The PBLN Summit on Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy

With the economy and our communities reeling from the effects of short-sighted business practices and public policies, the Progressive Business Leaders Network (PBLN) brought together over 200 CEOs, thought leaders, and top public policy officials on Friday, November 20 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for the PBLN’s Summit on Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy.

The event featured Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, and U.S. Senate Candidates including Congressman Michael Capuano, Alan Khazei, Stephen Pagliuca, and Jack E. Robinson.  Other special guests included Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, and American Prospect co-founder Robert Kuttner. Joining them were CEOs that included Richard Pops of Alkermes, Janet Kraus of Spire, Martin Madaus of Millipore Corporation, Jim Roosevelt of Tufts Health Plan, Patti Prairie of Brighter Planet, and Paul Sagan of Akamai Technologies

Focusing around the belief that business leaders must be an integral part of the solution to some of our most pressing challenges, the event sparked innovative peer-to-peer engagement and ideas on public policy and business best practices with topics that included:

• Pricing Carbon to Address Climate Change
• How to build more Affordable Housing
• Economic Development that Creates Jobs
• Healthcare Reform and Cost Containment
• Innovation in K-12 Education
• Clean Tech and Life Sciences Cluster Development
• Technology Companies And Public Policy
• Zero Taxes for Zero Net-Energy Buildings
• Measuring the Corporate Carbon Footprint

Download the Quicktime plugin to view Summit photos

Agenda | Media advisory | Become a member

Presenters Included
Laura Bartsch, Principal, Millville Partners Noah Berger, Executive Director Mass. Budget & Policy Center JudyAnn Bigby, Secretary of Health and Human Services (MA) Tina Brooks, Undersecretary of Housing/Economic Development (MA) Jeffrey Bussgang, Partner Flybridge Capital Partners US Representative Michael Capuano, US Senate Candidate (MA) Glen Comiso, Exec. Director, Mass. Life Sciences Collaborative Justin Dangel, CEO, Consumer United Nick D'Arbeloff, President, NE Clean Energy Council Tom Dretler, President & CEO, Eduventures, Inc. Jonah Edelman, CEO, Stand for Children Phil Edmundson, CEO William Gallagher Associates Paul Egerman, CEO Egerman Associates Chris Gabrieli, Chairman, Mass 2020 Paul Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation Winston Henderson, Vice President & General Counsel, Surface Logix Matthew Henshon, Founding Partner, Henshon Parker MA State Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington)		Alan Khazei, Founder, City Year, & US Senate Candidate (MA) Janet Kraus, CEO, Sprire Robert Kuttner, Founder & Co-Editor The American Prospect Paul Levy, CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Dr. Gene Lindsey, CEO Atrius Health Martin Madaus, CEO, Millipore Jack Manning, CEO, Boston Capital Corporation Brenda McKenzie, Dir. of Economic Development, Boston Redevelopment Authority Tom O'Brien, Managing Director The HYM Invesment Group Stephen Pagliuca, US Senate Candidate (MA) Patti Prairie, CEO Brighter Planet Richard Pops, Chairman, President & CEO, Alkermes Paul Reville, Secretary of Education (MA) Jack E. Robinson, US Senate Candidate (R-MA) Jim Roosevelt, CEO Tufts Health Plan Paul Sagan, CEO, Akamai Mark Shirman, CEO Glasshouse Technologies Edith Silva, Partner, Next Street Financial Stephen E. Smith, Jr., Founding Partner, KSS Realty Group US Representative Niki Tsongas (D-MA) Mitch Tyson, CEO Advanced Electron Beams Anne Wass, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association
List of attendees | Speaker bios

Brighter Planet: The official Carbon Off-Set Sponsor of the PBLN Summit

PBLN is pleased to be partnering with Brighter Planet, a Vermont-based company that develops products and services to help individuals and companies decrease their impact on the environment. Brighter Planet is the official Carbon Offset Sponsor of the PBLN Summit and will be purchasing carbon offsets on behalf of the PBLN to help create a carbon-neutral conference.

