American Council On Germany

NYC: Servant Leader? Germany’s Role in Europe’s New Strategic Leadership”
2019-05-13 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
The ACG and the German Consulate and the German Consulate General will host a Political Salon with Jan Techau, Director of the European Program and Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund in Berlin.
Jan Techau is a senior fellow and director of the Europe Program at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). As a foreign policy analyst, his research focuses on European integration and the EU’s role in the world, German foreign policy, transatlantic relations, and security and defense issues. He is co-author of Führungsmacht Deutschland – Strategie ohne Angst und Anmaßung (2017) and a regular contributor to German and international news media. Before joining GMF, he was the director of the Richard C. Holbrooke Forum for the Study of Diplomacy and Governance at the American Academy in Berlin. From March 2011 to August 2016, Mr. Techau was the director of Carnegie Europe in Brussels. He also served in the NATO Defense College’s Research Division in Rome from February 2010 until February 2011. He was director of the Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin between 2006 and 2010, and from 2001 to 2006 he served at the German Ministry of Defense’s Press and Information Department. He holds an MA in political science from the Christian-Albrechts-Universität in Kiel, Germany. He is an associate scholar at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and an associate fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) in Washington, DC. He lives with his family in Berlin.
Political Salon: Promoting Dialogue Across Generations. This series brings together a diverse group of younger and mid-career professionals for informal, open discussions on a range of current political, economic, and social topics in an increasingly interconnected global environment – with an emphasis on issues of concern for the transatlantic agenda. Speakers share brief remarks and engage in a dynamic discussion with participants. Each salon includes refreshments and networking opportunities.

NYC: Trump and the World: Does America First Mean America Alone?
2019-05-14 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Susan B. Glasser, Staff Writer at the New Yorker.
There is no charge to attend this event. RSVP to American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Susan B. Glasser is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a weekly column on life in Trump’s Washington. She also recently wrote a piece about Trump and Merkel, which can be found here.

Ms. Glasser has served as the top editor of several Washington publications; most recently, she founded the award-winning Politico Magazine and went on to become the editor of Politico throughout the 2016 election cycle. She previously served as the editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy, which won three National Magazine Awards, among other honors, during her tenure.

Before that, Ms. Glasser worked for a decade at the Washington Post, where she was the editor of Outlook and national news. She also oversaw coverage of the impeachment of Bill Clinton, served as a reporter covering the intersection of money and politics, spent four years as the Post’s Moscow co-bureau chief, and covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is the author of “Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the End of Revolution,” which she co-wrote with her husband, Peter Baker. She edited Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, early in her career.

NYC: Transatlantic Stammtisch for Young Professionals
2019-05-29 18:30 - 21:00
The American Council on Germany and the German Academy New York will hold a Transatlantic Stammtisch on Wednesday, May 29.
Transatlantic Stammtisch brings together young professionals for informal networking opportunities with individuals interested in transatlantic relations, Germany, and the German language. Conversations are conducted in both English and German.
Light snacks and drinks will be served.

NYC: The Geopolitics of Cyber: Are We Moving Toward a Tech Cold War
2019-06-07 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Jan Neutze, Senior Director of Digital Diplomacy at Microsoft.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
As Senior Director for Digital Diplomacy, Jan Neutze leads the Cybersecurity & Democracy Team in Microsoft’s Customer Security & Trust organization at the company’s headquarters. He manages the Microsoft “Defending Democracy Program,” which brings together a team of experts focused on defending democratic processes and institutions against cyber-enabled interference. Mr. Neutze also leads the company’s efforts to advance cybersecurity norms as part of Microsoft’s “Digital Peace” initiative focused on reducing cyber conflict. From 2013 to 2017, he built up and managed Microsoft’s cybersecurity program in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). In that role, Mr. Neutze led a team of experts based in Brussels with a focus on cybersecurity policy and regulatory issues as well as a range of strategic projects aimed at managing geopolitical risk. From 2011-2013, Mr. Neutze worked in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing (TwC), focusing on cybersecurity public policy and engaging with partners from government, international organizations, and academia. He currently co-chairs the Global Future Council on Cybersecurity of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and has served in a range of advisory roles on cybersecurity policy issues.
Mr. Neutze joined Microsoft from the UN Headquarters where he served for three years in the Secretary-General’s Executive Office and in the Department of Political Affairs, leading a range of cybercrime and counterterrorism projects. Prior to that, he managed transatlantic policy projects at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Atlantic Council. He holds a J.D. from the University of Münster as well as an M.A. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

