issues of common concern and getting to know one another.  Our Young Leaders Program is meant for participants—to engage The program included a series of meetings with government and business leaders, entrepreneurs, and cultural experts, among others.with one another, to challenge each other’s ideas, to form new friendships.  Each year, we see the “magic” in the connections that are formed.  A testament to these connections are the alumni who decide to join us each year.

The Introductory Young Leaders Session and Dinner was held at the St. Regis hotel with: 
– Charles Kolb, President, French-American Foundation—United States
Scott Holcomb, Young Leader 2012,  Representative of District 81, Georgia House of Representatives
– John Woodward, Senior Director, Foreign Investment, Global Commerce, Metro Atlanta Chamber

 

The following day,  the Young Leaders went to the Georgia State Capitol for a Q & A Session and Group Discussion with Scott Holcomb, Representative of District 81, Georgia House of Representatives moderated by Nabil Wakim, Head of Politics Desk, Le Monde.

The discussion was followed by a meeting with representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with:
– Stephen L. Cochi, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Advisor to the Director, Global Immunization Division
– RADM Scott Dowell, M.D., M.P.H., Lead, Global Health Security
– Pratima Raghunathan, Ph.D., M.P.H., Deputy Director for Program, Division of Global HIV/AIDS
and moderated by Sandy Thurman, M.P.H., Senior Advisor for Strategy and Development in the Division of Global HIV/AIDS

Young Leaders had a Lunch and Meeting with The Coca-Cola Company. There was a Discussion on the company’s sustainability work with:
– Jen Ragland, International Government & Public Affairs Director
– Joe Rozza, Global Water Resource Sustainability Manager

Then, a meeting took place at CNN Center with Jack Womack, Senior Vice President, Operations & Administration, CNN Worldwide, followed by a CNN Tour and a  Panel Discussion:
– Brooke Baldwin, Anchor, CNN Newsroom, CNNUS
Beth Carter, Director, Newsource, CNNUS
– Richard Davis, Executive Vice President, CNN News Standards & Practices
Kate Lunger, Vice President, CNN Special Events
Mike McCarthy, Senior Vice President, Programming, CNN International
Martin Savidge, Correspondent, CNNUS
Jack Womack, Senior Vice President, Operations & Administration, CNN Worldwide

That night, the Young Leaders had a Reception and Dinner hosted by Ambassador Anne Cox Chambers.

 

The following day Young Leaders took part in a meeting at The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, “Then and Now: The Neighborhood that Raised Martin Luther King, Jr.”
The discussion was with Kwanza Hall, Atlanta City Council member
and was followed by a private tour of the birth home of Martin Luther King, Jr. and of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King preached.

The they had a meeting with Mayor of Atlanta Kasim Reed and a Reception and Dinner with French Consul General Denis Barbet, and other guests

 

The last day, they had breakfast and discussion with Bertrand Badré (Young Leader in 2002), Managing Director and World Bank Group Chief Financial Officer, and now member of the French-American Foundation Executive Comitee.

A luncheon discussion followed with Dr. Alan Abramowitz, Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science, Emory University.
The discussion was on the changing politics and demographic trends in the American South.

 

Both Foundations would like to thank the Honorable Anne Cox Chambers for her patronage of the program throughout the years. Through her generosity, our work becomes possible.

 

Created in 1981 to foster closer working relationships between French and American leaders in the post-war period, the Young Leaders program counts over 400 alumni including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former World Bank President Robert Zoellick, and business leader John Thain (CIT Group).
French Young Leaders include President Emmauel Macron, former President of French Republic Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Edouars Philippe,  former Minister of Finance Pierre Moscovici, former Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, and business leader Henri de Castries (AXA).

 

Learn more about the Young Leaders Program