At 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival, Booz Allen Leaders Addressed Critical Issues Facing the New Administration

For the fourth year, the firm sponsored the prestigious event that brought together respected names in science, business, politics, the arts, and academia.

Transforming the American military to face new threats, exploring the “megacommunity” approach to solve global problems, and thinking about the future of the Internet were among the pivotal topics at the center of the 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival. From June 30 to July 6, Booz Allen Hamilton leadership played a key role in this important dialogue—participating in panels and seminars that explore issues involving national security, innovation and technology, cyberspace, energy policy, health, and medicine.

Representatives from Booz Allen include:

Joan Dempsey, Vice President, moderated a panel on “Web 2.0 and Beyond: What Does the Cyber Future Hold?”
Lloyd Howell, Vice President, moderated a panel on “Why Change the Military?: New Adversaries, New Technologies, and a New Generation of Soldiers”
Chris Kelly, Vice President, participated in a panel on “Addressing Global Challenges through Collaborative Networks.” Kelly will also held a book talk on Megacommunities, which he co-authored.
Gary Labovich, Vice President, moderated a plenary session on “Innovation Engines: Where Will the Next R&D Breakthroughs Come From?”
Robin Portman, Vice President, moderated a panel on “Looking to the Future: Staying Healthy is the Way to Prevent Cancer and Heart Disease”
Bill Thoet, Vice President, moderated a panel on “The Global War on Terror: Is America Fighting the Right War?”
R. James Woolsey, Senior Executive Advisor and Retired Vice President, participated in a plenary session on “Climate and National Security: Impacts on Foreign Policy,” and a tutorial on “Balancing Liberty and Security in a Globalized World”
T.J. Glauthier, advisor to the firm’s energy practice, moderated panels on “Food, Fuel, and Famine: Will Biofuels Starve Us or Save Us?” and “Fueling the Future: Sustainable Choices for a New Transportation Landscape”
Gary Ahlquist, a Senior Vice President with Booz & Company, moderated a plenary session on “Health Care Reform: Can the 2008 Presidential Election Transform the Status Quo?”

At the 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival, Booz Allen leveraged its expertise gained in addressing critical issues to help identify the key platform topics facing our next Administration as it confronts a dynamic threat environment and conflicting domestic priorities. Beyond this event, the firm’s relationship with the Aspen Institute involves pressing global issues such as the participation of Vice President Don Pressley in discussions on the Middle East Peace Process as a result of Booz Allen’s partnership with Aspen in the Palestine Investment Conference.

Founded in 1950, the Aspen Institute is internationally renowned as an influential non-partisan organization that attracts the most important activists and thinkers to foster open dialogue and enlightened leadership. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with campuses in Colorado and Maryland and affiliates in Berlin, Rome, Lyon, Tokyo, New Delhi, and Bucharest.

For more information on the 2008 Aspen Ideas Festival, visit www.aifestival.org.

story updated July 11, 2008