NYC: Economic Volatility and the U.S.-German Relationship
2019-06-18 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the Wirtschaftsrunde will host a discussion and luncheon with Karl Matthias Klause, Head of the Economic Department at the German Embassy in Washington, DC.
Space is limited. RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Karl Matthias Klause is a career diplomat in the German Foreign Office. Since October 2017, he has served as the Head of the Economic Department at the German Embassy in Washington, DC, where his focus is on economic affairs, finance, trade, investment, and business, as well as science, education, and infrastructure. Before coming to Washington, he served as the Chief of Staff for Minister of State (Deputy Foreign Minister) Dr. Maria Böhmer. In this role, he advised her on key foreign policy issues, including external economic policy and sustainable development issues, cultural relations and education policy, and Germany’s United Nations and global policies.

Prior to that, he was Director for Central Europe in the Foreign Office, and he worked in the Federal Chancellery and in the Division for Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs as a liaison to the Bundestag. He has served at German Missions in Washington (Spokesperson), London (Cultural Attaché), and Warsaw (Press Attaché). Originally from Westphalia, Mr. Klause studied literature, history, and philosophy in Münster and at the Free University in Berlin. He is a Board member of the German Shakespeare Society.

NYC: After the European Parliamentary Elections: Consequences for Germany and Europe
2019-06-20 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the Hanns Seidel Foundation will host a discussion and luncheon with Stefan Müller, Member of the Bundestag and CSU Whip.
RSVP (acceptances only) to the American Council on Germany at 212-826-3636 or events@acgusa.org.
Stefan Müller is a member of the German Bundestag (CDU/CSU) where he has served since 2002. He has been in the position of CSU Whip since 2009, taking a four-year hiatus to serve as Parliamentary State Secretary for the Federal Ministry of Education and Research from 2013-2017. Mr. Müller is a member of several committees including the Council of Elders, Joint Committee, and Mediation Committees.
He has a professional background in banking, and also serves as an active member of the board of trustees of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the current Chairman of the Erlangen-Höchstadt county branch of the Bavarian Red Cross.

NYC: Don’t be misled! U.S.-EU Trade and Investments are Number One
2019-07-02 08:00 - 09:30
The American Council on Germany and the American Business Forum on Europe will host a breakfast briefing with Joseph Quinlan, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
Joseph Quinlan is managing director and head of market & thematic strategy for the Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) division of Bank of America which includes Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, where he serves as chief market strategist providing economic and market insights, guiding overall investment strategy, both domestically and globally. In this role, Joe leads a team responsible for global market analysis and thematic research in support of asset allocation and portfolio construction among portfolio managers and other investment associates. He is frequently cited in such media venues as Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Financial Times. Mr. Quinlan began his career with Merrill Lynch and served as a senior global economist/strategist for Morgan Stanley. Mr. Quinlan lectures on finance and global economics at Fordham University and regularly lectures at various universities around the world, including Wuhan University in China, where he is a visiting professor. In 1998, he was nominated as an Eisenhower Fellow. Presently, he is a Senior Fellow at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C. and a Senior Fellow at the German Marshal Fund in Brussels, Belgium. In 2006, the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union awarded Mr. Quinlan the 2006 Transatlantic Business Award for his research on U.S.-Europe economic ties. In 2007, he was a recipient of the European-American Business Council Leadership award for his research on the transatlantic partnership and global economy. Mr. Quinlan regularly debriefs policy makers and legislators on Capitol Hill on global trade and economic issues. He has testified before the European Parliament. He is the author, co-author, or contributor to over twenty books. He has published more than 125 articles on economics, trade and finance that have appeared in such venues as Foreign Affairs, the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s. He regularly appears on CNBC, as well as Bloomberg television, PBS and other media venues. He has earned his B.A. in Political Science/International Affairs from Niagara University and M.A. in International Political Economics and Development from Fordham University.

