Large and small businesses represented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce all share the understanding that an environment conducive to business leads to job creation, economic growth and prosperity, and quality of life for Americans. But unfortunately, not everyone understands and shares that idea. There are new threats to the system of individual initiative, hard work, risk taking, self-reliance, and free flow of capital that has created the strongest nation and most prosperous economy the world has ever known. In the face of these challenges, this week the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched a multi-disciplinary Campaign for Free Enterprise to promote the essential role that free enterprise plays in the success of our country.

The National Chamber Foundation is strategically positioned during the coming year to advance an agenda that examines the future of free enterprise, and that’s why I am so pleased that I was recently named the Executive Vice President of NCF. NCF will continue to explore its key programs, such as the Books That Drive the Debate, CEO Leadership Series, and the Annual Business Horizon Retreat, and tailor them to support the Free Enterprise campaign. In addition, NCF will take on additional activities aligned around three key areas: thought leadership, new initiatives with governors and mayors, and outreach to young audiences.

Thought Leadership Activity
As part of its mission to identify and explore emerging business issues, NCF will initiate educational and thought leadership activities around the current state of our free enterprise system including why it is at risk, why it must be preserved, and what the future holds if we do not protect and defend the system that has built our country.

Governors and Mayors Outreach
Governors and mayors understand the importance of an environment conducive to free enterprise and its effect on job creation and the ability to attract business. Outreach will be conducted to state and local officials to highlight free enterprise-friendly leaders and describe the policies that create jobs and attract entrepreneurs to their cities and states.

Young Audiences Outreach
Outreach to young audiences will include efforts to better understand what our young people learn about the free enterprise system, highlighting entrepreneurial young people in communities across the country, and partnering with organizations at the K-12 and university level to educate our youth on the role of entrepreneurism and free enterprise in our society. This is a critical and exciting time for NCF.

What is the Proper Role of Government?

U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW | Washington, DC
November 16, 2009 

 View the Web cast.

The National Chamber Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute hosted a discussion forum on the key barriers to creating essential jobs. Top experts discussed the effect of government expansion on job creation as well as questions ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups and interest rates to whether policymakers, business-owners, and everyday citizens be worried that government is getting too large.

Attendees heard from a panel of experts, and had the opportunity to participate in the closing roundtable discussion of the issues raised and questions posed. 

Speakers included:

• Dr. Marty Regalia, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Arthur Brooks, President, American Enterprise Institute
• Nick Schulz, DeWitt Wallace Fellow, American Enterprise Institute and co-author, From Poverty to Prosperity (October, 2009)
• Peter Wallison, Arthur F. Burns Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

Complete Agenda

For more information about this event, please contact Elizabeth Dixon at (202) 463-5992 or EDixon@USChamber.com.  For address and location information, please click here.

To learn more about  American Free Enterprise. Dream Big., visit  www.FreeEnterprise.com

Find out more about NCF’s activities on the Campaign for Free Enterprise

Thursday, December 3, 2009
Registration & Continental Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Program & Luncheon: 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce – 1615 H Street, NW
Washington, DC  20062

Register Today!

This event is complimentary

NCF complies with all ethics rules stating that Executive Branch Political Appointees and Schedule C Employees must pay a fee of $79 to attend this event.

As health care dominates headlines, government officials, and employers are under pressure to solve this important issue.  The most obvious solution to achieve significant savings is to help keep employees healthy.  Through workplace wellness programs that promote behaviors such as weight loss and smoking cessation and instituting vaccination and drug intervention programs, costly treatments can be avoided.  This event will focus on what the business community can do to promote a healthy and more productive workforce.

Confirmed keynote speakers:

Other speakers include:

 View the Web cast.

For more information please contact Ben Askin, Program Manager, at (202) 463-5500 or by emailing ncfevents@uschamber.com.

