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News Release

September 23, 2008

Contact:

Cynthia Haven, News Service: (650) 724-6184, cynthia.haven@stanford.edu


Melinda Sacks, Public Affairs: (650) 521-1908, msacks@stanford.edu


Tom Brokaw to moderate Stanford forum on leadership for the 21st century

Leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields of government, law, economic development and philanthropy will participate in the third annual Roundtable at Stanford from 9:15 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, in Maples Pavilion.

"Wanted: Courage, Compassion and Character—Leadership for the 21st Century" will feature a panel that includes Justice Anthony Kennedy, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes and Stanford President John Hennessy.

Panelists will discuss what kinds of sacrifices people should be prepared to make in the face of national and global threats and whether there is "Greatest Generation" of leaders for the 21st century—leaders able to take on religious and ethnic violence, climate change, dwindling resources, economic turbulence, and poverty and disease among the world's most vulnerable.

Tom Brokaw, who has been the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News for 21 years, will moderate. Since Tim Russert's death earlier this year, Brokaw also has served as interim moderator of Meet the Press.

The panelists follow:

  • Carly Fiorina, '76, chairman and chief executive officer of Carly Fiorina Enterprises, was Hewlett-Packard CEO from 1999 to 2005. She is the best-selling author of Tough Choices and is a top economic adviser to Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
  • Anthony Kennedy, '58, has been an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1988.
  • Kavita Ramdas is president and chief executive officer of the Global Fund for Women, the world's largest grant-making foundation dedicated exclusively to supporting international women's rights. She is also an adviser on global development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • Xavier Becerra, '80, JD '84, is a Democratic congressman who represents California's 31st District in Los Angeles. He serves on the House Committee on the Budget and the House Committee on Ways and Means.
  • Jeff Raikes, '80, is chief executive officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He also was a member of Microsoft's senior leadership team and president of Microsoft Business Solutions.
  • David Kennedy, '63, is the Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Emeritus, and co-director of the Bill Lane Center for the Study of the North American West at Stanford. His 1999 book, Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945, won the Pulitzer and Francis Parkman prizes.
  • John Hennessy, Stanford University's 10th president, holds the Bing Presidential Professorship. He has launched university-wide initiatives in human health, environmental sustainability and international affairs.

    • The event is free for students, staff and faculty with Stanford ID cards, as well as Reunion Homecoming participants with reunion nametags. Tickets for the general public are $10 and are available through the Stanford Ticket Office: (650) 725-2787. Parking is limited, so come early or use public transportation.

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    Editor Note:

    Press are invited to cover the Roundtable. Please contact Elaine Ray at (650) 723-7162 or ray@stanford.edu by noon Wednesday, Oct. 8, to register.

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