NYC: Current Dynamics in German Domestic Politics and the Implications for German Foreign Affairs
2019-07-11 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a Breakfast Briefing with Dr. Johann Wadephul, Member of the German Bundestag (CDU).
Dr. Johann Wadephul has been a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 1982 and had a long career in state politics (in Schleswig‐Holstein) before being elected to the Bundestag in 2009. He is currently the Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group responsible for foreign affairs, defense, and the interparliamentary conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). He also serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Schleswig‐Holstein state branch of the Small and Medium Enterprises and Business Association (MIT), a member of the Federal Board of CDU Germany, and Chairman of the Rendsburg‐Eckernfoerde county branch of the CDU. He is a lawyer specializing in medical and social law in his own practice. He studied law at Kiel University (CAU) from 1986 to 1991.

NYC: Structural Change and Rising Populism: How Cities Manage these Trends
2019-07-17 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a Breakfast Briefing with Lord Mayor of Dortmund, Ullrich Sierau.
Ullrich Sierau is the Mayor of the City of Dortmund. After completing his degree in urban planning at Dortmund and Oxford, he worked in the Ministry of Urban Development, Housing, and Transportation of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1994 he became the director of the Dortmund-based Institute for Urban and Regional Development Research of North Rhine-Westphalia (ILS). From 1999–2007 he served as councilor and head of Dortmund’s Department for City Planning before being appointed planning officer for Urban Planning and Infrastructure in 2007.
In 2009 Ullrich Sierau was elected as Lord Mayor of the City of Dortmund and was re-elected in 2014. Since his election, Mayor Sierau has put major emphasis on implementing sustainable urban development projects. As a result, Dortmund was awarded the title of Germany’s Most Sustainable City in 2014 and won the title of Germany’s Most Digital City in 2018.

NYC: Transatlantic Stammtisch for Young Professionals
2019-08-15 18:30 - 21:00
The American Council on Germany and the German Academy New York will hold a Transatlantic Stammtisch on Thursday, August 15.
Transatlantic Stammtisch brings together young professionals for informal networking opportunities with individuals interested in transatlantic relations, Germany, and the German language. Conversations are conducted in both English and German.
Appetizers will be provided, Cash Bar.

NYC: Economics, Energy, and the Environment: A German Perspective
2019-09-06 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Dr. Claudia Kemfert, Professor of Energy Economics and Sustainability at the Hertie School of Governance and Head of the Department of Energy, Transportation, and Environment at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW).
This event is open to members of the ACG only.
Dr. Claudia Kemfert is one of Germany’s leading energy economists. Her research focuses on climate change and energy policy. From 2004 until 2009, she was a Professor of Environmental Economics at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Dr. Kemfert is a member of the High-Level Expert Group of the EU Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, the Advisory Group on Energy for the European Commission (DG Research), and the Club of Rome. Dr. Kemfert has advised the EU’s high-level Group on Energy and Climate and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). She studied economics in Oldenburg, Bielefeld, and at Stanford University.

NYC: Creating Stability in Cyberspace: Germany's Rules-Based Approach
2019-09-10 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Wolfram von Heynitz, Head of Cyber Policy Coordination Staff in the German Federal Foreign Office.
Wolfram von Heynitz is the Head of the Cyber Policy Coordination Staff in the German Federal Foreign Office. His previous positions include a term as Research Commissioner of the German Foreign Office and a member of its Policy Planning staff, specializing in cyber policy, cybersecurity, and in the face of emerging challenges, the development of future strategies for the Foreign Office. He also served as Head of the Division for Foresight, in the Ministry’s EU Enlargement Division, as the Political Counsellor at the German Embassy in Tel Aviv dealing with the Middle East Peace Process and Israeli politics, in the private office of the Minister for European Affairs, and in the Office of the Federal President. In addition, he was posted as Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassies in Ireland and Azerbaijan. Before joining the Foreign Service, he graduated from the Université Paris-Sorbonne with a master’s thesis (Maitrise) on artificial intelligence and lectured in philosophy at the Freie Universität Berlin. He also studied in Marburg and at Harvard and holds degrees in both law and philosophy.