Thank you to our event sponsor:

U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW | Washington, DC
November 19, 2009
Registration: 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Program: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Register Today

U.S. Chamber Members, Non-Profit Employees,
Embassy Employees, and Political Appointee and Schedule C Employees – $35
Non-U.S. Chamber Members – $55
Executive Branch Career Service Employees and House and Senate Employees – Complimentary

Recent conflicting headlines convey a new confidence in the housing market coming from the government and at the same time a disappointed reaction from investors. News of home prices stabilizing and an increase in sales for first time buyers have convinced many people that this area of the economy is on the road to recovery.  Others are concerned that the recovery is temporary and may lead to complacency.

The government has taken unprecedented steps to reenergize the housing market.  Many incentives were introduced to keep people in their homes as well as to encourage others to purchase homes. Mortgage rates have hit all time lows and tax credits were made available for first time home buyers. These actions were successful in stimulating the housing market, however many are concerned that there will be a regression when this intervention ends.

This forum offers an opportunity for many of the experts from the government and the private sector to present their expectations for the housing market when the interventions end and what they believe are the necessary steps to keep it from returning to a catastrophic state.

Confirmed Keynote Speaker:

Mark Zandi
Chief Economist and Co-Founder, Moody’s Economy.com 

Additional confirmed speakers include:

• Lawrence Yun, Ph.D., Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors
• Eric Halperin, Director, Washington Office, Center for Responsible Lending
• Jay Brinkmann, Ph.D., Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Research and Economics, Mortgage Bankers Association
• Martin Regalia, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

For more information about this event, please contact Ben Askin at (202) 463-3142 or baskin@uschamber.com.  For address and location information, please click here.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW | Washington, DC
November 12, 2009

NCF complies with all ethics rules stating that Executive Branch Political Appointees and Schedule C Employees must pay a fee of $35 to attend this event.

The National Chamber Foundation hosted the 2nd annual Business Steps Up: Hiring our Heroes event on Thursday, November 12 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

View the Web cast.

This event focused on what the business community can do to help our heroes transition to civilian life and new careers. The event offered solutions to many of the employment issues that we identified last year at our inaugural event. This included using new forms of social media to help service members find meaningful employment as they transition back into their communities. 

View the agenda.

View details from last year’s summit.

 Confirmed Keynote Speakers:

Dan Senor                               The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki
Co-Author, Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israeli’s Miracle

The Honorable Eric K. Shinseki
Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

The Honorable Hilda L. Solis
Secretary of the Department of Labor

For more information about this event, please contact Blair Fowler at (202) 463-5500 or ncfevents@uschamber.com.  For address and location information, please click here.

Thank you to our event sponsors:

Thank you to our Media Sponsor:

 Thank you to our marketing partners:

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Thursday, October 22, 2009
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW | Washington, DC 

U.S. Chamber Members, Non-Profit Employees, Embassy Employees,
and Political Appointee and Schedule C Employees fee: $35
Non-U.S. Chamber Member fee: $55
Executive Branch Career Service Employees and House and Senate Employee: Complimentary

The National Chamber Foundation and The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon featuring Fred P. Hochberg, Chairman and President, Export-Import Bank of the United States.

Click here to view the video recording of the event.

Please contact Elizabeth Dixon, Manager of Programs, for additional information at (202) 463-5500 or by emailing ncfevents@uschamber.com.

Thursday, June 19, 2008
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Chamber Foundation (NCF), and the Progress & Freedom Foundation hosted an event exploring the highly divisive issue of immigration.  The forum provided an opportunity for experts to discuss the need for an increase in foreign workers into the U.S. and to counter anecdotal claims that immigrants are a drain on the economy.  Discussion topics also addressed the impact of immigration on:

• National security
• Our domestic workforce
• America’s competitiveness in the global economy

The event began with a conference call featuring Jason Riley, a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board to discuss his book Let them In: The Case for Open Borders and answer any questions from attendees or callers. The call was moderated by Bret Swanson, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Global Innovation of the Progress & Freedom Foundation.

