Join UNA-Atlanta in the celebration of the United Nation's 75th anniversary with a talk on international identity and multilateralism as important factors in creating a more sustainable and peaceful world.
Oct 29, 2020 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BXpx-7d1Sji_iDqZ5OvqIw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Oct 29, 2020 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BXpx-7d1Sji_iDqZ5OvqIw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
About the Keynote Speakers:
Dr. Ángel Cabrera
President, Georgia Tech
On Sept. 1, 2019, Ángel Cabrera became the 12th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Cabrera came to Georgia Tech after serving for seven years as president of George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia.
A top-10 public research university in the U.S., Georgia Tech has outstanding programs in business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and the sciences. With 40,000 students and more than 170,000 living alumni who work in business, industry, and government throughout the world, Georgia Tech has become internationally recognized for the quality of its educational and research programs.
Under his leadership for the past year thousands of members of the Georgia Tech community have contributed to a new 10-year strategic plan to be launched fall 2020. The plan is grounded on a new mission statement that reaffirms Tech’s commitment to “developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.”
He is leading the Institute through one of the most critical times in its history in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, internally to prioritize the health and safety of the Tech community and externally to develop innovative solutions to combat the disease.
Under his leadership at George Mason, the university accounted for more than half of all enrollment growth in Virginia, increased student outcomes, and joined the top tier of research universities in the Carnegie Classification. From 2004 to 2012, Cabrera served as president at Thunderbird School of Global Management, now part of Arizona State University. Prior to that he was dean of IE Business School in Madrid.
As a business educator, Cabrera has played a key role in advancing professional ethics, internationalization, and corporate social responsibility. As a senior advisor to the United Nations Global Compact, in 2007 he was the lead author of the “Principles for Responsible Management Education,” now adopted by more than 700 schools around the world. He is also a co-founder of the University Global Coalition, a global network of universities working in partnership with the United Nations in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
He’s been named a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, a “Star of Europe” by Businessweek, “Henry Crown Fellow” by the Aspen Institute, and “Great Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He has received honorary degrees from Miami Dade College and Universidad Politécnica of Madrid.
Cabrera serves on the boards of the National Geographic Society, the Atlanta Committee for Progress, the Bankinter Foundation for Innovation, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
Cabrera earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Georgia Tech, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He also holds a telecommunications engineering degree (B.S. and M.S. in computer and electrical engineering) from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He has published extensively in academic journals and has been featured or quoted in leading media around the world.
He is married to management scholar and Georgia Tech classmate Elizabeth. Their son Alex is a recent Georgia Tech graduate and currently a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. Their daughter Emilia is a senior at Harvard University. Cabrera is the first native of Spain to serve as president of an American university.
President, Georgia Tech
On Sept. 1, 2019, Ángel Cabrera became the 12th president of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Cabrera came to Georgia Tech after serving for seven years as president of George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia.
A top-10 public research university in the U.S., Georgia Tech has outstanding programs in business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and the sciences. With 40,000 students and more than 170,000 living alumni who work in business, industry, and government throughout the world, Georgia Tech has become internationally recognized for the quality of its educational and research programs.
Under his leadership for the past year thousands of members of the Georgia Tech community have contributed to a new 10-year strategic plan to be launched fall 2020. The plan is grounded on a new mission statement that reaffirms Tech’s commitment to “developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.”
He is leading the Institute through one of the most critical times in its history in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, internally to prioritize the health and safety of the Tech community and externally to develop innovative solutions to combat the disease.
Under his leadership at George Mason, the university accounted for more than half of all enrollment growth in Virginia, increased student outcomes, and joined the top tier of research universities in the Carnegie Classification. From 2004 to 2012, Cabrera served as president at Thunderbird School of Global Management, now part of Arizona State University. Prior to that he was dean of IE Business School in Madrid.
As a business educator, Cabrera has played a key role in advancing professional ethics, internationalization, and corporate social responsibility. As a senior advisor to the United Nations Global Compact, in 2007 he was the lead author of the “Principles for Responsible Management Education,” now adopted by more than 700 schools around the world. He is also a co-founder of the University Global Coalition, a global network of universities working in partnership with the United Nations in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
He’s been named a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, a “Star of Europe” by Businessweek, “Henry Crown Fellow” by the Aspen Institute, and “Great Immigrant” by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He has received honorary degrees from Miami Dade College and Universidad Politécnica of Madrid.
