November 21, 2016
CONTACT: Megan Guilfoyle, [email protected], 202-730-4155

Watch the full event here: https://www.usglc.org/events/americas-global-leadership-forum-ga/

ATLANTA— U.S. Representative Tom Price, the Coca-Cola Companies’ SVP of North American Public Affairs and Communications Matt Echols, and CARE’s President & CEO Michelle Nunn joined the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition along with over 350 leaders in the state to discuss how America’s engagement abroad spurs economic growth in Georgia and promotes our national security. Other speakers included Jonathan Reckford, President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity, and Frank Morris, Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs for UPS.

“Atlanta is a major global business and trade hub—so what happens overseas has a direct impact right here in our state and on our economy,” said U.S. Representative Tom Price. “By strengthening U.S. development and diplomacy, alongside defense, we expand the global marketplace for Georgia businesses, create opportunity, and keep our citizens safe here at home.”

“We deeply believe in the power partnerships…And we recognize that while we have this reach and scope, we don’t always have the expertise on the issue of the day in the area. So we focus a lot on places where we can contribute water, women’s empowerment, and wellbeing,” said Matt Echols, SVP, North American Public Affairs & Communications for The Coca-Cola Company. “It is really important to us to improve the quality of life everywhere we do business and we seek partners, and often times that is USAID.”

Georgia is home to some of the largest global brands and organizations with rapidly growing international operations in emerging markets. Georgia exports nearly $38.5 billion in goods to foreign markets a year and trade supports over 1,283,800 local jobs, making U.S. international engagement a strategic economic issue for the state.

“We know that from the research that if we lift up women and girls, you lift up families, you lift up communities, you lift up nations,” said Michelle Nunn, President & CEO CARE. “We see it at the micro level. We know that, for instance, for every year additional year a girl is able to go to school, she will be able to earn twenty to twenty-five percent more in her lifetime. Imagine what that means coming back to her family, her capacity to educate her children. We know that this works.”

“Our world is more interconnected than ever before and what happens overseas affects us here at home,” said USGLC President and CEO Liz Schrayer. “With more than 350 top Georgia leaders here today, it’s a tribute to Chairman Price’s understanding that America’s global leadership is critical, particularly on global health. The stakes are too high for America to pull back from the world.”

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The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 500 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic, military, and community leaders in all 50 states who support strategic investments to elevate development and diplomacy alongside defense in order to build a better, safer world.