The call was immediately followed by a panel discussion on highly skilled immigration.
Panelists include:

• Angelo Amador, Director, Immigration Policy, Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits, U.S. Chamber of Commerce 
• Elizabeth Dickson, Manager, Immigration Services, Ingersoll-Rand Company and Chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Subcommittee on Immigration
• Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, Research Association, The Peterson Institute
• Jason Riley, Member, Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
• James Sherk, Bradley Fellow, Labor Policy, The Heritage Foundation
• Bret Swanson, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Global Innovation, The Progress & Freedom Foundation
• Jenifer Verdery, Director of Workforce Policy, Intel Corporation 

Click here to access Jacob Kirkegaard’s presentation slides 

Click here to read Jason Riley’s blog posting

Click here to view the event webcast

The day concluded with a networking reception to launch NCF’s “Books that Drive the Debate Authors’ Series.” The launch included a book signing with Jason Riley. Riley’s book was recently selected by NCF as one of 2008’s top ten “Books That Drive the Debate.”
For more information please contact Ben Askin at (202) 463-5500 or by emailing ncfevents@uschamber.com.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
1615 H Street, NW | Washington, DC 

Agenda 
Event Webcast

As the demand for an improved health care system is being debated in the halls of government and the media, it is vital that the need for greater investment in improved information technology is included in these discussions. An efficient and dynamic health care system must be able to rely on a modernized and integrated network to provide real-time and accurate information.

On September 29, NCF hosted Health IT: Improving the Health System with Information Technology. The event focused how investing in the health system of tomorrow can improve care, expand coverage, and streamline delivery while protecting the privacy and security of patient information.

The best decisions are informed decisions. Empowered with concise information, patients can make better decisions about their health care; physicians can make better decisions for patients; government can make better decisions about the quality of care, bio-surveillance, and Medicare utilization and integrity; medical office managers become more efficient when enrolling patients and facilitating payments; paper waste is reduced; and costs are better managed.

Though consolidated information has drawn skepticism, new evidence proves that privacy and security can be assured for electronic health records and health information exchanges.

The Foundation brought together leaders from government, business, labor, and the nonprofit sector to look at lessons learned and the future direction health IT. 

 Speakers included: 

• Rachel Block, Deputy Commissioner for Health Information Technology Transformation, New York State
• David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., National Coordinator, Health Information Technology, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
• Karen Davis, Ph.D., President, The Commonwealth Fund
• Richard Deem, Senior Vice President, Advocacy, American Medical Association
• Harald A. Deutsch, Vice President Healthcare EMEA, CSC
• Darrell Kirch, MD, President and CEO, Association of American Medical Colleges
• Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) 
• Jim Sheaffer, President, North American Public Sector, CSC
• Joel Slackman, Managing Director of Policy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) (Slide Presentation)
• Robert Wah, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, CSC
• Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies, Brookings Institution

Speaker Presentation:

• Wah – Future of Healthcare IT

 Articles from CSC: 

• Accomplishing EHR/HIE (eHealth) – Lessons from Europe
• Massachusetts Health Connector 
• Towards Health Care Payment Reform
• Ensure the Health of Your State’s Health IT

Watch CSC Health IT video

 Thank you to our Event Sponsor: 

Thank you to our Co-Sponsors: 

Thank you to our Media Sponsor:

Thank you to our Event Marketing Partners:

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For more information about this event, please contact Ben Askin at (202) 463-3142 or baskin@uschamber.com.  For address and location information, please click here.

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July 21, 2009
U.S. Chamber of Commerce | Washington, D.C.

Improving oversight of the derivatives markets will be a critical component of Congress’ efforts to reform the financial regulatory system.  Significant debate is underway regarding how best to develop policy that will improve transparency and regulatory oversight of the derivatives markets, while upholding the important risk management function these financial instruments perform for companies and market participants. 

