‘Evangelist of Entrepreneurship’ Carl Schramm
to Keynote National Conference Encouraging Americans 50 and Older To ‘Start Anew’ by
Creating their Own Businesses
Former President and CEO of Kauffman Foundation Leads Program Featuring Leading Policy Makers, Academics and Successful Entrepreneurs
WASHINGTON, DC (Sept. 23, 2013) — Carl J. Schramm, U.S. economist, entrepreneur and president for ten years of the Kauffman Foundation who was named “evangelist of entrepreneurship” by The Economist, will headline a strong slate of speakers and panelists from across the country and Europe at the National Conference on the Entrepreneurship Imperative for Engaging People 50 and Older, November 7-8, 2013, in Washington, DC.
Schramm, a noted professor at Syracuse University and formerly on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University, was instrumental in creating a number of businesses including a publicly traded data company, HCIA, and merchant banking company Greenspring Advisors.
While president of Kauffman, Schramm generated an international reputation for the foundation as the center of research, policy studies and programs on the critical role of the entrepreneur in economic growth largely through the substantial research and outreach programs Schramm established.
“We invited Dr. Schramm primarily because he practices what he preaches,” said William Zinke, president of the Center for Productive Longevity (CPL), the non-profit organizer of the conference, based in Boulder, Colorado. “His practical knowledge and academic wisdom will generate entrepreneurial enthusiasm among people 50 and older attending this event or connecting through social media.”
The nationwide effort of CPL to encourage people 50 and over to “Start Anew” as entrepreneurs of the 21st century advances to the national level with this event, after its launch in 2012 at four regional meetings in Kansas City, Boston, Chicago and Denver.
“With a sluggish economy continuing to batter older Americans who, at the same time, are feeling healthier and living longer, the potential exists for significantly increasing the number of entrepreneurs,” Zinke said. The attendance target for the Conference is 200 thought leaders from the public, private, academic and non-profit sectors. The event will conclude with a Call to Action, discussed and agreed-upon by the participants. CPL will be committed to facilitate implementation of the actions within 12 months following the Conference in order to stimulate a substantial increase in new-business creation.
Among other noted speakers will be:
- Sergio Arzeni, director of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship in Paris;
- Technology trailblazer Candace Johnson, co-founder of SES ASTRA and SES, the world’s pre-eminent satellite system;
- D. Bruce Merrifield, former Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs and chaired professor of entrepreneurship at The Wharton School;
- Ralph Sorenson, former president of Babson College and founder of its Center for Entrepreneurship, director of Whole Foods since 1994; and
- Donna Kelley, Babson College associate professor of entrepreneurship and director of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the leading annual survey of entrepreneurship on the global level.
The Conference will be held at The Westin Washington, DC, City Center hotel.
Find more information at www.ncei.co.
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Media contact:
Kristine Heine: 202-371-9600
