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WASHINGTON, DC—500 state leaders from across the country are gathering for the 2016 USGLC State Leaders Summit hosted by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition on June 13-14, 2016. The purpose of this two-day event is to highlight the importance of American global development and diplomacy overseas and garner support for a strong international affairs program budget. Attendees will benefit from high-level networking, foreign policy briefings and meetings with Members of Congress.

The summit will kick off with a panel of military veterans discussing how to better integrate Department of State and Department of Defense programs and budget as it relates to American foreign policy. Among the panel participants is Jake Harriman, Founder and CEO of Nuru International.

Jake graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and served seven and a half years in the Marine Corps as a Platoon Commander in both the Infantry and a special operations unit called Force Recon. During his military career, Jake led four operational deployments, including two combat tours in Iraq and disaster relief operations in Indonesia and Sri Lanka after the Asian tsunami. Jake was awarded the Bronze Star for actions in combat during his second tour in Iraq. From his experiences, Jake came to believe that the “War on Terror” wouldn’t be won on the battlefield alone: the contributing causes of terrorism—disenfranchisement, lack of education and extreme poverty—must also be eradicated. Jake left his career in the Marine Corps and enrolled at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) to build Nuru International, an organization focused on ending extreme poverty in remote, rural areas. Jake graduated with an MBA in June 2008 and led a team to launch Nuru Kenya later that year. Since 2009, Nuru Kenya and Nuru Ethiopia have enabled over 85,000 people to lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

All are welcome to live stream the summit, held at Grand Hyatt Washington, 1000 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001. Follow the event on Twitter at #SummitDC.

Sessions on Monday, June 13 include:

10:00AM – 12:00PM MORNING PLENARIES
In a world of global crises, how does America lead?
Countering today’s complex threats and seizing the opportunities of tomorrow will require strong American engagement and leadership. Join us for an in-depth conversation with retired General David Petraeus about the challenging global landscape we face and how development and diplomacy are critical alongside defense for building a better, safer, and more prosperous world.

A League of Their Own: Shaping America’s Global Impact
Solving the world’s greatest challenges requires vision, commitment, and strong leadership. Join the remarkable women at the head of the agencies that represent American global engagement and leadership for a dynamic conversation about their visions for building a better, safer, and more prosperous world.

12:00PM – 1:30PM LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS
Women Around the World: Driving Development Forward
From Laura Bush to Michelle Obama, U.S. leaders have focused on giving women and girls around the world the tools they need to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty. Join leaders from the government, private sector, and civil society to learn about America’s efforts to empower and advance the status of women and girls overseas.

Investing in Africa’s Future
Africa is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world. At the same time, many African countries remain constrained by extreme poverty, a lack of critical infrastructure, and other development challenges. Learn about how U.S. investments are helping to build more a prosperous, democratic, and peaceful Africa.

Countering Violent Extremism in a Globalized Age
Effectively countering today’s terrorist threats requires more than the military and intelligence communities alone. From development initiatives that target the root causes of violent extremism to leading innovative efforts to counter terrorist message through social media, learn how the U.S. is using development and diplomacy to address this evolving threat.

America Leads: Responding to Crises in an Interconnected World
From Syria to Russia to the Zika virus, America faces growing challenges and increasingly complex threats overseas. Get an inside perspective from leading foreign policy minds and learn how U.S. investments in development and diplomacy are helping to address these challenges.

Aid & Trade: Catalyzing Economic Growth
95% of the world’s consumers live outside the United States and our fastest growing markets – representing over half of U.S. exports – are in developing countries. Learn how the U.S. government is working with private business to open overseas markets for American goods and services while supporting jobs here at home.

The full schedule is available at summit.usglc.org.

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About the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic, military, and community leaders in all 50 states who support strategic investments to elevate development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world.

About Nuru International

Nuru International (nuruinternational.org) is a U.S.-based social venture on a mission to end extreme poverty in remote, rural areas. It establishes sustainable community development projects, such as Nuru Kenya and Nuru Ethiopia, to deliver high touch, holistic programming – in Agriculture, Financial Inclusion, Healthcare and Education – to engage all household members in building resilience and ending intergenerational poverty.

To learn more about Nuru International:

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