This event brought together experts from diverse sectors to educate and engage the public regarding the use of derivatives, their role in the markets and to offer their ideas for improving derivatives oversight while preserving the benefits they provide to market participants and the overall economy.

Keynote address:

A Single Trade Repository and CCPs: A Powerful Combination for a Safer OTC Derivatives Market

• Donald F. Donahue, Chairman and CEO, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation  

Panel Discussions:

Fostering Efficiency and Transparency

• Elizabeth King, Associate Director, Division of Trading and Markets, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
• Michael Shapiro, Associate Director, Treasury, Zimmer, Inc.
• Michael Cosgrove, Managing Director, Head of Commodities and Energy Brokerage, North America, GFI 
• Ananda Radhakrishnan, Director, Division and Intermediary Oversight, Commodity Futures Trading Commission 
• Megan Ivory Carr, Manager, Federal Government Services, 3M Company

Discussion Leader: Russell B. Mallett, Financial Services Technical Leader, National Professional Services Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Examining Derivatives and Systemic Risk

• John C. Shay, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, International Derivatives Clearing Group, LLC 
• Cynthia Meyn, Senior Vice President, PIMCO
• Theo Lubke, Senior Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York 
• Larry E. Thompson, Managing Director and General Counsel, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation 
• Kevin Gould, President, Markit North America, Global Head of Fixed Income 
• Don Thompson, Managing Director, JP Morgan Chase 

Discussion Leader: Sharon Brown-Hruska, Ph.D.,Vice President, National Economic Research Associates, Inc.  

Event Video Webcast

Related News:

BusinessWire: DTCC Chairman and CEO Donahue Stresses Importance of Single Trade Repository for OTC Derivatives at U.S. Chamber of Commerce Event
FT.com: DTCC warns of need for single OTC database
Reuters: U.S. businesses warn against harsh derivatives rules

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For more information about this event, please contact Ben Askin, Manager of Programs at (202) 463-5500 or baskin@uschamber.com.  

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July 9, 2009
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

In recent months, the U.S. has entered into an unprecedented era of government fiscal tracking.  From legislation passed through Congress, to stipulations in the American Recovery and Reinvestment  Act, to guarantees from the White House, government has vowed to track where each dollar goes and how it is used.  However, the most challenging question still remains:  How will we do it?

On July 9, the National Chamber Foundation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce brought together representatives from federal and state governments, Congress, and the private sector who are all actively engaged in developing the most effective and transparent methods of tracking federal dollars.  Speakers shared their thoughts on the greatest challenges facing government as it begins tracking funds, the successes various departments have had in the process, and the latest technologies and strategies the private sector has developed to implement tracking for the long-term. 

Attendees had the opportunity to hear about what current legislation requirements mean for current and future tracking, lessons learned from departments already tracking their dollars, and best practices for the future.  This event exclusively explored how the public and private sectors can work together to create a successful and transparent funding mechanism that allows government, business, and the American public the ability to see where each federal dollar goes.

View agenda

Watch live event webcast

Keynote Speakers:

• Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) 
• Jim Champy, Chairman of Consulting, Perot Systems

Panelists:

• Mark Bolgiano, President and CEO, XBRL US 
• Michael P. Flynn, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Clare Hart, Executive Vice President, Dow Jones & Company and President, Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group
• David Hirschmann, Senior Vice President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and President and CEO, Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness
• Ronald J. Naples, Chairman, Pennsylvania Stimulus Oversight Commission and Chief Accountability Officer, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Kevin R. Puvalowski, Deputy Special Inspector General, Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) 
• Ari Schwartz, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Center for Democracy and Technology
• Donald Thomas,Vice President, Management Consulting, Perot Systems

Thank you to our Event Sponsors:

Thank you to our Event Marketing Partner:

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For more information about this event, sponsorship and partnership opportunities, or questions, contact Elizabeth Dixon, Manager of Programs at (202) 463-5500 or edixon@uschamber.com.  ___

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