Photos from PBLN's "Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy" summit at the JFK Presidential Library - November 2009

Tom Clay, CEO of Xtalic Corporation.	Tom Dretler, President & CEO at Eduventures, Inc., and President of PBLN delivers the welcome address.
Susan Hunt Stevens, Founder of Practically Green.	Tom O’Brien, Managing Director of the HYM Investment Group, leads a roundtable discussion on creating a housing market that is affordable and sustainable.
Laura Bartsch, Principal at Millville Partners, leads a round-table discussion on messaging energy efficiency.	Janet Kraus, former CEO of Spire, Inc. leads a discussion on affecting change in the corporate carbon footprint.
Martin Madaus, CEO at Millipore Corporation.	Fred McKinney, President of the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council.
Phil Budden, Consul General of the British Consulate.	"Tom Dretler, President & CEO at Eduventures, Inc., and PBLN President with Andy Tarsy, PBLN Executive Director.
Brenda McKenzie, Director of Development at the Boston Redevelopment Authority.	Priscilla Douglas, Vice President at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Loretta Sherblom, President of LHS Benefits.
Aaron Abend, Managing Director at Recombinant Data, Tom Dretler, President & CEO at Eduventures, Inc., and Ted Stimpson, CEO at Imagitas, listen in during a discussion on healthcare coverage.	Jim Lampert, President & CEO of Global Green Consulting Group, and Susan Kaplan, Marketing Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.
Massachusetts State Rep. Jay Kaufman, PBLN co-Chair and Flybridge Capital Partners General Partner Jeff Bussgang, and Jeff Glass, Managing Director at Bain Capital Ventures.	J.J. Bartlett, CEO of Fishing Partnership Health Plan and Philip Edmundson, CEO of William Gallagher Associates.
John Davidow, Executive Director of WBUR.org and Paul Levy, President and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.	Mitch Tyson, PBLN Energy/ Environment Working Group Chair and CEO at Advanced Electron Beams.
Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services.	Paul Sagan, CEO of Akamai Technologies, leads the Education Working Group panel discussion.
Chris Gabrieli, PBLN co-Chair and Chairman of Massachusetts 2020, participates on PBLN’s Education Working Group panel discussion.	Nick d’Arebeloff, Vice President of Enterprise Energy Management at EnerNOC, Martin Madaus, CEO at Millipore Corp., Patti Prairie, CEO at Brighter Planet, and MA. State Representative Jay Kaufman speak during PBLN’s Energy/Environment Working Group panel discussion on the business role in climate change.
Jim Roosevelt, Jr., PBLN co-Honorary Chair and PBLN Healthcare/Life Sciences Working Group Co-Chair, leads the Healthcare/Life Sciences Working Group panel discussion on cost containment in healthcare.	Paul Egerman, co-Founder and former CEO at eScription, introduces Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.	Milton Benjamin, President at Initiative for a New Economy.
Bob Crowe, co-Managing Partner at Nelson Mullins, and Brian Carey, PBLN Healthcare/Life Sciences co-Coordinator and Partner, Foley Hoag, LLP.	Norm Gorin, Managing Principal CFO at Analysis Group, Congressman Michael Capuano (D-MA), and Bob Crowe.
David Belluck, Managing Partner at Riverside Partners, and Alan Khazei.	Massachusetts Senate candidates Alan Khazei, Jack E. Robinson, Congressman Mike Capuano (D-MA), and Stephen Pagliuca.
Jeff Bussgang, PBLN co-Chair and General Partner at Flybridge Capital Partners	Chris Pinney, Director of Research and Policy at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, Anthony Artuso, former Vice President at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Katherine Catlin, Partner at Catlin and Cookman Group.
Denise Williams, Executive Director of One Family, and Eydie Silva.	Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas (D-MA) speaks to guests during the reception.
Beth Boland, Partner at Bingham McCutchen, LLP., with Katherine Catlin, Partner at Catlin and Cookman Group, and Janet Kraus, former CEO at Spire, Inc.

PBLN Summit on Business Leadership and Public Policy on November 20 A Great Success

With the economy and our communities reeling from the effects of short-sighted business practices and public policies, the Progressive Business Leaders Network (PBLN) brought together over 200 CEOs, thought leaders, and top public policy officials on Friday, November 20 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for the PBLN’s Summit on Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy.