Cabrera serves on the boards of the National Geographic Society, the Atlanta Committee for Progress, the Bankinter Foundation for Innovation, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
Cabrera earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Georgia Tech, which he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. He also holds a telecommunications engineering degree (B.S. and M.S. in computer and electrical engineering) from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He has published extensively in academic journals and has been featured or quoted in leading media around the world.
He is married to management scholar and Georgia Tech classmate Elizabeth. Their son Alex is a recent Georgia Tech graduate and currently a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. Their daughter Emilia is a senior at Harvard University. Cabrera is the first native of Spain to serve as president of an American university.
Ambassador Farrukh Khan
Deputy Chef de Cabinet to the 75th President of the United Nations General Assembly
Ambassador Farrukh Iqbal Khan has over 25 years of diplomatic career with the Foreign Service of Pakistan. Prior to joining the Office of the President of the General Assembly, he was leading the United Nations Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan), as its Director General. Earlier, and amongst various other national and international positions, he served as a Senior Manager in the Executive Office of the Secretary General (EOSG) at the United Nations; Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in New York; Director (United Nations) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad; and Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in Geneva.
Ambassador Khan brings to OPGA robust experience in advancing priorities on sustainability, climate change, human rights, and peace and security issues. He has chaired and served on the UN and other international committees, and multilateral funds.
A graduate of the National Institute of Management (Pakistan) and a former UN Disarmament Fellow, Farrukh has also served as a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar Rehmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a Master of Law (LLM) from Columbia Law School and a Master of International Affairs (MIA) with specialization in International Economic Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University. He holds a BA from Government College, Lahore, and an LLB (Bachelor of Law) from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He has written for international journals as well as international and local newspapers.
Deputy Chef de Cabinet to the 75th President of the United Nations General Assembly
Ambassador Farrukh Iqbal Khan has over 25 years of diplomatic career with the Foreign Service of Pakistan. Prior to joining the Office of the President of the General Assembly, he was leading the United Nations Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Pakistan), as its Director General. Earlier, and amongst various other national and international positions, he served as a Senior Manager in the Executive Office of the Secretary General (EOSG) at the United Nations; Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in New York; Director (United Nations) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad; and Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in Geneva.
Ambassador Khan brings to OPGA robust experience in advancing priorities on sustainability, climate change, human rights, and peace and security issues. He has chaired and served on the UN and other international committees, and multilateral funds.
A graduate of the National Institute of Management (Pakistan) and a former UN Disarmament Fellow, Farrukh has also served as a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar Rehmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a Master of Law (LLM) from Columbia Law School and a Master of International Affairs (MIA) with specialization in International Economic Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University. He holds a BA from Government College, Lahore, and an LLB (Bachelor of Law) from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He has written for international journals as well as international and local newspapers.
About the Panelists:
Ayse Lokmanoglu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Communication Department and a Presidential Fellow in the Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative focused on violent extremist groups and the process of state building. She works as a research assistant on five Department of Defense, Minerva Grants and a Facebook Phase Two Content Policy Research Grant -- conducting research on terrorist social media and propaganda. Lokmanoglu earned her M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University and her B.A. in Economics and Near Eastern Studies from Cornell University. Her primary area of research assesses the mechanisms of propaganda and persuasion used by violent extremist organizations and how they manipulate institutions and resources, such as monetary economics, to create proto states. She has six articles and book chapters published and has presented her research in conferences including: American Political Science Association (APSA) 2020, International Studies Association (ISA) 2020; Society of Terrorism Research (STR) 2019; VOX-Pol Violent Extremism, Terrorism, and the Internet: Present and Future Trends Conference 2018; and Middle Eastern Studies Association (MESA) 2018.
Volker Franke is Professor of Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University (KSU) and the Founding Director of KSU’s PhD program in International Conflict Management. Dr. Franke is also Founder and Chairman of TRENDS Global, an Atlanta-area based nonprofit dedicated to research and engagement in diverse communities. Previously, Dr. Franke served as part-time Visiting Professor with the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute at the U.S Army War College in Carlisle, PA (2016-19) and as Director of Research at the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), one of Germany’s premier peace and conflict research and capacity building institutes (2006-2008). From 1998-2007, he was Director and Managing Editor of the National Security Studies Case Studies Program at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Dr. Franke holds a Ph.D. in political science from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from North Carolina State University and a MA in political science and sociology from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. He is the author of Preparing for Peace: Military Identity, Value-Orientations, and Professional Military Education (Praeger 1999) and more than 40 journal articles, book chapters, case studies and research reports on issues related to peace and security studies, conflict management, civil-military relations, development policy and social identity. He is also the editor of Terrorism and Peacekeeping: New Security Challenges (Praeger 2005) and Security in a Changing World: Case Studies in U.S. National Security Management (Praeger 2002), and co-editor Understanding Complex Military Operations (Routledge 2015), Conflict Management and “Whole of Government:” Useful Tools for U.S. National Security Strategy? (Strategic Studies Institute 2012) and Conflict Management and Peacebuilding: Pillars of a new American Grand Strategy? (Strategic Studies Institute, 2014).
