Partnerships for Reskilling in the Americas
Re-skilling and up-skilling initiatives have become vital in helping the most vulnerable populations to achieve more and better economic opportunities. However, to accomplish this, organizations, the private and public sector, and academia must partner up to make this possible across the hemisphere.
Kate Behncken
Kate Behncken is Vice President, Lead of Microsoft Philanthropies.
Microsoft Philanthropies helps realize the company’s mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more by supporting nonprofits and underserved communities around the world. Kate and her team are focused on initiatives – both local and global - that drive scalable and sustainable social impact and economic opportunity for all. Microsoft Philanthropies seeks to create systemic change by expanding digital inclusion, investing in strategic communities, leveraging our own employee engagement, and using technology to build the capacity of nonprofits.
Kate’s previous roles include General Manager of the Microsoft Philanthropies Global Community Engagement team and Associate General Counsel and Chief of Staff to company President and Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith, which included leadership of a team focused on technology and operations. Kate began her career in Australia and previously worked in legal roles across APAC and EMEA.
Kate currently serves on the board of United Way of King County, World Affairs Council of Seattle, Generation Unlimited (UNICEF) and is a member of the CARE Corporate Council.
Paul Dyck
Paul Dyck has served as Walmart’s Vice President for International Government Affairs since October of 2015.
He previously served as Senior Director for International Government Relations beginning in February of 2014. A trade policy and foreign affairs professional with over 15 years of senior-level government and private sector experience, Dyck previously served as Senior Counselor and later Senior Vice President of International Government Relations for APCO Worldwide between March of 2010 and January of 2014.
Between 2006 and 2009, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Europe and Eurasia desks of the International Trade Administration. At the Department of Commerce, he managed U.S. bilateral trade relationship with 52 countries, including the European Union and its member states, Southeastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, the Caucuses and Turkey. He engaged senior foreign officials, business leaders and other stakeholders to eliminate trade barriers, resolve commercial disputes, advocate commercial projects and ensure trading partners met obligations under trade agreements.
Previously, Paul served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of State and as Associate Political Director at the White House.
Paul attended Austin College and the University of London.
PREVIOUS LECTURES
Developing Social Investments in Latin American
Felipe Medina, Chairman of the Initiative Filantropía Innovadora, talks about the evolution from a culture of charity to one of strategic social investment.
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Disruptive ideas in Philanthropy: Impact Investing
Dr. Judith Rodin, former president of the Rockefeller Foundation, pioneer, global thought leader, and author of "Making Money Moral," talks about innovative ways to impact more people through financial markets.
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Finance in vulnerable communities
The globalization and digitization that we are experiencing today have allowed us to create better services and better products to support people in vulnerable contexts. In this conversation, Javier M. Flores, General Director of la Fundación Microfinanzas BBVA, comments on the advances in technology and microfinance and the new challenges our society faces to leave no one behind.
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Digital Citizenship and the Future of Work in the Americas
In recent months we have seen trends that we thought would take years to normalize as the new standard. This conversation will discuss what we need to do as organizations and as individuals to stay professionally current and adapt in times of unprecedented digital acceleration.
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Innovation and Inclusion in the Americas
Innovative practices to promote total inclusion for people with disabilities have proven to be strong drivers of development in other areas. María Catalina Saieh, President of Fundación Descubreme, in conversation with Robert Ivanschitz, General Counsel at Microsoft and board member of The Trust, will address the importance of failure, the power of effective communication between civil society organizations, and the exponential effect of inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.
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Family and Early Childhood Development
Early childhood is decisive in the development of people's lives. How do we do so that in the turbulent world that we are in, we do not lose focus on this transcendent stage? In this conversation, Eva Fernández Garza, Fundación FEMSA's Early Childhood Manager, together with Mauricio Doehner, a member of our board of directors, will touch on topics such as education, family, and examples of resilience in the new normal.
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Philanthropy is for everyone
Most philanthropists aren't famous. Patricia Villela Marino, President of the Humanitas360 Institute, a non-profit organization working to reduce violence and improve the quality of life of the people holds a conversation with Kim Meredith, the newest member of the Board of The Trust for the Americas. We hope the conversation will inspire people from all walks of life to take meaningful action to drive structural change in the Hemisphere.
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