The event featured Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, and U.S. Senate Candidates including Congressman Michael Capuano, Alan Khazei, Stephen Pagliuca, and Jack E. Robinson.  Other special guests included Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, and American Prospect co-founder Robert Kuttner. Joining them were CEOs that included Richard Pops of Alkermes, Janet Kraus of Spire, Martin Madaus of Millipore Corporation, Jim Roosevelt of Tufts Health Plan, Patti Prairie of Brighter Planet, and Paul Sagan of Akamai Technologies

Focusing around the belief that business leaders must be an integral part of the solution to some of our most pressing challenges, the event sparked innovative peer-to-peer engagement and ideas on public policy and business best practices with topics that included:

• Pricing Carbon to Address Climate Change
• How to build more Affordable Housing
• Economic Development that Creates Jobs
• Healthcare Reform and Cost Containment
• Innovation in K-12 Education
• Clean Tech and Life Sciences Cluster Development
• Technology Companies And Public Policy
• Zero Taxes for Zero Net-Energy Buildings
• Measuring the Corporate Carbon Footprint

Download the Quicktime plugin to view Summit photos

Agenda | Media advisory | List of attendees | Speaker bios

Welcome to PBLN's Summit on "Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy"

More than 225 CEOs, executives, government and policy leaders are gathered at the John F. Kennedy Library today for the PBLN Summit. Our aims are to build our network and to make clear our desire to educate business leaders and the public about a new definition of what is "good for business." Our dynamic working groups have asked us to focus on the following three issues - all of which are brought into focus by our first three policy statements which can be found in their entirety here.

Aggressive Health Care Cost Containment. While Congress debates health care reform, we fully embrace the Massachusetts model and are ready to pursue a far more ambitious restructuring of health care. The next frontier of health reform is cost containment – including a proposal to move away from the traditional fee-for-service payment model toward a system of “global payment.”  PBLN supports the recommendations of a recent Commission report that calls for dramatic payment reform. The details will have to be worked through thoughtfully but universal health care is not possible without a major mind-shift about how we contain costs - all without stifling innovation in health care or life sciences or compromising the quality of care. Read more.

Putting a Real Price on Carbon. PBLN supports the “cap-and-trade” system proposed in federal climate change legislation – but there is much more that can be done than is even on the table at the moment. The United States should be leading the world in the aspiration and the action to become a new energy economy, and a leader in the production of the new technologies it will take to get there. And as we unleash market forces by pricing carbon emissions, we must seriously account for the impact on some jobs and small businesses that will result. These imperfections can be anticipated in a market-based solution and as progressives we support pro-active public-private partnerships to help seed new innovative industries, invest in job training, and plan for reducing the impact of higher energy prices on small businesses and households too. Change is hard. And it requires vision - an ability to see a better future that simply does not exist if we stand still. Read more.

Making Innovation the Norm in Education. As the Massachusetts legislature continues to debate the most sweeping education reforms in a generation, PBLN has strongly supported innovation that brings excellence to the classrooms of all students. We strongly support charter schools, and want the opportunities they create to be available to children from the full range of backgrounds and experiences in our communities. We also insist that innovative approaches to education be available system-wide and especially in the most challenged and underperforming schools. We believe these reforms must be comprehensive and must begin right away. We support the Race to the Top Coalition in its aim to get the innovations we need to qualify for federal Race to the Top innovation funding from the US Department of Education. Read more.

These are the positions adopted by the PBLN Board of Directors at the recommendation of our Working Groups. We look forward to learning together in our network about the urgency of these issues and how we as business leaders can help shape positive outcomes.

PBLN Education Policy Statement

The following policy statement reflects the position of PBLN. This position was developed by the PBLN Education  Group and adopted by the PBLN Board of Directors. We encourage individual business leaders to “opt-in” by signing on to our policy statements, which PBLN may use publicly to advance awareness of our position. If you would like to opt-in and sign on to any or all of these three policy statements, you may do so by emailing PBLN Director of Operations Aaron Chalek at aaron@pbln.org.

Values Statement
There is nothing more important for securing our future than the education of our children. The achievement gap along racial and economic lines in the United States is a reflection of grave social injustice and must be addressed as a top educational priority. The risk of education in the United States falling behind the educational standards of other leading nations presents both a moral and strategic imperative. We believe that the business community has an important role to play in addressing complex social sector issues like education; and we are committed to empowering innovative thinkers and education entrepreneurs to create new possibilities for children. It is in this spirit that PBLN supports passage of education reforms that bring access to innovation and excellence for all students from cradle to college. At the same time we view these innovations in education as essential contributions to the invention of a sustainable, competitive economy defined by shared and lasting opportunity and prosperity.

 

Policy Statement

1. We support all public schools, including charter schools
2. We support policies that seek to ensure that all public schools, including charter schools, reach out to and include in innovative programs the various populations of students that have historically been under-represented in such programs
3. We support bringing innovative models to the children and teachers most in need of our attention because of the challenges facing the most underperforming schools
4. We support the development of innovative models within local school districts, whether they are put together by teachers, by local district administrators, by the state or by a combination of all of these valued members of the education community
5. Specifically, we support the package of K-12 education innovations and reforms filed by Governor Deval Patrick in Massachusetts, captured in the two pieces of legislation entitled, An Act Establishing Readiness Schools and An Act Relative to Charter Schools
6. We urge policy makers and business leaders to support additional innovation ideas including extended learning time for children at all levels and a comprehensive effort on excellence in education from cradle to college.

