After Germany’s first confirmed COVID-19 case was documented near Munich, Bavaria was forced to take up the fight against the pandemic. Confronted with high infection rates and located in close proximity to Austria and northern Italy, Bavaria had to act swiftly to prevent a health care disaster. But, as the chair of the Ministers-President Conference, Bavaria was also thrust into the national spotlight – and Bavaria’s successful corona crisis management has led to strong approval ratings for Minister President Markus Söder. There is no doubt that the coronavirus crisis has had public health and economic implications on the federal, state, and local levels in Germany – and the United States.
As communities on both sides of the Atlantic try to move back to normalcy, join us for a timely discussion on Wednesday, July 29, at 10 am ET. The American Council on Germany and the Hanns Seidel Foundation are delighted to host a conversation with Michael Chertoff, Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee ReOpen DC, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of The Chertoff Group, and Dr. Florian Herrmann, Chair of the Bavarian Corona Crisis Task Force, Head of the Bavarian State Chancellery, and State Minister for Federal and European Affairs and Media, titled “Fighting the Pandemic and Balancing Economic, Social, and Health Challenges in Europe and the United States.” The discussion will be moderated by Ann Marie Hauser (2007 ACG Young Leader), Vice President for Public Affairs at The Hudson Institute.
Michael Chertoff is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of The Chertoff Group and the former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009. Before heading up the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Chertoff served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Earlier, during more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted cases of political corruption, organized crime, corporate fraud and terrorism – including the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr. Chertoff is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College (1975) and Harvard Law School (1978). From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.
Dr. Florian Herrmann (CSU) is the Head of the Bavarian State Chancellery, State Minister for Federal and European Affairs and Media, and the Chair of the Bavarian Corona Crisis Task Force. He began his career in politics in 1999 when he became the Director of the Freising branch of the Christian Social Union and thereafter has held many positions within the CSU. Since 2013, Dr. Herrmann has been a member of the CSU Party Executive Board. Since 2008, Dr. Herrmann has been a member of the Bavarian Landtag (State Parliament). Dr. Herrmann received a Master of Law from the University of Pennsylvania and his Ph.D. in international law in Frankfurt, Germany.
Ann Marie Hauser (Moderator) is Vice President of Public Affairs at Hudson Institute and an ACG Young Leader alumna. Previously, she served as the deputy staff director of the Senate Republican Conference chaired by Sen. John Thune (R-SD). She has held prominent communications positions in both private and political realms. In 2011, she served as communications director for Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s presidential bid, and previous government service includes: communications director for Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE); director of public affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce for Sec. Gutierrez; and spokesperson for international affairs at the U.S. Department of Treasury in the George W. Bush administration. Ms. Hauser holds a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University in speech communications and journalism.
