Bob Gates and Bill Richardson Join USGLC Advisory Council

Chaired by Colin Powell, Council Includes a Who’s Who of Former Cabinet Members and Lawmakers

Washington, DC—The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition today announced that former U.S. Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson have joined its National Advisory Council, which is chaired by Colin Powell and includes former Secretaries of State Albright, Baker, Kissinger, Rice, and Shultz among other foreign policy experts.

“Secretary Gates and Governor Richardson are two of the most thoughtful leaders in foreign policy, and we are pleased to have their support and expertise as we continue to promote why U.S. engagement in the world is critical to our national security, economic prosperity, and finest values as a country,” said Executive Director Liz Schrayer.

“Secretary Gates is one of the most effective voices and champions of the International Affairs Budget and over the years never missed an opportunity to promote strong development and diplomacy efforts,” said Schrayer.  “It is very powerful when a sitting Secretary of Defense, speaking at the USGLC’s 2010 conference, says ‘Development is a lot cheaper than sending soldiers.’”

Known as the “coalition of strange bedfellows,” the USGLC brings together corporations and non-governmental organizations from Caterpillar to CARE, Walmart to World Vision, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Save the Children, along with a distinguished group of bipartisan leaders, all dedicated to enhancing our civilian-led tools of development and diplomacy in promoting our nation’s interests in the world.

A complete list of the USGLC Advisory Council can be found here.

The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (www.usglc.org) is a broad-based influential network of 400 businesses and NGOs; national security and foreign policy experts; and business, faith-based, academic and community leaders in all 50 states who support a smart power approach of elevating diplomacy and development alongside defense in order to build a better, safer, more prosperous world.

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