Message from Ángel Cabrera, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute

Dear Aspen Institute Community,

It’s a joy to write to you on my first day as President and CEO.

Ever since my wife, Beth, and I spent a wonderful few days at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June, I’ve been eager to get started. That time on the Aspen Meadows campus brought back fond memories of 2008, when I was a Henry Crown Fellow and felt firsthand how transformative this place can be. Now I get to work alongside so many incredible colleagues and partners to make our impact on people and the world even greater.

We live in extraordinary times. Trust in one another and in our institutions is eroding, technology is shaking the foundations of our society and economy, and geopolitical conflict is upending millions of lives. In many ways, this moment echoes the postwar world that inspired the founding of the Aspen Institute. Our work matters today just as much as it did then, and I can’t think of a greater privilege than partnering with all of you to carry it forward.

During my seminars in Aspen back in 2008, I was introduced to the life and work of Jean Monnet, the quiet, behind-the-scenes diplomat and civil servant widely credited as the architect of European integration. Looking back on his work, Monnet said he had always focused on the same thing: “getting people to work together, showing them that beyond their differences or across borders they have a common interest.” That deceptively simple method helped achieve what once seemed impossible: persuading old enemies to build a future together. It’s also what the Aspen Institute does best. Monnet also observed that “anything is possible in exceptional moments, as long as you’re ready, as long as you have a clear project at the moment when everything is confused.” I believe this is our moment — and I want us to be ready for it.

I can’t wait to connect with our global community in the coming weeks and months. Thank you for all that you do for this institution — one with a history we can be proud of and a future we get to build together.

With gratitude and excitement,

–Ángel

Ángel Cabrera
President and CEO
Aspen Institute