FIRST CPP DINNER FOR THE SPRING 2019 CLASS
On June 18th – Partnership for a Secure America held the first of three off-the-record dinners for the CPP Spring class. This dinner featured former Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) to discuss the state of the current partisan divide in Congress and the role of Congress in diplomacy. Congressman Kolbe is currently a Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and advises on trade matters as well as issues of effectiveness of US assistance to foreign countries, on U.S.-EU relations and on migration as it relates to development. He previously served as the co-chairman of the Transatlantic Task Force on Development, making strategic recommendations on development for the U.S. administration as well as to European audiences.
This was a closed event for the Spring 2019 Congressional Partnership Program fellows.
This event was made possible by the generous support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Jim Kolbe
Jim Kolbe currently serves as a senior transatlantic fellow at GMF. He advises on trade matters as well as issues of effectiveness of U.S. assistance to foreign countries, on U.S.–EU relationships, and on migration and its relationship to development.
From 2008-10, he co-chaired the Transatlantic Taskforce on Development with Gunilla Carlsson, the Swedish minister for international development cooperation. The Taskforce consisted of experts from both sides of the Atlantic from governments, NGOs, foundations, and corporations and made strategic recommendations on development for the U.S. administration as well as to European audiences. From 2011-12, he co-chaired another task force with the Swedish minister for trade. This task force developed a strategic plan for launching U.S.–EU trade negotiations, which are now known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks.
For 22 years, Kolbe served in the U.S. House of Representatives, elected for 11 consecutive terms from 1985 to 2007. He represented the Eighth (previously designated the Fifth) congressional district, comprising the southeastern part of Arizona. Prior to coming to Congress, he served for six years in the Arizona State Senate.
Kolbe graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and from Stanford University with an MBA and concentration in economics.
