N.C. Global Advantage forum to announce first statewide Global Engagement Day
Raleigh, N.C. - Leaders from business, education, environment, government, policy and non-profit will join together for the third annual NC Global Advantage Forum on October 28, 2021, at 1 p.m. The Forum is a virtual, half-day of thought-provoking exchanges focused on global opportunities in education, workforce development, economic and community development and entrepreneurship to ensure North Carolina is the most globally engaged state in the US. The event is presented by the N.C. Coalition for Global Competitiveness (the Coalition). The Forum last year included a cross-section of more than 160 statewide leaders focused on global competitiveness.
Forum 2021, themed “The Future is Now,” will be keynoted by Dean Richard Linton, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at North Carolina State University. His remarks will highlight the importance and urgency of strengthening the global infrastructure connecting leaders across disciplines, from business, education, private industry, state and local government as we continue to face unprecedented issues around the globe. Dean Linton will also focus on the growing $100 billion-dollar annual impact from agriculture on NC economy and the newly minted NC Plant Sciences Initiative. NC PSI is the world's premier plant sciences enterprise, working to create local solutions to global challenges. NC PSI’s mission is “We’re improving the world through plant science innovation and making North Carolina the go-to place for agricultural solutions. The future of agriculture starts here.”
NC Governor Roy Cooper will provide remarks highlighting successful initiatives connecting North Carolina and the world, including recent economic development announcements, and acknowledging the more than 750,000 North Carolinians that go to work in foreign owned companies every day. Governor Cooper will also announce the signing of the NC Global Engagement Day proclamation – making North Carolina the first state in the nation to acknowledge the impact and significance of being globally connected.
Featured speaker Mike Elder, head of business relations and regional business development for Novozymes North America, will share his commitment to facilitating the exchange of ideas to constructively address complex global solutions from his experience as a global scientist, and as a global leader in sustainability and innovation within the AgTech sector.
Forum 2021 will also feature panels focused on the green and blue economies in North Carolina. “The Future of Green and Blue Economies for NC on the Global Stage” features Alan O’Connor - RTI International; Angel Hsu - UNC Chapel Hill; David Swintosky - Dunning Capital; and Katie Bowler Young - Duke University School of Nursing. “Connecting our Leaders Around the Globe” features a discussion with Assistant Commissioner Alexander “Sandy” Stewart, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Sander Dijkslag, Procurement and Sourcing Director for Eosta, a leading international distributor of organic fresh fruits and vegetables.
During Forum 2021, N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler will receive the inaugural 2021 NC Global Ambassador award. The NC Global Ambassador Award was created to recognize individuals who go above and beyond to break down boundaries by building bridges among people, through global engagement, inclusive innovation, and shared leadership. The recipient lives out our vision to make North Carolina known as a great place to invest, work, study, visit, partner, and live – across the globe. It will be presented by NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, co-chair of the NC Coalition for Global Competitiveness, and Jim Fain, Former NC Secretary of Commerce and founder of the NC Coalition for Global Competitiveness.
Forum 2021 is presented by the Coalition and organized by Go Global NC. Sponsors include RTI International as well as North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Go Global NC, Lenovo, and NC Farm Bureau.
For more information about Forum 2021 or to register, please visit https://goglobalnc.org/ncglobaladvantageforum/.