NYC: Tectonic Shift? The Green Party and the Changing Political Landscape
2019-09-18 18:00 - 20:00
The American Council on Germany and 1014 Inc. will host a Political Salon with Michael Kellner, Political Director for Alliance 90/The Greens.
Michael Kellner has been the Political Director of Alliance 90/The Greens since October 2013. From 2011 to 2013, he was spokesman for the Federal Working Group on Peace and International Politics. Prior to that, he worked for German politician Frithjof Schmidt. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Kellner was head of the office of former party leader Claudia Roth and a member of the election campaign staff for the parliamentary elections in 2005 and 2009. He studied political science in Potsdam (Germany), Canterbury (the UK), and East Lansing (USA).
Political Salon: Promoting Dialogue Across Generations. This series brings together a diverse group of younger and mid-career professionals for informal, open discussions on a range of current political, economic, and social topics in an increasingly interconnected global environment – with an emphasis on issues of concern for the transatlantic agenda. Speakers share brief remarks and engage in a dynamic discussion with participants. Each salon includes refreshments and networking opportunities.

NYC: The Evolving Political Landscape in Germany and the Transatlantic Relationship
2019-09-20 08:00 - 10:30
The ACG will host a Breakfast Briefing with Thomas Oppermann, Vice President of the German Bundestag.
Thomas Opperman was elected Vice-President of the German Bundestag on October 24, 2017. A member of the SPD, Mr. Opperman has been in Parliament since 2005, most recently as chairman of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag from 2013 to 2017. In 1975, Mr. Opperman began his undergraduate studies in Tübingen, focusing on German and English language studies. From 1976 to 1978 he was a volunteer with the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (ARSP) in the USA. Upon his return to Germany, Mr. Oppermann studied law at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, where he passed the first state examination in 1983, and the second state exam in 1986. In 1985 he was elected deputy chairman of the Göttingen subdistrict branch of the SPD, going on to become chairman in 1989. Following the 1990 Landtag elections, Mr. Oppermann entered the Lower Saxony state parliament, where he was spokesman on legal affairs for the SPD parliamentary group until 1998. That year, he was appointed state minister for science and culture. Following the SPD’s defeat at the 2003 Landtag elections, Mr. Oppermann took on the role of spokesman on economic policy for the parliamentary group.

NYC: German Identity and the Rise of Populism
2019-09-23 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG will host a discussion and luncheon with Ali Aslan, (2010 ACG Young Leader) International Television Presenter and Journalist.
Ali Aslan is an international renowned TV presenter and journalist with more than 20 years’ experience as a talk-show host, news anchor, correspondent, and moderator. His journalistic career spans three continents and includes work for CNN in Washington, DC, ABC News in New York, Channel News Asia in Istanbul, and Deutsche Welle TV in Berlin. An experienced TV anchor, Mr. Aslan hosted the international talk show “Quadriga” on DW, which reached 200 countries and 90 million viewers each week. He regularly moderates at high-level global conferences and has shared the stage with top world leaders and personalities, including Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, Justin Trudeau, Bill Clinton, and Christine Lagarde. Mr. Aslan studied international affairs and journalism at Columbia University and international politics at Georgetown University.

NYC: The U.S.-China Trade War's Impact on Germany
2019-10-01 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Metin Hakverdi, Member of the German Bundestag (SPD).
Metin Hakverdi joined the SPD in 2002, and has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013. He serves on the Bundestag’s Committee on European Union Affairs and on the Finance Committee. He is the Chairman of the USA/North America Working Group within the SPD Parliamentary Group and a member of the German-American Parliamentary Friendship Group in the German Bundestag.
Before being elected to the Bundestag, Mr. Hakverdi was a member of the Parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg from 2008 to 2013, where he was on the Budget Committee and the Committee of Public Companies and Assets. He attended high school in Simi Valley, California, in 1985/86 and studied law at the Christian-Albrecht University in Kiel and at Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law. He became licensed to practice law in 2000.

