American and German Young Leaders Strategize About Solutions to Myriad Challenges
As 50 young professionals from various fields in the United States and Germany were getting ready to gather in Berlin to analyze and assess today’s geopolitical challenges at the American Council on Germany’s 44th American-German Young Leaders Conference in late July, a momentous technical glitch disrupted global travel. American Young Leaders found themselves dispersed across eight European countries as they tried to make their way to Berlin – whether by plane, train, or automobile – ready to roll up their sleeves and talk with their German counterparts about solutions to the thorniest political, economic, and social issues of the day.
The conference brought together policy experts, Bundestag members and state and local representatives, individuals from finance and the corporate world, lawyers, journalists, and academics – as well as the Chair of the Liquor and Gaming License Board covering Las Vegas – to look at “New Realities for Transatlantic Relations: What Is the Future for Democracy, Security, and Growth?” from July 20 to 25, 2024, in Berlin. The group received a primer on German and U.S. politics and discussed a wide array of topics, including what defines Americans and Germans; our principles, values, and interests; domestic and global priorities; global trade agendas; social cohesion; and NATO’s future as it marks its 75th anniversary. Through presentations and working groups, they plied today’s complex array of geopolitical challenges. They crafted mission statements for the German-American partnership, and they envisioned what a utopian society might encompass. Insights and innovative solutions abounded; even references to pop music provided perspective and entertainment.
The program began when American Young Leaders were treated to a tour of Berlin led by a former resident, ACG President and CEO Dr. Steven E. Sokol. The entire cohort engaged in a team-building activity that further challenged Young Leaders to delve into the history of the city at the heart of the Cold War. They convened in the Bundestag, and one of the Young Leaders, Bundestag member Jakob Blankenburg (SPD), offered a thorough behind-the-scenes tour of the Reichstag before taking the group to enjoy the rooftop views.
In addition to having internal discussions, Young Leaders had the opportunity to meet with officials and experts to talk about a range of issues shaping the transatlantic partnership. During a Fireside Chat with ACG Chairman Ambassador John B. Emerson, Vice Chairman of Capital Group International and former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and Ambassador Emily Haber, a member of Macro Advisory Partners’ Global Advisory Board and former German Ambassador to the United States, breaking news changed the course of the discussion: President Joe Biden had announced he was no longer running for reelection in November. This led to engaging dialogue in real time about the implications.
Young Leaders’ other meeting partners included Bundestag members who were part of the 2024 cohort, Jakob Blankenburg and Paula Piechotta (The Greens), along with Torsten Herbst (FDP) (2011 Young Leader); and a separate discussion with Thomas Silberhorn (CSU). They had briefings from Professor Luise Hölscher, State Secretary in the Federal Finance Ministry, and Colonel Glenn McCartan of the U.S. Marine Corps Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) at the U.S. Department of Defense and Embed in the U.S. European Command. The Young Leaders also discussed Germany’s approach to geopolitical challenges with Federal Government Spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit, who answers directly to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the nuances of cybersecurity with Dr. Markus Richter, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Dr. Thomas Bagger, State Secretary in the German Federal Foreign Office, inspired the cohort with his presentation of the policy challenges of the day and also about the need for leadership at a seminal time. He urged the group to be optimistic in tackling the most daunting of challenges – while also avoiding a key pitfall that can lead to security failures: a lack of imagination.
The Young Leaders also visited the Chancellery for policy briefings with Dr. Steffen Meyer, Chief Economic Advisor to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Dominik Bohnen, Deputy Head of the Division for Security Policy, Non‐Proliferation and Arms Control, Relations with the USA, Canada, Northern, Western, and Southern Europe, and Turkey at the Federal Chancellery, who delved into Germany’s recently released National Security Strategy.
The Council is extremely grateful to the sponsors who helped make the conference possible, including the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and the Victoria Owen Klein Charitable Foundation. Great thanks also go to those who generously hosted the group for meetings at their offices – the Bertelsmann Foundation and the German Savings Banks Association (Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband, DSGV) – and those who sponsored dinners: Deutsche Bank, Freunde des American Council on Germany e.V., Mercedes‐Benz Group AG, Noerr, and Pfizer Inc.
The ACG is indebted to the Young Leaders Conference Steering Committee for the time and effort they dedicate to ensuring the success of the conference. Special thanks go to Committee Chairman Ed McFadden (2002 Young Leader), Senior Vice President, Communications, at the American Financial Services Association, and to committee members Dr. Ronald J. Granieri (2000 Young Leader), Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College, and Sarmad Hussain (2005 Young Leader), Communication Manager at the German Savings Banks Association. The Council is grateful too for the assistance of ACG Vice Chairman Frances Devlin (2012 Young Leader), Head of Strategy, Global Policy and Public Affairs, at Pfizer Inc, on the ground in Berlin.
A conference report will be forthcoming thanks to the dedicated efforts of Conference Rapporteurs Alexandra Chinchilla and Justin Chock.
