President Clinton Announces Impact of Commitments Made at CGI America Meeting

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Jun 30, 2011, 05:13 ET

Business, Nonprofits, and Government Officials Have Launched More Than 50 New Commitments That Will, When Fully Funded and Implemented, Create or Fill More Than 124,000 Jobs

Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, and Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, to Join President Clinton at Closing Plenary Session on Thursday Afternoon at 4:30 p.m. CT

CHICAGO, June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the final day of the Clinton Global Initiative's CGI America meeting, President Clinton announced that commitments launched during the event will, when fully funded and implemented, create or fill more than 124,000 jobs, provide more than 364,000 people with access to job training, and support entrepreneurs with $265 million in investments or loans.

"At CGI America we have announced 51 commitments that will improve the lives of 2.7 million people in the United States," President Clinton said. "The individuals and organizations that have launched new programs this week are proving that we can create jobs and foster economic growth here in America. I hope that their efforts will inspire others to take action to revitalize their own communities."

CGI America is the first Clinton Global Initiative event focusing exclusively on the U.S. More than 750 leaders from businesses, nonprofits, and all levels of government are participating in the event, which aims to generate new ideas for spurring economic growth and highlight existing programs which can be replicated and scaled.

On Thursday morning, President Clinton hosted a plenary session on American communities that have found innovative ways to address unique local economic challenges. The session featured Tanya Fiddler, executive director of the Four Bands Community Fund; Jennifer M. Granholm, former governor of Michigan; John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado; Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos.com; Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., governor of Indiana; Robert J. McCann, CEO of UBS Wealth Management Americas; Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business School professor; and Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles.

Thursday's program also featured a panel of civic and business innovators exploring how energy-efficient building retrofit projects can create highly-skilled jobs while cutting energy costs and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Speakers included: Mike Beebe, governor of Arkansas; Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte; Susan Leeds, CEO of the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation; Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation; James E. Rogers, chairman, president, and CEO of Duke Energy; Kevin Surace, CEO of Serious Metals; and Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

The two-day gathering will conclude today with President Clinton holding a one-on-one conversation about the current state of the economy with Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, at 4:30 p.m. CT. Also during the closing session, Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, will announce a new commitment to spur energy-efficient building retrofits in the U.S.

All sessions are webcast live at http://live.CGIAmerica.org.

At all CGI meetings, participants make Commitments to Action. A commitment is not a financial contribution to CGI; rather, it is a plan that outlines the steps the organization or individual will take to launch a program that improves lives. At CGI America, most commitments have focused on addressing the challenges of job creation and economic growth in the U.S.

The following commitments were announced Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. Details on all CGI America commitments can be found at http://www.CGIAmerica.org.

Philadelphia Academies

Despite steady job growth in Philadelphia, 22 percent of adults in the city cannot read or write well enough to handle elementary school material. To address the problem, Philadelphia Academies commits to build a digitally-based literacy and workforce training program for youth and adults, which will be accessible any time from any computer or mobile device. Over the next four years, the $34-million Digital On-Ramps initiative aims to help 33,000 Philadelphia residents gain critical skills.

Carnegie Corporation

The Carnegie Corporation and its partners commit to identify and fund programs that recruit, train, and support teachers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects. To do so, they will create a funding pool valued at $20 million and invite relevant programs to apply. Using criteria established by the University of Chicago's Urban Education Institute, the group will identify those that will most effectively recruit and train teachers. This group hopes to recruit and train 20,000 new teachers in 3 years while supporting existing educators working in the area.

Arkansas Rural Heritage Development Initiative

The Rural Heritage Development Initiative commits to strengthen small businesses in Arkansas by providing mentoring, support, training, and access to capital for entrepreneurs. RHDI will recruit more than 55 new entrepreneurs during this three-year commitment, in addition to the 69 members currently served.

SFMade and the Pratt Center

SFMade and the Pratt Center are committing to create the Urban Manufacturing Alliance. This commitment will focus on retaining and creating manufacturing jobs initially in five major U.S. cities, including San Francisco and New York City. The alliance will reach 1,000 manufacturing companies with branding, supply chain, and policy research programs to help them strengthen their businesses. Already, these nimble manufacturers have proven to be extremely recession-resilient and highly committed to local employment and sustainable practices. As a result of SFMade and the Pratt Center's participation here at CGI America, the City of New York has joined as a partner of the commitment.

The Obama Administration

The Obama administration commits to the launch, leadership, and support of the Better Buildings Challenge. The Better Buildings Challenge is a White House-convened, Department of Energy-supported leadership initiative that is co-led by former President Bill Clinton and the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. It directly engages business executives, state and local elected officials, and leaders from other non-governmental organizations; recognizes the organizations they lead for making actionable commitments to improve energy efficiency in America's buildings; and supports their efforts with technical assistance and policy support. Through the Administration's efforts in conjunction with former President Clinton and the Jobs Council, three major American cities – Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Seattle – have signed onto the Challenge, committing to take necessary policy steps to accelerate the energy efficiency market in their respective cities.

For a complete program and details on all CGI America commitments, visit http://CGIAmerica.org.

For more information, visit: http://www.CGIAmerica.org and follow @ClintonGlobal (http://twitter.com/clintonglobal) for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #CGIAmerica.

CGI appreciates the support of the sponsors of CGI America: J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, Tom Golisano, the Dow Chemical Company, Peter G. Peterson Foundation, and ExxonMobil Corporation.

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings, which take place in New York each September, have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, along with heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place September 19-22 in New York City.

CGI America is the first CGI meeting focused solely on the U.S. The CGI community also includes CGI University, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

What: CGI America (www.cgiamerica.org)

Where: Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 East North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611

When: June 29-30, 2011

Credentials: Media pre-approved by CGI may pick up their credentials at CGI's press registration desk on the first floor of the Sheraton on Thursday, June 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Valid government-issued ID is required. If applying for credentials on site, please bring press ID as well. For additional information contact Meb Byrne at [email protected].

Access: All plenary sessions are open to media. Working group sessions are closed to media.

CGI Media Center and Workspace: The media center is located on the first floor of the Sheraton. Wired and wireless Internet access will be provided. Phones will not be provided.

Wireless Microphones: Please do NOT bring or use wireless microphones on site, as they will interfere with the wireless PA systems.

Mult Box: Output specifics are: XLR for audio and BNC connection for video.

Sat Truck Parking: There are a limited amount of satellite and microwave truck parking spaces available. Please contact Seth Bellaff at [email protected].

Twitter: Follow @ClintonGlobal (http://twitter.com/clintonglobal) for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #CGIAmerica.

Live Webcast: All CGI America plenary sessions will be webcast at http://live.cgiamerica.org.

Photos: Photos from the meeting will be available on CGI's Flickr account at http://www.cgiamerica.org/flickr.

Facebook: Highlights, news, and photos from CGI America will be shared on the CGI Facebook page: www.facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

SOURCE Clinton Global Initiative