GW alumnus Colin Powell, M.B.A. ’71, will serve as a keynote speaker at the GW Global Forum-Seoul, which will be held March 16-17, 2012, in the Republic of Korea. The retired Army general and former U.S. secretary of state will deliver an address related to the program theme of “Global Growth and Innovation.”
Gen. Powell served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1989 to September 1993, the culmination of a distinguished 35-year military career. He was appointed U.S. secretary of state in January 2001 by President George W. Bush after being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He was the first African American to hold either post.
A four-star general, Gen. Powell’s awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom. His best-selling autobiography, “My American Journey,” was released in 1995. His second book, “It Worked For Me,” focuses on the lessons that shaped his life and career and will be published in May 2012. Gen. Powell also is the founding chairman of America’s Promise Alliance, an organization he started in 1997 to help at-risk children.
Other confirmed speakers for the Global Forum-Seoul include Ferid Murad, GW University Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Nobel laureate, and Alec Ross, senior advisor for innovation in the Office of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
As the university’s premier international event, the Global Forum showcases the research and thought leadership of GW’s global community and provides a platform for enhanced international connections among alumni, students, faculty, parents and friends of the university.
The inaugural Global Forum, which examined U.S.-Asia relations, the global economy and international security, was held in Hong Kong in 2009. It featured Susan C. Schwab, Ph.D. ’93, American educator and former U.S. trade representative, and retired Navy Adm. William A. Owens, M.S. ’76, chairman and CEO of AEA Investors Asia, as keynote speakers.
The 2010 Global Forum-New York City focused on the global financial crisis and women’s issues. Keynote speakers included Carlos Slim, chairman of Grupo Carso and of Instituto Carlos Slim de la Salud; John W. Snow, J.D. ’67, former U.S. secretary of the treasury; and Elisabeth Preval, M.B.A. ’88, former first lady of Haiti.
For more information about the GW Global Forum-Seoul and links to videos and photos from the Global Forum-NYC and Global Forum-Hong Kong, visit www.alumni.gwu.edu/globalforum.