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- 1. CONVENINGS OPPORTUNITY NATION Opportunity Nation brings together leaders and representatives from nonprofits, businesses, higher education, and government institutions from across the country to address stagnating economic and social mobility. These bipartisan, cross-sector convenings, from National Sum- mits for over 1,000 people to local convenings focused on data and grassroots action elevate solutions and catalyze actions for expanding access to the American Dream.
- 2. CHAMPION YOUTH VOICE GRASSROOTS ACTIVATION Each Opportunity Nation convening includes young adults as event participants, facilitators and speakers. Youth voice and experience are central to all of Op- portunity Nation’s work, bringing energy, enthusiasm and new ideas to each conversation. More than 200 Opportunity Leaders have received scholarships to attend Opportunity Nation events, and participate in grassroots activation training. CONVENING GOALS Opportunity Nation has grown a national network of more than 300 partners and influencers who reach 100+ million people annually. By participating in Op- portunity Nation convenings, the Coalition has forged partnerships, commissioned new research, and launched local initiatives across the nation to connect our youth to education and careers. BIPARTISAN & CROSS-SECTOR ENGAGEMENT Business leaders have appeared on same stage as elected officials from both parties to show their sup- port for expanding opportunity at Opportunity Nation events. At the 2015 Summit, Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) participated in a conversation with NBC’s Chuck Todd and Michael Tipsord, president and COO of State Farm told his personal opportunity story. SHARE DATA & BEST PRACTICES Opportunity Nation hosts smaller convenings in cities across the country and webinars several times a year to highlight data related to the Opportunity Index, in- cluding analysis and reports; inform our network about key policies; share our call to action, We Got This; and showcase effective solutions and programs. “I was asked, ‘why do you go to Opportunity Nation?’ And my response was very simple and very easy: I come here because I can think of no better way to get inspired” - Dr. Eduardo Padròn, President, Miami Dade College
- 3. SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS “The Summit was proof that change is possible—that engaging a diverse group of people is worthy of attention, partnership and expanded funding.” - Erin Busk, Opportunity Leader 2011 Four years ago, expanding opportunity was not a national priority. To advance the most pressing issue of our time, Opportunity Nation officially launched at the first National Opportunity Summit held at the Apollo Theater and Columbia University, with co-conveners TIME, AARP, United Way Worldwide and the Ford Foundation. The Opportunity Nation coalition was formally announced, leaders from multiple sectors shared their visions for the American Dream, and the inaugural Opportunity Index was released. OFFICIAL LAUNCH NEW YORK CITY 2012 Coinciding with the final weeks of the 2012 presidential election, the Summit fea- tured key bipartisan leaders, including former Governor Deval Patrick (D-MA) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). The Summit was co-hosted by George Washington University in Washington, DC for over 1,200 leaders and young adults and marked the launch of Opportunity Nation’s Shared Plan, a cross-sector and bipartisan call- to-action to ensure young adults have access to multiple career and education pathways. THE SHARED PLAN WASHINGTON, D.C. 2015 With double-digit youth unemployment remaining stagnant post-Recession, the 2015 National Opportunity Summit was a critically important conversation about the urgent crisis of youth unemployment and its impact on opportunity in America. The Summit was co-convened by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Business Roundtable, Jobs for America’s Graduates, and United Way Worldwide in Wash- ington, DC for over 1,000 leaders and young adults. More than $18 million in new grants were announced by corporate partners and WE GOT THIS, a cross-sector call to action to end youth unemployment, was released. The Summit trended na- tionally on Twitter and featured over 85 speakers. WE GOT THIS WASHINGTON, D.C.
