President Clinton Announces First Clinton Global Initiative Meeting Focused on Driving Job Creation and Economic Growth in the United States and Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe was invited to the Gathering

 

President Bill Clinton hosted a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting focused on creating jobs and driving economic growth in the United States. The meeting, CGI America, was the first CGI event solely dedicated to economic issues impacting the U.S. and took place in Chicago on June 29-30, 2011.  CGI America brought together leaders like Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe and others from business, nonprofits, and government to develop new ideas for generating jobs now in the U.S.," President Clinton said-- "CGI members have already improved the lives of more than 300 million people around the world by making nearly 2,000 commitments. More than 250 of those commitments, worth $11.6 billion, are addressing challenges in the U.S. At CGI America, the focus was on innovation and urgency to get people working again."

Based on the same model as CGI’s Annual Meeting, the Chicago gathering convened diverse stakeholders - including CEOs of American companies and international companies with U.S. operations, national and local government officials, and leaders from the nonprofit sector – to identify effective ways to strengthen U.S. industries, unlock capital for innovation and entrepreneurship, advance energy efficiency, build clean energy infrastructure, and train Americans for the 21st-century workforce.

Topics covered during the meeting included education, green buildings, the healthcare workforce, manufacturing, rural development, service corps, small business growth, smart infrastructure and workforce training. Dr. Bledsoe was assigned to the “CGS STEM Education” workgroup to explore ways to groom males of color for the STEM fields. 

CGI America was held in Chicago because the city is representative of the challenges confronting communities around the country, is home to some of the most influential companies in the U.S. and has been a leader in creating jobs through investments in clean energy, a commitment to early childhood education and a renewed focus on technology.  Dr. Bledsoe said “This was an incredible and humbling experience to meet with the President and to leave CGI with a “Commitment” that will benefit our country in a tremendous way given the gap that exist for minorities in the STEM fields.”

Visit the Clinton Global Initiative website to learn more about Stem Education In K-12 Work Groups.