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Dear Mercedes,
Recently I heard something I don’t hear every day – a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Admiral Mike Mullen, telling a crowd of 800 people that he believes our nation’s diplomats and development professionals need to lead the way in the world.
Admiral Mullen declared: “We have been leading with the military for far too long. We need to get diplomacy, development, fiscal, economic, financial, educational tools out in front... We cannot kill our way to victory. It's not going to work.”
 His
remarks were part of an extraordinary evening – the USGLC's annual Tribute Dinner that not only marked our 20th anniversary but also honored two outstanding champions – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman,
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), and his colleague,
Senator Chris Coons (D-DE).
Both of the Senators told me how inspired they were by the breadth and depth of our coalition. I couldn’t agree more, especially having spent the prior day at our
State Leaders Summit. Here are a few highlights:
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Last year’s
Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi's inspiring call to action to “make the world better for our children” by investing in global education and reminding us that “every single minute matters”
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Battling political strategists
Paul Begala and Bill Kristol sharing a laugh that our issue is one thing they actually agree on while reinforcing that isolationism is not a path to victory for 2016 candidates
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Kicking off our Capitol Hill day (where we held more than 175 meetings)
Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN) and
Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) – both who recently traveled to Africa with me – reminding the Summit Leaders just how critical their voices were in protecting the International Affairs budget
It was a remarkable few days, but made even better when Congress took action on
some important legislation: the introduction of a House bill that could bring electricity to millions in sub-Saharan Africa, and the completion of the bipartisan African Growth and Opportunity
Act (AGOA), which I had the honor to see signed into law at the White House this week.
With nearly 20 candidates running for President, watch for my update about what they are saying on our issues.
The Ugandan Thunder Children’s Choir closed our 20th celebration with a moving rendition of
Amazing Grace. Who would have known how poignant that was at that time. As I reflect back on our remarkable 20 year journey, I am very proud, and humbled, of the impact we have had together,
yet absolutely clear on the challenges ahead.
Enjoy celebrating our freedom and a happy Fourth of July to all.
Liz
Liz Schrayer
President & CEO, USGLC
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