NYC: The Global Effects of Transatlantic Trade Tensions, the Role of Central Banks in Europe, and the Challenges Facing the Deutsche Bundesbank
2019-10-16 12:30 - 14:00
The ACG and the Council on Foreign Relations will host a discussion and luncheon with Dr. Jens Weidmann, President of the Deutsche Bundesbank and Member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (2004 ACG Young Leader); moderated by Dr. John Lipsky, Peter G. Peterson Distinguished Scholar at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (ACG Board Member).
This event is only open to members of the ACG and CFR.
Dr. Jens Weidmann has been President of the Deutsche Bundesbank and a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank since 2011. He has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements since November 2015. After earning his Ph.D. in Economics from Bonn University, Dr. Weidmann worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC, from 1997 to 1999, before becoming the Secretary General of the German Council of Economic Experts, until 2003. From 2003 to 2006, Dr. Weidmann was the Head of the Deutsche Bundesbank’s Monetary Policy and Analysis Division, and Deputy Head of the Economics Department, during which time he took part in the ACG’s Young Leaders Conference (2004).

Dr. John Lipsky (moderator) is a member of the ACG Board and the Peter G. Peterson Distinguished Scholar at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Prior to that, he served as First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Earlier, Dr. Lipsky served as Vice Chairman of the JPMorgan Investment Bank, JPMorgan’s Chief Economist, and Chase Manhattan Bank’s Chief Economist and Director of Research. He was Chief Economist of Salomon Brothers, Inc., from 1992 until 1997, after directing Salomon Brothers’ European Economic and Market Analysis Group. Before that, he spent a decade at the IMF. Dr. Lipsky earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Wesleyan University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.

NYC: A World Beyond the Wall
2019-10-17 18:30 - 21:30
The ACG, 1014 Inc., and the Consulate General of Germany will host a discussion and reception with Belinda Cooper, Professor at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights and New York University’s Center for Global Affairs; Hon. David Gill, German Consul General in New York (1992 ACG Young Leader); Stefan Roloff, German-American Artist from West Berlin; and Harf Zimmermann, German photographer from East Berlin.
RSVP here by Monday, October 14, 2019.
The panel “A World Beyond the Wall” will reflect on the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 that eventually led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and culminated in German unification and the vision of a “new age of democracy, peace, and unity” as drafted by the Charter of Paris one year later. As the cohesive power of this vision has diminished and democratic institutions and practices come under attack on both sides of the Atlantic, the discussion will also touch on the challenges that are shaping our world today.

NYC: Populism and Nationalism on the Rise: A German Perspective
2019-10-21 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the Wirtschaftsrunde will host a discussion and luncheon with Stefan Schlüter, Program Director at the Diplomatic Academy of the German Foreign Office in Berlin.
Stefan Schlüter served in the German Foreign Office until the summer of 2017 and is now a Program Director at the Diplomatic Academy in Berlin. After studying political science at the University of Hamburg, Mr. Schlüter joined the German Foreign Office in 1979. His first foreign assignments brought him to Buenos Aires and Algiers. From 1986 to 1990 he served as the spokesman of the German Embassy in Tel Aviv before returning to the Foreign Office in Bonn as desk officer for the Maghreb countries. From 1992 to 1995 he served as Deputy Consul General in Los Angeles before returning to Bonn as Deputy Director for the southern part of Latin America. From 2000 to 2004, he was posted to the United States a second time, and served as Deputy Consul General in New York City before moving to Buenos Aires as Deputy Chief of Mission. In 2007 he returned to the Foreign Office in Berlin to assume the position of Director for Conflict Prevention, Peace-Building, Democracy Promotion and State-Building, promoting German projects in this field world-wide. In 2010 he was appointed Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean Region, residing in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago before moving on to his last assignment as Consul General in San Francisco in 2014.

NYC: In the Shadows of Reunification: The Treuhand and the Legacy of Privatization in the Former GDR
2019-10-24 18:00 - 20:00
The American Council on Germany, the University Alliance Ruhr, and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany will host a discussion and reception with James J. Black, Of Counsel at Morrison & Foerster LLP, and Dr. Marcus Böick, Professor of Contemporary History at Ruhr University Bochum.
James J. Black is Of Counsel at Morrison & Foerster LLP in Washington, DC, where he advises German and Austrian companies on mergers and acquisitions and other business matters in the United States. He has a JD and an MA (German) from the University of Virginia and worked in Frankfurt for 10 years, including as a partner and head of the U.S. law practice at a major international law firm. As a Robert Bosch Fellow in Berlin in 1996-97, Mr. Black worked on privatization matters at the Bundesanstalt für vereinigungsbedingte Sonderaufgaben (BvS, Federal Institution for Special Issues Arising from German Unification), the successor to the Treuhand, which took up its work on January 1, 1995.

