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2013 Aspen Seminar Schedule
March 16 - 22 (Aspen, CO)
April 20 - 26 (Wye River, MD)
May 4 - 10 (Aspen, CO)
June 22 - 28 (Wye River, MD)
August 10 - 16 (Aspen, CO)
August 24 - 30 (Aspen, CO)
September 21 - 27 (Aspen, CO)
October 5 - 11 (Wye River, MD)

"As a CEO, taking time to sharpen the saw is
critical. The Aspen Seminar is the best whetstone
out there."
– Reed Hastings, Founder and CEO, Netflix

"It changed my life totally. In today's world,
values-based leadership is crucial. Everyone
needs the Aspen Seminar to help navigate the
future."
—Leonard Lauder, Chairman, Estee Lauder
Companies

Application/Registration

For almost sixty years, the Aspen Seminar on leadership, values, and the good society has challenged leaders in every field to think more critically and deeply about the good society. Our proven method of text-based dialogue offers participants a neutral forum in which to reflect on timeless human values, pursue common ground, and cultivate a richer understanding of the human condition. Participants emerge from the Aspen Seminar personally renewed, professionally re-focused, and better prepared to lead as they confront the difficult choices of our ever-changing world.

In a setting conducive to thought and fellowship, each seminar convenes a diverse group of 15-20 leaders for lively, intensive roundtable discussions led by skilled moderators. Classic and contemporary texts reflecting the breadth of human civilization form the starting points of a rich conversation in which the questions posed by the group are frequently as illuminating as the varied, timeless wisdom of the texts. Countless seminar graduates report that they leave the seminar personally and professionally invigorated, more skilled in making decisions, and often so transformed by their experience that they chart a new course of action.

Who participates in the Aspen Seminar?

  • Top leaders from all walks of life who are looking for a leadership development program that focuses on questions rather than on answers.
  • Successful leaders who want to clarify their core values as they strive to live more significant professional and personal lives.
  • Visionary leaders who are looking to understand better the tensions inherent in conceptions of the good society.
  • Global leaders from the 13 leadership initiatives that make up the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
  • Concerned leaders who want to be challenged to think more deeply and act more justly.

For information on how to be nominated to participate in the Aspen Seminar, please contact Charlene Costello, Senior Seminars Coordinator (charlene.costello@aspeninstitute.org; phone: 410-820-5374). Seminars are held at our Aspen campus in Colorado and our Wye River campus alongside the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Cost to attend in 2013: $9,450. (The cost is inclusive of lodging, meals, group events, and materials. Airfare is not included; early flight booking is strongly recommended. Limited financial assistance is available on a competitive basis for those who qualify.) Application/Registration

Great Minds Don't Think Alike...But They Do Think Better Together!

Russell Richmond

CEO, Objective Health

The dynamic of the group was an important catalyst for this reflection, during our formal sessions, but also in our more informal time during meals and on hikes. Our group included business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and educators, and as such offered a variety of perspectives. These perspectives - which as the CEO of a business I don't often get - confirmed some of my hypotheses, but also challenged me to think more expansively. This has impacted many of the decisions I have since made, both in how I spend my time personally, and in the hopes I have for my business.