Melissa Kilby is the Executive Director of Girl Up, the global leadership development organization transforming a generation of girls to be a force for gender equality and social change.
Since 2010, Girl Up has developed 75,000 girl leaders in 120 countries and all 50 U.S. states, and has raised more than $27 million for girls’ leadership programs and impact partners at the United Nations. Melissa joined Girl Up in its first year, and during her tenure with her team, has built the organization into the force that it is today.
Melissa is a leading expert on next gen leadership and youth activism. Recently named to Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2020, Melissa is also currently Chair of the Board of Directors of Girls on the Run, Washington DC. Prior to Girl Up, Melissa served as a National Director for OP3, where she helped raise an average of $45 million each season managing a nine-city, multi-day fundraising walk series benefiting the Avon Foundation for Women. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Journalism in Strategic Communication from University of Missouri – Columbia. In 2014, she was selected to participate in a highly competitive program for non-profit leaders through Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Melissa sits on the U.S. Advisory Group for UN Women’s WE EMPOWER G7 and the Steering Committee for Women in Dev.
Melissa has appeared on MSNBC, written articles for Huffington Post and Harvard International Review, been quoted in many national and international press outlets and speaks regularly as an expert on leadership, activism and Gen Z girls. Recent speaking engagements include TEDxQuincy, Women in Dev, UN Women International Women’s Day events, and various other Girl Up events and at the UN.
Since 2010, Girl Up has developed 75,000 girl leaders in 120 countries and all 50 U.S. states, and has raised more than $27 million for girls’ leadership programs and impact partners at the United Nations. Melissa joined Girl Up in its first year, and during her tenure with her team, has built the organization into the force that it is today.
Melissa is a leading expert on next gen leadership and youth activism. Recently named to Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2020, Melissa is also currently Chair of the Board of Directors of Girls on the Run, Washington DC. Prior to Girl Up, Melissa served as a National Director for OP3, where she helped raise an average of $45 million each season managing a nine-city, multi-day fundraising walk series benefiting the Avon Foundation for Women. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Journalism in Strategic Communication from University of Missouri – Columbia. In 2014, she was selected to participate in a highly competitive program for non-profit leaders through Harvard University’s Kennedy School. Melissa sits on the U.S. Advisory Group for UN Women’s WE EMPOWER G7 and the Steering Committee for Women in Dev.
Melissa has appeared on MSNBC, written articles for Huffington Post and Harvard International Review, been quoted in many national and international press outlets and speaks regularly as an expert on leadership, activism and Gen Z girls. Recent speaking engagements include TEDxQuincy, Women in Dev, UN Women International Women’s Day events, and various other Girl Up events and at the UN.
Dr. Sevgin Eroglu is a faculty member in the Robinson College of Business, Departments of International Business and Marketing, Georgia State University. She specializes in the fields of marketing, retailing and international business. Dr. Eroglu’s research has been published in many academic journals including the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Retailing, International Marketing Review, Marketing Letters and Journal of Consumer Psychology. Her extensive teaching, consulting, speaking and training activities span a variety of organizations (commercial and academic) and geographies (Europe, Asia, North Africa and the Americas). Dr. Eroglu specializes especially in the MBA and executive teaching levels and has been the recipient of numerous teaching awards. For the past two decades, she has led the international curriculum of the Executive MBA at Georgia State University which has been consistently ranked among the top programs worldwide by Financial Times. Her consulting work spans the spectrum from marketing research to marketing strategy in both domestic and international contexts. In Turkey, Dr. Eroglu continues to maintain her long-term affiliations with many academic and commercial institutions including those in Brazil, Egypt, France, Italy and Turkey.
