Former Deputy Secretary Of Defense Ashton B. Carter Joins Markle Foundation

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Sep 03, 2014, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Markle President Zoe Baird today announced the appointment of former Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Ashton B. Carter as Senior Executive at the Markle Foundation. He will help develop the Markle Economic Future Initiative along with Baird and Initiative co-chair Howard Schultz, chairman, president and ceo of Starbucks. The Initiative is advancing transformative strategies that use technology and globalization to help all Americans flourish in the economy of a networked world.

The Markle Economic Future Initiative consists of a broad coalition of entrepreneurs, academics, CEOs, diplomats, community activists, religious leaders, and others who have assembled to collaborate on groundbreaking ideas for empowering Americans in today's economic landscape. Carter will be a member of Markle's leadership team and will head up the Initiative's efforts to develop creative and scalable solutions to grow businesses by focusing on key opportunity areas. These include helping Americans provide services into global markets, using open data to offer growth opportunities, using information technology to enable middle skilled Americans to do work that used to require years of training, and improving access to capital.

"As the Defense Department's former chief operating officer, Dr. Carter understands the forces impacting the American economy and our society. He is a hands-on leader who sees the big picture and envisions actionable solutions," said Markle Foundation President Zoe Baird. "The addition of Dr. Carter will strengthen our efforts to help Americans at all income levels transition to the economy of the future."

Carter has a long association with Markle. He served as a member of the Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age since its inception in 2002, and in 1997 he and Baird prepared a Defense Science Board Summer Study on the role of defense against the
terrorist threat.

"The most important challenge facing the nation is finding innovative solutions to build the American Dream for the 21st Century to provide a path for all Americans to succeed in the networked economy," said Carter. "I look forward to continuing the practice of partnering with private and public sector experts that is essential to achieving Markle's goals. After five years driving change at the Pentagon, I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to continue to serve the public good at Markle."

Carter served in two of the top positions for the U.S. Department of Defense, most recently as Deputy Secretary of Defense from October 2011 to December 2013. As Deputy Secretary, he oversaw global operations with an annual budget of more than $600 billion and a 2.4 million workforce of civilian and military personnel. From April 2009 to October 2011, Carter was Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics with responsibility for procurement of all technology, systems, services, supplies, bases and infrastructure, energy and environment, and more than $50 billion annually in Research and Development. He was recognized for his service to national security on five separate occasions with the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, DOD's highest award.

Previously he served as Senior Partner of Global Technology Partners, where he focused on advising major investment firms in technology and defense. He also served as an advisor to Goldman Sachs on global affairs and as Professor and Chair of the International Relations, Science, and Security faculty at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Carter has served on numerous boards, including the MITRE Corporation, Mitretek Systems, MIT's Lincoln Laboratories, and the Draper Laboratory Corporation. He has also been a member of the Defense Policy Board, the Defense Science Board, and the Secretary of State's International Security Advisory Board. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Aspen Strategy Group. Carter is the author of 11 books and more than 100 articles on physics, technology, national security, and management.

Contact Lisa MacSpadden or William Herbig
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212-713-7600

SOURCE Markle Foundation