- 4. PAST SPEAKERS “I was just so impressed how so many of the speakers made the “business” case for promoting and supporting opportunity for all.” -Kelem Butts, Director of Charitable Operations, AT&T NONPROFIT & COMMUNITY GROUPS Molly Baldwin, Founder and CEO, Roca Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder and President, PolicyLink Gerald Chertavian, Founder and CEO, Year Up Wendy Kopp, Founder and Chair of the Board, Teach for America Kirsten Lodal, Co-Founder, LIFT Janet Murguía, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza Stacey Stewart, US President, United Way Worldwide Pastor Rick Warren, Founder, Saddleback Church HIGHER EDUCATION Robert Denson, President, Des Moines Area Community College Dr. Steven Knapp, President, The George Washington University Dr. Kathy Krendl, President, Otterbein University Dr. Anne Kress, President, Monroe Community College Dr. Diana Natalicio, President, University of Texas at El Paso Dr. Eduardo Padrón, President, Miami Dade College Dr. Jill Wakefield, Chancellor, Seattle Colleges Dr. Cornel West, Professor, Princeton University Dr. Harry Lee Williams, President, Delaware State University MEDIA Allie Bidwell, Education Reporter, US News and World Report Rana Foroohar, Assistant Managing Editor of Economics and Business, TIME Michael Gerson, Journalist, Washington Post Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief, AOL Huffington Post Media Group Tavis Smiley, Founder and Chair, Tavis Smiley Foundation Jim Tankersley, Economic Policy Correspondent, Washington Post Chuck Todd, Moderator, Meet the Press; Political Director, NBC News
- 5. Judy Woodruff, Co-Anchor and Managing Editor, PBS NewsHour Dr. Fareed Zakaria, Editor-at-Large, TIME Magazine; Host of CNN’s GPS with Fareed Zakaria PHILANTHROPY Sara Arlotti, Executive Director, IF Hummingbird Foundation Dr. John Irons, Managing Director, Foundation Initiatives, Rockefeller Foundation Emily Tow Jackson, Executive Director, The Tow Foundation Patrick McCarthy, President, Annie E. Casey Foundation Ari Simon, Vice President, Chief Program and Strategy Officer, The Kresge Foundation Dr. Xavier de Souza Briggs, Vice President of Economic Opportunity and Assets, Ford Foundation THOUGHT LEADERS Suzanne Clark, Executive Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Melody Barnes, Former Director of White House Domestic Policy Council, President Barack Obama; Chair, Forum for Community Solutions, Aspen Institute Stuart Butler, Director for the Center for Policy Innovation, Heritage Foundation Dr. Ron Haskins, Co-Director, Center on Children and Families, Brookings Institute Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President, American Action Forum Heather C. McGee, President, Demos Dr. Isabel Sawhill, Co-Director of the Center on Children and Families, Brookings Institute Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress CORPORATE PARTNERS David L. Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health John Galante, Senior Vice President and CTO, JP Morgan Chase Meg Garlinghouse, Head of Social Impact, LinkedIn Chris Graves, Chairman, Ogilvy Public Relations Denise Hebner, Head of Diversity & Inclusion Americas, UBS Stanley Litow, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, IBM Jodie Neville, Vice President Global Brand Marketing & Strategy, Hasbro, Inc. David Nagel, Executive Vice President, BP North America, Inc. Kristin Oliver, Executive Vice President of People, Walmart US Andrew Plepler, Global Corporate Social Responsibility Ex- ecutive and Consumer Policy Executive, Bank of America Bobbi Silten, Senior Vice President, Global Responsibility, Gap Inc.; President, Gap Foundation Kerry Sullivan, President, Bank of America Charitable Foundation Blair Taylor, Chief Community Officer, Starbucks Stuart Thorn, President and CEO, Southwire Tim Wolff, Vice President, Construction and Engineering, AT&T GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS The Honorable Thomas Perez, United States Secretary of Labor The Honorable Robert Portman, United States Senator, Ohio The Honorable Michael Bennet, United States Senator, Colorado The Honorable Cory Booker, Senator, New Jersey The Honorable Marco Rubio, United States Senator, Florida The Honorable Chris Coons, United States Senator, Delaware The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Representative, Washington; Chair, Republican Conference The Honorable Jack Markell, Governor, Delaware The Honorable Phil Bryant, Governor, Mississippi The Honorable Seth Moulton, Representative, MA-06 (D-MA) The Honorable Garret Graves, Representative, LA-06 (R-LA) The Honorable Michael Nutter, Mayor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Honorable William Bell, Mayor, Birmingham, Alabama The Honorable Svante Myrick, Mayor, Ithaca, New York The Honorable Michael Bloomberg, Former Mayor, City of New York The Honorable Elaine Chao, 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor (2001-2009) The Honorable Tom Harkin, Former United States Senator, Iowa The Honorable Deval L. Patrick, Former Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts ENTERTAINMENT Suze Orman, Host, CNBC’s The Suze Orman Show Jordin Sparks, Singer-Songwriter and Actress Russell Simmons, CEO, RUSH Communications Serena Williams, US Tennis Champion; UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
- 6. Washington, D.C. Tel: 202-644-8410 I couldn’t explain with 50,000 words how the Opportunity Summit affected me. It was exactly what I needed in my life. I believe it will be a defining moment in my progress and development as a human being. — Jahath Harriott, Opportunity Leader Boston Tel: 857-400-0036