Leonard E. Robinson, a proud father and grandfather, has traveled a very distinctive career path in his life. Currently residing in Atlanta Georgia, he has a successful track record in the private, public and non-profit sectors with over forty-five (45) years of experience in environmental management and sustainability. He has run the unusual path of wastewater treatment plants to superfund sites to steel mills to radio studios to working for Governors giving him a unique, holistic perspective in the environmental/sustainability field. When asked about his unique career path, he remarks, “I didn’t find my career…my career found me”. He is a much sought-after speaker; consultant; strategist; radio talk show host and lecturer specializing in the opportunities and challenges of a Circular Economy.Currently, he serves as the Sustainability Strategist for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He is entrusted with creating a Sustainability vision; mission and program for 103 parishes and missions, 277 diocesan and religious priests, 62 seminarians, 18 archdiocesan Catholic schools, 1.2 million Catholics in north central Georgia. He is also a partner with the sustainability consulting firm SEMCO with offices in southern California and the greater Atlanta area.Mr. Robinson has served as an appointee for four (4) California Governors in Executive positions at the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and the Colorado River Board of California. He was part of the Executive Team that created California’s Climate Change and Green Chemistry policies. Prior to his State service he was the Environmental/Safety Manager for TAMCO Steel, the only steel mill in California. Mr. Robinson was inspired by his parents who taught him to “always leave your room in better condition when you leave than it was when you arrived." He made the environment his “room."
Jennifer McCoy, PhD, is Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University. Her current research project on Polarized Politics aims to identify the causes, consequences and solutions to polarized societies around the world, including the United States. She coined the term “pernicious polarization” to refer to the political polarization that divides societies into mutually distrustful “Us vs. Them” camps, and undermines the capacity of democracies to address critical policy problems.
McCoy served as Director of the Carter Center’s Americas Program (1998-2015), leading projects on democratic strengthening, mediation and dialogue, and hemispheric cooperation. She led over a dozen international election observation missions to Latin America. Dr. McCoy has authored or edited six books and dozens of articles. Her recent volumes include Polarizing Polities: A Global Threat to Democracy, co-edited with Murat Somer (2019) and International Mediation in Venezuela, with Francisco Diez (2012).
McCoy served as Director of the Carter Center’s Americas Program (1998-2015), leading projects on democratic strengthening, mediation and dialogue, and hemispheric cooperation. She led over a dozen international election observation missions to Latin America. Dr. McCoy has authored or edited six books and dozens of articles. Her recent volumes include Polarizing Polities: A Global Threat to Democracy, co-edited with Murat Somer (2019) and International Mediation in Venezuela, with Francisco Diez (2012).
Dr. Jennifer Hirsch is an applied cultural anthropologist recognized internationally for fostering university and community engagement in sustainability and climate action. Since August 2015, she has served as the inaugural Director of the Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) is the Institute’s Quality Enhancement Plan - a campus-wide academic initiative preparing students to use their disciplinary expertise to “create sustainable communities” in partnership with community, nonprofit, business, and academic stakeholders.
Dr. Hirsch’s research and teaching interests focus on: 1) equity in the sustainable built environment; 2) grassroots sustainability innovation; and 3) sustainability in cross-cultural perspective. At Georgia Tech, she leads the equity petal work for the GT Living Building – the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design – and runs the SLS Innovating for Social Impact Program.
Dr. Hirsch is also a founding leader of RCE Greater Atlanta – a Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development - officially acknowledged in 2017 by the United Nations University. She is also Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning. She serves on the faculty of The Asset-Based Community Development Institute hosted by DePaul University and on the Board of Directors of AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education).
Before coming to Georgia Tech, Dr. Hirsch worked in Chicago as Associate Director of Study Abroad at Northwestern University; as Urban Anthropology Director at The Field Museum of Natural History; and as an independent consultant with clients such as the City of Cleveland, Enterprise Community Partners, the U.S. Green Building Council, The Institute of Cultural Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Joliet Junior College. Dr. Hirsch received a Bachelor’s degree in American Culture from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Dr. Hirsch’s research and teaching interests focus on: 1) equity in the sustainable built environment; 2) grassroots sustainability innovation; and 3) sustainability in cross-cultural perspective. At Georgia Tech, she leads the equity petal work for the GT Living Building – the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design – and runs the SLS Innovating for Social Impact Program.
Dr. Hirsch is also a founding leader of RCE Greater Atlanta – a Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development - officially acknowledged in 2017 by the United Nations University. She is also Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning. She serves on the faculty of The Asset-Based Community Development Institute hosted by DePaul University and on the Board of Directors of AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education).
Before coming to Georgia Tech, Dr. Hirsch worked in Chicago as Associate Director of Study Abroad at Northwestern University; as Urban Anthropology Director at The Field Museum of Natural History; and as an independent consultant with clients such as the City of Cleveland, Enterprise Community Partners, the U.S. Green Building Council, The Institute of Cultural Affairs, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Joliet Junior College. Dr. Hirsch received a Bachelor’s degree in American Culture from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
