Upcoming: On Hillary Clinton's Agenda

Oh, Mme. Secretary!  We are going to miss you so much when you retire from the State Department. You have done so much. Thank you for everything you do.

Second Meeting of Secretary Clinton's International Council on Women's Business Leadership

Notice to the Press

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 23, 2012

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On Tuesday, November 27^th, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host the second meeting of the International Council on Women’s Business Leadership at the State Department in Washington, D.C. The meeting can be viewed via live webcast on the Internet by clicking here.
The Council serves the United States government in an advisory capacity on major issues in international business and economic policy, including the effective integration of business interests and women’s economic empowerment into overall foreign policy; the role and limits of international economic institutions from a gender-specific perspective; and the Department of State’s role in advancing and promoting the role of women in a competitive global economy. Cherie Blair, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (United Kingdom) and Indra Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, Inc. (USA) are Council Vice Chairs.
The meeting will be held in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the U.S. Department of State from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

The Inaugural International Council on Women’s Business Leadership was held on January 24, 2012.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Present the 2012 Awards for Corporate Excellence

Notice to the Press

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 23, 2012

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On Wednesday, November 28^th, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will present the 14^th annual Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE). The ceremony will start at 10:30 a.m. in the Ben Franklin Room at the Department of State and will be followed by a reception in the Thomas Jefferson Room.
The prestigious ACE recognizes the important role of U.S. businesses in advancing good corporate governance and democratic principles worldwide. The award honors exemplary business practices, corporate social responsibility, and innovation in a company’s overseas operations.
This year 82 nominations were received for American companies operating in 54 countries. The winners were chosen by the Principals’ Award Selection Committee. The Committee, chaired by the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, includes a representative from the offices of the Secretary, the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the Under Secretary for Management, and the special representative for Global Partnerships. It also includes senior officials from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Department of Commerce.
The 2012 ACE winners were selected from the following 11 finalists: Chevron in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; Esso Angola in Luanda, Angola; General Motors in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Intel Corporation in Vietnam; Intel Corporation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Microsoft in Bangkok, Thailand; Microsoft in Cairo, Egypt; Microsoft in New Delhi, India; Rosalie Bay in Dominica, Sorwathé in Kigali, Rwanda; and Sustainable Mahogany Industries Ltd. in Suva, Fiji. The winners will be publicly and officially announced at the ACE ceremony.
After the Secretary announces the 2012 ACE winners in Washington, D.C., Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Robert D. Hormats will lead the interactive portion of the ceremony. U.S. Ambassadors and in-country company executives will participate from the U.S. Embassies that submitted the winning nominations, where simultaneous events are expected to take place.
The ceremony will be  streamed live on www.state.gov.

The last ACE Awards were presented on January 18, 2012.

Update: One additional event on Friday.

Secretary Clinton to Deliver Remarks at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy's Saban Forum

Notice to the Press

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 26, 2012

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On Friday, November 30^th at the Willard Hotel, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver keynote remarks at the opening Gala Dinner of the 2012 Saban Forum, hosted by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.

Clintons Top Forbes List Of Most Powerful Couples - Where Are The Blairs? Why Bundchen & Brady?

With Angela Merkel and our Hillary Clinton topping the ridiculously unbalanced  Forbes list of 100 Most Powerful Women,  I did not have much hope for a more serious list of Most Powerful Couples of 2012.   I was not wrong.  The Clintons top the list with the Gateses #2 and the Obamas #3, but beyond #5, Diane Sawyer and Mike Nichols,  this list is as wildly incoherent as the list of powerful women - maybe more so.


Here is the gallery.
 
One might argue that this is a more difficult list to develop since both members must exert power, but like the 100 Most Powerful Women list, this one is most eloquent in who is missing.   Where are foundation head  Cherie and Quartet Envoy Tony Blair?  They are less important than entertainers, models, and sports figures?  

Seriously?  Shakira and Gerard Pique?  Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady?  They merit appearing on this list?  Beyonce and Jay-Z outrank Christane Amanpour and Jaimie Rubin,  Diane Von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, AND Tina Brown and Harold Evans?  Why Ellen DeGeneres and Portia?  Where is the "Portia power?"  Seems they were gratuitously included just to have a gay couple there, but to rank them above Tina Brown whose Newsweek endorsed Romney a few days ago and Evans, whose September Condé Nast Traveler features in depth coverage of a tour of Asia by the secretary of state seems patently ridiculous. 


Forbes, please be serious.  We love seeing our Clintons honored, but give it some heft.

The World's Most Powerful Couples In 2012

Jenna Goudreau, Forbes Staff
Who says women can’t have it all? On the 2012 FORBES list of the world’s 100 most powerful women, 70% are married, with an average 2.1 kids. Often, these women don’t do it alone. Some have the help of extended family or a stay-at-home husband. Others marry their power equals and scramble to make it work. Here’s a look at the world’s most powerful couples, and what it takes to house two top careers under one roof.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and current U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton together form the world’s top power pair. Hillary, the second most powerful woman in the world, made history as one of a handful of women to ever run for U.S. president. In her current role, she is the nation’s chief foreign advisor and is constantly on the go, traveling to over 40 countries in 2012 alone. Meanwhile, Bill served two presidential terms as ruler of the world’s largest economy and remains an active diplomat today.
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