Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS |
Monday, July 23, 2007 |
202-482-4883 |
U.S. Department of Commerce to Host National Summit on American Competitiveness
WASHINGTON—U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez today announced a national meeting of private and public sector officials that will focus on promoting innovation and economic development across the United States. This summit will be held September 18, 2007 in Washington, D.C. at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center.
“The National Summit on American Competitiveness provides an opportunity to highlight the progress we’ve made and the need for America to continually advance strategies that keep our country on the competitive edge,” said Gutierrez. “It will be a time to learn from America’s most prominent and successful leaders and innovators. I am excited about the potential for the National Summit to make a significant contribution toward shaping the national debate and developing policies that will help foster innovation and competitiveness.”
The summit will convene the nation’s premier leaders of business, government, academia and the research community to address the core components and lessons of the role of the private sector; education and workforce issues; energy independence; and partnerships in innovation.
Scheduled to join Gutierrez, as moderators, are CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Marburger, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman James Connaughton.
Confirmed speakers include Rick Wagoner, Chairman/CEO of General Motors, Frederick Smith, Chairman/CEO of FedEx, Craig Barrett, Chairman of Intel, Arden Bement, Director of the National Science Foundation, James Press, President of Toyota Motor North America and Louis Gerstner, retired Chairman/CEO of IBM.
In June, Secretary Gutierrez hosted the Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) in Atlanta. The ACF brought high-level government officials from each of the Western Hemisphere’s 33 countries with democratically elected governments to discuss how best to enhance the region’s ability to compete more successfully in the global marketplace.
To view a full listing of the speakers and register for the event, visit http://www.americancompetitiveness.com/ or www.commerce.gov.