The weeklong conference is only the beginning of the Young Leaders’ engagement with the ACG. Young Leaders continue to meet over time both at official alumni events and in less formal settings to exchange ideas and deepen the bonds forged during the conference. Even on the immediate heels of the conference, the 2024 Young Leaders were already reuniting in Berlin and buttressing the transatlantic partnership. The ACG looks forward to seeing these connections reinforced in the months and years to come – all in an effort to further strengthen German-American cooperation.
Below is a complete list of the 2024 Young Leaders:
Florian Amberg
Group Head of Public Relations & Communications Intelligence
Allianz SE
Munich
Samuel Bertram
CEO & Co-founder
OnePointOne, Inc
Scottsdale, AZ
Alexander Bialdyga
Future Fuel Manager DACH
Shell Deutschland GmbH
Hamburg
Jakob Blankenberg
Member of the German Parliament (SPD)
Berlin
David Blanton
Major, Brigade Executive Officer
U.S. Army
Fort Cavazos, TX
Dalton Boettcher
Financial Director
Allianz Life Insurance of North America
Golden Valley, MN
Alexandra Chinchilla
Assistant Professor of International Affairs
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
Justin Chock
Senior Instructor in Political Science
U.S. Naval Academy
Washington, DC
Zach Duckworth
Senate Minority Leader
Minnesota State Senate
Lakeville, MN
Maggie Gandhi
Associate Director, U.S. Medical Affairs, Upper Respiratory and Rx-to-OTC Switch
Bayer
Bridgewater, NJ
Tyler Godoff
General Partner
Emerging Founder
West Palm Beach, FL
Art Gordon
Director of Community Engagement
Office of Governor Maura T. Healey
Boston, MA
Ellen Harte
Director
FGS Global
Berlin
Yorck Hesselbarth
Head of Global Infrastructure and Strategic Partnerships
NyonicAI
Berlin
Isabelle Howes
Manager of International Government Affairs
Ford Motor Company
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Mujtaba Ali Isani
DAAD Long-Term Professor of Political Science
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Berlin
Tobias Jaeger
Chief of Staff
Monarch
Berlin
Larissa Karthaus
Policy Advisor
Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz
Berlin
Stefan Katz
Political Analyst, External Affairs – International Operations
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Stuttgart
Nils Lange
Head of Speeches and Communication and Spokesperson to the Press
Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland
Berlin
Kaozouapa Elizabeth Lee
Representative
Minnesota House of Representatives
Saint Paul, MN
Theodore Leonhardt
Associate
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
New York, NY
Zoe Liu
Maurice R. Greenberg Fellow for China Studies
Council on Foreign Relations
New York, NY
Anton Maurer
Sales Director
Infineon Technologies AG
Munich
Marieke Merkle
Associated Partner
Noerr
Munich
William McCurdy II
Clark County Commissioner, District D – Vice Chairman
Board of County Commissioners, Clark County, Nevada
North Las Vegas, NV
Elena Moschner
Principal Project Manager (Managing Director), Wealth Management and Private Banking
Commerzbank AG
Munich
Ibrahim Naber
Chief Reporter
DIE WELT
Berlin
Molly Newell
International Trade Counsel
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
Washington, DC
Michael Oberdorfer
Office of the Chairman of the Board of Management (Chief of staff), Vice President
Robert Bosch GmbH
Gerlingen
Sarah Osterhammel
Head of State Affairs, Germany
Bayer AG
Frechen
Paula Piechotta
Member of the German Parliament (Greens)
Berlin
Jannis Poestges
Senior Sales Partner
Netflix
Berlin
Jeanette Quick
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Financial Institutions Policy
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Washington, DC
Ilka Rasch
Personal Assistant and Consultant to the Management
Business Metropole Ruhr
Gelsenkirchen
Julian Rosenkranz
Director, Vaccines Pipeline
Pfizer Pharma GmbH
Berlin
Keome Rowe
Foreign Service Officer
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC
Bethan Saunders
Policy Advisor
U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
Washington, DC
Sophie Schäffer
Chief of Staff & Policy Advisor for Defense Policy, MdB Niklas Wagener
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
Berlin
Julia Schellhaas
Senior Advisor, Supply Chains
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) – Berlin/Vienna
Vienna
Nike Schneider
EU Coordinator
Parliamentary Group of Free Democrats in the German Bundestag
Berlin
Alexandra Schindele
M&A Finance, Long Term Target Setting (Finance)
BMW
Munich
Conor Sheehey
Senior Policy Advisor
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
Washington, DC
Isaac Stanley-Becker
Staff Writer
The Washington Post
Washington, DC
Christopher Towner
Policy Director
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
Washington, DC
Brigid Ueland
Manager, Federal Government Relations
American Financial Services Association (AFSA)
Washington, DC
Thomas Ulbrich
Director
German Federal Chancellery
Berlin
Melissa Weathers
Vice President, Equity Research
Deutsche Bank AG
New York, NY
Carolin Wefer
Desk Officer, USA
German Federal Foreign Office
Berlin
Felicitas Weileder
Senior Personal Advisor and Desk Officer to Chief of Division I, Directorate-General Joint Force Readiness and Support
German Federal Ministry of Defense
Berlin
Antonia Werther
Global Communications Director
Coty Inc.
Bremen