Dr. Marcus Böick teaches contemporary history at Ruhr University Bochum, where he studied history, political science, and social psychology. His main interests are German and European contemporary and economic history – with a particular focus on structural change. His recent books include Die Treuhand. Idee – Praxis – Erfahrung 1990-1994 (2018), Wahrnehmung und Bewertung der Arbeit der Treuhandanstalt (2017), and Marketization/Vermarktlichung (2015). His new research project focuses on the emergence of the private security industry in Germany and the United States.

NYC: Inclusive Foreign Policy: The Role of Culture in Transatlantic Affairs
2019-10-29 13:00 - 14:30
The American Council on Germany and the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York will host a discussion and luncheon with Michelle Müntefering, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office.
Michelle Müntefering has been Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office since March 2018. Concurrently, she has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013 and has served as Vice President of the Deutsch-Türkische Gesellschaft e.V. Berlin since June 2015. Prior to her appointment as Minister of State, Ms. Müntefering was the spokesperson of the SPD parliamentary group on cultural relations and education policy from 2015 to 2017. Ms. Müntefering’s political career began in 2002, when she became the Deputy Chair of the SPD in her hometown of Herne. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a focus on economics and participated in a traineeship at Vorwärts Verlagsgesellschaft (publishing house) in Berlin from 2008 to 2010.

NYC: Defending Freedom: How to Make Liberal Democracy Great Again
2019-11-05 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the Heinrich Boell Foundation will host a discussion and luncheon with Ralf Fücks, Managing Director of the Center for Liberal Modernity and Author of Defending Freedom: How We Can Win the Fight for an Open Society.
Ralf Fücks is Managing Director of the Center for Liberal Modernity, a German think tank that was founded in 2017. He came to this role after more than 20 years with the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, the political foundation associated with the Greens. At the center of his work were green economics and ecological innovation, migration, the future of Europe, and international politics. Before that, he was Co-Chair of the Greens (1989/​90) and Senator for Environment and City Development in Bremen.
Mr. Fücks is considered to be a prominent thinker seeking cross-party discourse, publishing in leading newspapers and delivering speeches as part of the public debate. He is an advocate for liberal ecology politics focusing on innovation rather than prohibition. Of special importance to him is a dialogue with the economy, which he considers an invaluable actor in a “green industrial revolution.” He is coordinator of the committee “Ecological Modernization” within the Petersburg Dialogue. Mr. Fücks is a committed European and transatlanticist as well as a proponent of the democratic opposition in Russia, Ukraine, and other eastern European countries.

NYC: The Fall of the Wall 30 Years On: Lessons from One of History’s Most Unexpected Inevitable Events
2019-11-14 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Ambassador John C. Kornblum Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
Ambassador John C. Kornblum has a long record of service in the United States and Europe both as a diplomat and as a businessman. He is recognized as an eminent expert on U.S.-European political and economic relations, in particular in central and eastern Europe. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 1997 to 2001. Before that, he occupied a number of high-level diplomatic posts, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, special envoy for the Dayton Peace Process, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Process), Deputy U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and U.S. Minister and Deputy Commandant of Forces in divided Berlin. From 2001 to 2009, he was Chairman of Lazard Freres Germany. He currently serves as Senior Counsellor to the international law firm Noerr LLP and as a senior advisor to the worldwide consultancy Accenture. Ambassador Kornblum has also served on a number of Supervisory and Advisory Boards, including those of ThyssenKrupp Technologies AG, Bayer AG, Russell Reynolds, and Motorola Europe. He is a member of the Boards of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany, the American Academy in Berlin, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, and of numerous nonprofit organizations on both sides of the Atlantic, and he is a former ACG Board member. He received a B.A. from Michigan State University in 1964, and he has been the recipient of many awards, including a Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit from Germany and an Order of Merit from Austria.

