The Kennedy Political Union, in conjunction with the Graduate Leadership Council, is proud to announce that President Bill Clinton will be speaking in Bender Arena at 7pm on Friday, January 27^th. The President will receive the inaugural Wonk of the Year Award. Tickets can be reserved at kpu.eventbrite.com. Questions can be submitted via facebook/twitter/or emailed to kpu@ausg.org

President Clinton is the first recipient of the Wonk of the Year award. The award is given by American University each year to a well-known individual who represents the embodiment of a wonk—someone smart, passionate, focused, and engaged who uses their knowledge and influence to create meaningful change in the world.

Visit the American University web site for more information on the inaugural Wonk of the Year award.

William Jefferson Clinton was the first Democratic president in six decades to be elected twice – first in 1992 and then in 1996. Under his leadership, the country enjoyed the strongest economy in a generation and the longest economic expansion in U.S. history, including the creation of more than 22 million jobs.

After leaving the White House, President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation with the mission to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence.  Today the Foundation has staff and volunteers around the world working to improve lives through several initiatives, including the Clinton Health Access Initiative (formerly the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative), which is helping 4 million people living with HIV/AIDS access lifesaving drugs.

Other initiatives — including the Clinton Climate Initiative, the Clinton Development Initiative, and the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative — are applying a business-oriented approach worldwide to fight climate change and develop sustainable economic growth in Africa and Latin America. As a project of the Foundation, the Clinton Global Initiative brings together global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues. In the U.S., the Foundation is working to combat the alarming rise in childhood obesity through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, and is helping individuals and families succeed and small businesses grow.

In addition his Foundation work, President Clinton has joined with former President George H.W. Bush three times – after the 2004 tsunami in South Asia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Hurricane Ike in 2008 – to help raise money for recovery efforts and served as the U.N. Envoy for Tsunami Recovery.  Building on his longstanding commitment to Haiti as President and through his Foundation, President Clinton was named U.N. Special Envoy for Haiti in 2009 to assist the government and the people of Haiti as they “build back better” after a series of hurricanes battered the country in 2008. Following this year’s devastating earthquake, President Clinton dedicated Clinton Foundation resources to help with immediate and long term relief and assistance, and at the request of President Obama, joined with President George W. Bush to establish the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which supports highly effective organizations on the ground in long term rebuilding efforts. Additionally, President Clinton serves as co-chair of the Interim Haiti Recovery Mission with Prime Minister Bellerive.

President Clinton was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas. He and his wife Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have one daughter, Chelsea, and live in Chappaqua, New York.

If you need interpreters or any other accommodations, contact DSS at  202-885-3315.

Co-sponsored by:

American University College Democrats

EcoSense

The School of Public Affairs

The School of Public Affairs Leadership Program

The School of International Service

The Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at AU