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American Council on Germany Welcomes AFB President Dr. Smidt to the Board

AFB President Dr. Nina Smidt has joined the American Council on Germany (ACG) board. ACG is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit organization which promotes dialogue among leaders from business, government, and the media in the United States and Europe.

Letter from the Acting ACG President, William R. Harman

Dear ACG Members and Friends:

As many of you witnessed firsthand at our Annual Meeting of the Members last week, an exciting new chapter of the ACG’s history opened as we announced the election of the Council’s next President, Dr. Steven E. Sokol. Steve will be stepping down from his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh in the coming weeks to step into his new position at the ACG.

Many of you know that this move will be a homecoming of sorts, as Steve served as the ACG’s Vice President and Director of Programs for almost eight years. In his new incarnation, he is committed to emphasizing both continuity and change in the organization, building on our strong legacy with innovative programs – with our collective input. But more on that in a moment.

A dedication to transatlantic relations is in Steve’s DNA; he has spent roughly half of his life on this side of the Pond and half on the other. But his worldview extends far beyond these borders, particularly in light of his four years at the helm of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh. (To read more about Steve’s background and also his appointment, feel free to take a look at our press release if you haven’t already: http://acgusa.org/files/Sokol_Named_ACG_President-Press_Release-15-0325.pdf.)

Steve will be engaging with all of us in the coming months to discuss how the ACG as an organization can best address global challenges in a transatlantic context. At a time when the docket of global challenges has seemingly been growing exponentially, we know that this dialogue will be lively and compelling.

Four new ACG Board Members were also elected last week, including two familiar faces who are dedicated to our programs: longtime American-German Young Leaders Conference Steering Committee Chairman Ed McFadden, Vice President for Global Public Policy Communications at Verizon Communications, and Nina Smidt, President of American Friends of Bucerius, our partner organization for the Transatlantic Global Agenda speaker series, which is hosted by Alston & Bird LLP. They are coming onto the Board along with two new faces: Alan Fleischmann, President and CEO of Laurel Strategies, and Courtney Diesel O’Donnell, Global Head of External Affairs of Airbnb.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Steve and also to the four new Board Members. As this new chapter in our history opens, we look forward to continuing the dialogue and to charting a course ahead with all of you – for the betterment of transatlantic ties. There is a world of possibilities.

All the best,

Bill

William R. Harman
Acting President
American Council on Germany