NYC: European (Dis)Integration: Brexit and the Future of the EU
2019-11-15 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Ambassador Peter Wittig, German Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Peter Wittig has served as German Ambassador to the United Kingdom since July 2018. He served as Ambassador to the United States from 2014 to 2018. Prior to this, he was German Ambassador to the United Nations in New York from 2009 to 2014 representing Germany during its tenure as a member of the UN Security Council in 2011 and 2012. Ambassador Wittig joined the German Foreign Service in 1982. He has served at the Embassy in Madrid; as private secretary to the Foreign Minister at the headquarters, then located in Bonn; and as Ambassador in Lebanon and in Cyprus. He was the German Government Special Envoy on the “Cyprus question” (the division of Cyprus). He has acquired extensive knowledge of the Middle East. Before starting his career in the German Foreign Service, Ambassador Wittig studied history, political science, and law at Bonn, Freiburg, Canterbury, and Oxford universities and taught as an Assistant Professor at the University of Freiburg.

NYC: Transatlantic Stammtisch for Young Professionals
2019-11-21 18:30 - 20:30
The American Council on Germany will hold a Transatlantic Stammtisch on Thursday, November 21.
$10 to attend includes first drink. Snacks provided.
Transatlantic Stammtisch brings together young professionals for informal networking opportunities with individuals interested in transatlantic relations, Germany, and the German language. Conversations are conducted in both English and German.

NYC: Citizens, Cities, and Cooperation
2019-11-26 18:00 - 20:00
Providing mobility, health, education, job opportunities, and a safe and clean living environment in times of structural as well as climate change are common challenges for municipalities around the globe. A lot can be achieved at the local level. Through international city2city cooperation, these achievements can be shared, spreading best practices and impact beyond city limits and national borders.
Following a workshop, the public panel discussion will address the benefits of city2city cooperation, including corporate and civil society initiatives, and brings together experts and practitioners to answer the following questions: When does city2city cooperation work well? What are the challenges to international city cooperation? What role does the corporate and civil society sector play?
Panel discussion with Miriam Roure, Christian Herzog, and Andrés Ramirez.
Miriam Roure is passionate about improving cities through technology and design. She is the Program Director at URBAN-X, an accelerator built by MINI and Urban Us, dedicated to investing in and supporting entrepreneurs developing urban solutions. Previously, Miriam worked at MIT Senseable City Lab, a research laboratory dedicated to exploring the future of cities from a data and sensor-based technology perspective. Trained as an architect and urban planner, she also worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in Rotterdam. Miriam holds degrees from Harvard University (MArchII) and Cornell University (BArch). She co-organized the first Harvard xDesign Conference in 2013.
Urban X
Christian Herzog is the first point of contact at Berlin Partner for startups, investors, to be digitized SMEs and upscaling companies being interested in Berlin. Over the last 4 years, he has grown the capital into a “Start Alliance” aiming to strengthen the cooperation between Berlin and other international startup hubs, such as NYC, Tel Aviv, Shanghai and Paris. Christian holds the position of Head of Division Digital Business and drives the development of Berlin as an internationally known place to be for startups and as a breeding ground for innovations in the area of Smart Cities, ICT, Media, Creative Industries and Digital Transformation.
Berlin Partner for Business and Technology
Start Alliance
Andrés Felipe Ramirez is a Colombian writer, curator and cultural producer, working in the realm of architecture, urban planning and media. He is the co-founder and Managing Director of PLANE–SITE, an agency devoted to the production and dissemination of original content about the built environment. At PLANE–SITE, Andrés leads a wide-range of projects – from exhibitions and publications, to design competitions and international conferences. Andrés co-founded and directs Aerial Futures, a nonprofit research platform that convenes timely conversations surrounding the architecture of flight. Andrés conceived the traveling exhibition Denise Scott Brown: Wayward Eye (2018); curated Garden City Mega City, Urban Ecosystems of WOHA, at the Museum of the City of Mexico (2017); curated of the first contribution of the Seychelles to the XV Venice Architecture Biennale Between Two Waters, Searching for Expression in the Seychelles (2016), and co-curated Medellín, Topography of Knowledge at the Aedes Architecture Forum (2015).
PLANE-SITE
In cooperation with Berlin Partner, TOA, the German Consulate General New York , the American Council on Germany, and TEP.
Please register here to join us for the panel discussion.

