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President speaks at Clinton Global Initiative UniversityPresident speaks at Clinton Global Initiative University

In a continuing effort to raise awareness on empowering women, Thunderbird School of Global Management President Angel Cabrera, Ph.D., will be on a panel at the Clinton Global Initiative University at the University of Texas at Austin Feb. 13-15. The Clinton Global Initiative, established in 2005 by former President Bill Clinton, convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

The conference builds on the successful model of the CGI Annual Meeting and engages college students and administrators to make commitments to address global issues with practical, innovative solutions. Participants will discuss how student activists can make a difference around the world, and each student and university in attendance is asked to make its own commitment to action. Thunderbird's commitment pertains to providing women in developing countries with access to world-class business education resources and mentoring.

Cabrera will participate Feb. 14 in a session called “Peace & Human Rights: Raising Hope: Taking Action to Protect and Empower Women.” The panel will discuss women’s rights and empowerment and provide tools for student action to end violence and discrimination against women. Other members of the panel include Christine Karumba, country director, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Women for Women International, Somaly Mam, President of Somaly Mam Foundation and Acting for Women in Distressing Situations (AEFSIP), May Yu, Project Manager, 1Well and Uzodinma Iweala, a medical student at Columbia University.

The Student Government at The University of Texas at Austin will sponsor the conference, which will convene nearly 1,000 college students and approximately 100 university presidents, as well as leading nonprofit organizations, social entrepreneurs and youth leaders. Other attendees will include NFL All-Star Nnamdi Asomugha, Matthew McConaughey, Natalie Portman, Luke Russert and Morgan Spurlock.
 
During the three-day conference, attendees will participate in forums and workshops to brainstorm ways to make a difference. On the final day, attendees will collaborate with The University of Texas at Austin students to take part in a wide range of community service activities at the Rosewood Park and Recreation Center in East Austin.

In other efforts to raise awareness on empowering women, Thunderbird runs Project Artemis Afghanistan, a program that provides businesswomen from Afghanistan with entrepreneurial training, coaching, mentoring and access to resources at Thunderbird’s Glendale campus, so they can help rebuild their ravaged nation by starting small businesses in their homeland. A program with the same concept, Project Artemis Jordan, will launch in October.

Thunderbird is also an initial partner with The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) in 10,000 Women, a global initiative that will provide 10,000 underserved women, predominantly in developing and emerging markets, with a business and management education. Thunderbird will partner with the American University in Afghanistan to help educate women on the ground in Afghanistan.