U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
For Immediate Release
MEDIA NOTE
June 20, 2016
Secretary Kerry and Senior State Department Officials to Attend the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit
President Obama will lead the official U.S. delegation to the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be hosted at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, June 22-24, 2016. The composition of the delegation highlights the wide range of innovative solutions to solving some of the world’s toughest challenges, including poverty, climate change, extremism, as well as access to education and healthcare. The U.S. delegation, consisting of cabinet members and senior U.S. officials, will join more than 1,000 attendees, including entrepreneurs, investors, educators, foreign government officials, and business representatives who represent the full measure of entrepreneurial talent from diverse backgrounds across our nation and the world.
Background: The 2016 GES is the seventh annual gathering of entrepreneurs at all stages of business development, business leaders, mentors, and high-level government officials. GES 2016 is a global event that highlights innovators, pioneers, and problem-solvers across the international community, including youth and women entrepreneurs. The established tradition demonstrates the U.S. government’s continued commitment to fostering entrepreneurship around the world to build strong, prosperous, secure communities. Numerous U.S. government programs and initiatives exist to improve enabling environments and to make tools and networks available to individual entrepreneurs. Following his historic 2009 Cairo speech, President Obama elevated innovation and entrepreneurship in the U.S. engagement agenda and hosted the first GES at the White House in 2010. An estimated 16,000 participants from all corners of the world have attended the six Global Entrepreneurship Summits held to date. Additional information on the 2016 GES program agenda can be found at www.ges2016.org.
U.S. Department of State Delegation to the 2016 GES:
• Secretary of State John F. Kerry
• Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel
• Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan
• Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles H. Rivkin
• Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine M. Russell
• Coordinator for Bureau of International Information Programs Macon Phillips
• Ambassador David Thorne, Senior Advisor to Secretary of State
• Special Representative to Muslim Communities Shaarik H. Zafar
• Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Ziad Haider
- FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY -
Accreditation: All press who plan to attend the Summit must have applied for a GES media credential. The accreditation request period has now closed.
Interview Requests: Various U.S. government and private-industry leaders will be available for on-camera or on-background interview requests during GES. To schedule or coordinate opportunities in advance, GES-accredited media should contact GESMediaRequests@state.gov noting your name, media organization, theme/topic or nature of the interview, and specific deadline or time parameters if applicable.
Contact Information: For additional information or logistical inquiries, please contact the GES Media Team at summitmedia@state.gov