For Immediate Release
Contact: Cristal Logan
Community Outreach Director
The Aspen Institute
Tel. 970-544-7929
Aspen, CO, July 23, 2009 –– The Aspen Institute will feature Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour in Conversation with Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of The Aspen Institute. Governor Barbour will discuss his experiences as a chief architect of the Republican resurgence in 1994 and managing his state through the worst natural disaster in American history, as he focuses his problem-solving skills on a critical national issue, U.S. energy policy. . The event will take place from 5:00 to 6:00 PM on Monday, August 3, 2009 at the Paepcke Auditorium on the Institute’s Aspen Meadows campus in Aspen, CO. Tickets are $15 each and are on sale now through Aspen Show Tickets at the Wheeler. As a full-capacity audience is expected for this program, early ticket purchasing is encouraged. Doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the event.
Governor Barbour’s first election in 2003 marked the largest voter turnout in Mississippi gubernatorial history, and he was reelected in 2007 with 58.2 percent of the vote. The Yazoo City, Mississippi, native is only the second governor since Reconstruction to be elected to a second consecutive term as Mississippi’s chief executive. Today, under Governor Barbour’s leadership, Mississippi is emerging as a leader in utilizing the state’s abundant resources and developing alternative, affordable, and sustainable sources of energy. To date, approximately $10.5 billion in projects have been announced, involving biofuels, liquefied natural gas, clean coal and coal to liquid, and nuclear power. In total, the state is actively pursuing and negotiating additional energy-related projects valued at more than $26.3 billion.
After Hurricane Katrina Governor Barbour created the Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal to develop a broad vision for opportunities to help South Mississippi rebuild bigger and better than ever. Today, Governor Barbour continues the good management practices and award-winning stewardship of about $5.4 billion in federal funding received after Katrina for housing, infrastructure, and a wide variety of other recovery work. For his leadership after Katrina, Governor Barbour was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award, which is presented to a nationally recognized leader by the bipartisan American Legislative Exchange Council.
He was also named Governor of the Year for 2006 by Washington, D.C.-based Governing magazine; awarded the Gulf Guardian Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for his work to rebuild and protect sensitive Coast ecosystems; and received the 2008 Adam Smith Medal from BIPAC for his pursuit of the principles of free enterprise as Mississippi’s 63rd Governor. In June 2009, Governor Barbour assumed the role of chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
Tickets to this event can be purchased online at http://www.aspenshowtickets.com/ or by calling Aspen Show tickets at the Wheeler at 970-920-5770. For more information on the Aspen Institute Community Programs and other events open to the public, please call the information hotline at 970-544-7970, or visit the Institute’s website at www.aspeninstitute.org/aspenevents.
July 28 | Dan Rather, Journalist, HDNet |
July 30 | Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations |
August 1 | Ezekiel Emanuel, Senior Advisor, White House Office of Management and Budget, Health Policy |
August 3 | Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi |
August 4 | Nicholas D. Kristof, Columnist, The New York Times |
August 7 | Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO, Acumen Fund; Trustee, the Aspen Institute |
Upcoming speakers to be featured include:
Event details subject to change. Please visit www.aspeninstitute.org/aspenevents for updates or call our events hotline at 970/544-7970.
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