NYC: The Future of German Politics and Transatlantic Relations: A View from Bavaria
2019-12-03 18:00 - 20:00
The ACG and the Hans Seidel Foundation will host a discussion and reception with Markus Blume, Secretary General of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and Member of the Bavarian State Parliament; Stephan Mayer, Secretary of State at the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Community; and Alexander Radwan, Member of the German Bundestag and Member of the Finance Committee and of the Committee of Foreign Affairs.
Markus Blume has been a Member of the Bavarian State Parliament since 2008 and the Secretary General of the Christian Social Union (CSU) since 2018. He has also served as the Chairman of the CSU Economic Commission since 2011. Mr. Blume first studied physics at the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, then political science at the Bavaria School of Public Policy Munich.
Stephan Mayer has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 2002 and the Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building, and Community since 2018. Prior to being appointed as the Secretary of State, Mr. Mayer served as Spokesperson for Homeland Security of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group between 2013 and 2017. He holds a degree in law from the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich.
Alexander Radwan has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 2013, where he is a Member of the Finance Committee and of the Committee of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Radwan also serves as Spokesperson for Middle East Affairs. Prior to being appointed to the Bundestag, Mr. Radwan served as a Member of the European Parliament (CSU/European People’s Party) from 1999 to 2008 and then as a Member of the Bavarian State Parliament from 2008 to 2013. Mr. Radawan studied Mechanical Engineering at the Fachhochschule Munich, then law at the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich.

NYC: 27th Annual John J. McCloy Awards Dinner
2019-12-04 18:00 - 22:00

NYC: From the Peaceful Revolution to German Unification: Reflecting on 30 Years Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall
2019-12-09 12:00 - 14:00
The ACG and the Consulate General of Germany will host a discussion and luncheon with Markus Meckel, former Foreign Minister of the GDR and former Member of the German Bundestag (SPD).
Markus Meckel is a German politician and former Protestant pastor who was a prominent critic of the East German (GDR) regime. He grew up in the German Democratic Republic and was a member of the opposition starting in the 1970s. In 1989, he co-founded the Social Democratic Party in the GDR and became its deputy chairman. After the first free democratic elections in the GDR, he served as Foreign Minister and negotiated German unification in the framework of the 2+4 talks involving the two Germanies and the four allied powers. Later he served as a member of the German Bundestag from 1990 to 2009.

NYC: Protecting You Digital Identity: The Future of Data Security
2019-12-13 08:00 - 09:30
The ACG will host a breakfast briefing with Professor Dr. Christoph Meinel, CEO of the Hasso Plattner Institute and Dean of the Digital Engineering Faculty at Potsdam University.
Professor Dr. Christoph Meinel is CEO of the Hasso Plattner Institut and Dean of the Digital Engineering Faculty at Potsdam University. He is also a Professor of Computer Science at HPI and holds the Chair of Internet Technologies and Systems. He teaches courses on IT Systems Engineering in HPI’s Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programs and on the MOOC (massive open online courses) platform developed by his team openHPI. He supervises numerous Ph.D. projects and is a teacher at the HPI School of Design Thinking.
Professor Dr. Meinel’s current research focuses on security engineering, knowledge engineering, and Web 3.0/Semantic Web. He is also scientifically active in Design Thinking research. His earlier scientific work concentrated on efficient algorithms and complexity theory. He is the author or coauthor of more than 25 books and anthologies, as well as numerous conference proceedings. He has had more than 550 (peer-reviewed) papers published in scientific journals and at international conferences and holds a number of international patents. He is a member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), Director of the HPI-Stanford Design Thinking Research Program, Honorary Professor at the TU Beijing and at the Dalian University of Technology, Visiting Professor at Shanghai University, Concurrent Professor at the University of Nanjing, and a member of numerous scientific committees and Supervisory Boards.