PBLN Energy/Environment & Housing/Economic Development Policy Statement

The following policy statement reflects the position of PBLN. This position was developed by the PBLN Energy/Environment & Housing/Economic Development Working Groups and adopted by the PBLN Board of Directors. We encourage individual business leaders to “opt-in” by signing on to our policy statements, which PBLN may use publicly to advance awareness of our position. If you would like to opt-in and sign on to any or all of these three policy statements, you may do so by emailing PBLN Director of Operations Aaron Chalek at aaron@pbln.org.

Values Statement
Progressive business leaders understand that our planet, our society and the economy are inexorably intertwined. The nexus between energy and the environment exemplifies this interdependence. Energy makes our society and economy possible, but the way we currently take, make, use and waste energy is damaging our environment. Simply put, our biosphere is breaking down. We are collectively overwhelming the earth’s natural cyclic processes and capabilities to recycle; regenerate and replenish itself. To restore equilibrium, our society and economy must become sustainable. Accordingly, progressive business leaders are committed to supporting strategies and policies both within our companies and our society that move us toward a more sustainable future, where we strive to harmonize our activity with our environment in our communities, in our country and throughout the world.

Policy Statement: Confronting Carbon Pollution and Energy Price Inflation
Recognizing the potentially catastrophic threat that global warming and climate change present to our environment, our society and the economy, we, the Progressive Business Leaders Network, support the following policy positions:

1. We support putting a put a price on carbon emissions, and allowing market forces to raise the price of carbon emitting forms of energy, thus stimulating the necessary shifts in our society and economy
2. We support policies that anticipate and correct imperfections in that market-based strategy in order to protect workers and small businesses and to facilitate innovation in alternative energy industries 
3. We support the Waxman-Markey bill -- American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES Act), H.R. 2454 passed by the US House of Representatives in June 2009 as a baseline for energy legislation and encourage passage of legislation consistent with that bill and the provisions set out below 
4. We support the adoption of comprehensive climate legislation that includes: 
1. A cap and trade system for pricing and reducing carbon emissions that reduces USA carbon emissions to meet internationally agreed average per capita emissions for OECD (www.oecd.org) countries by 2050 
2. Auction of substantial majority of emissions allowances, with auction proceeds directed to ameliorate the negative impacts of pricing carbon pollution, provide funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and transition assistance for adversely affected worker; remaining allowances distributed at discretion of executive branch agencies 
3. Incentives to stimulate energy innovation and renewable energy, including a national Renewable Portfolio Standard 
5. We support aggressive action by the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate Carbon as a pollutant 
6. We believe that as the leading emitter of Carbon into the Atmosphere, the United States has a moral obligation to take the lead in developing global emissions standards 
7. We support the steps taken by Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts legislature to put Massachusetts at the forefront of state and regional efforts to address global climate change, to support renewable energy, to create “green” jobs and communities, and to build a “cleantech” cluster in Massachusetts to foster innovation and transition to a more sustainable economy

PBLN Healthcare/Life Sciences Policy Statement

The following policy statement reflects the position of PBLN. This position was developed by the PBLN Healthcare/Life Sciences Working Group and adopted by the PBLN Board of Directors. We encourage individual business leaders to “opt-in” by signing on to our policy statements, which PBLN may use publicly to advance awareness of our position. If you would like to opt-in and sign on to any or all of these three policy statements, you may do so by emailing PBLN Director of Operations Aaron Chalek at aaron@pbln.org.

Values Statement
As progressive business leaders, we believe Massachusetts should continue to lead the nation as an innovator in health, health care and life sciences. To that end:

1. We stand by the Massachusetts model for health reform achieving near universal coverage; and we are committed to universal health care as a right, not a privilege for all Americans
2. We support policies for cost containment in order to make universal coverage a sustainable and affordable reality
3. We support polices that promote innovation in health care and life sciences
4. We support policies that enhance the health of all our citizens including strategies to promote health care quality and disease prevention
5. We support policies that address disparities in access to/quality of healthcare for the disadvantaged, racial/ethnic minorities and those with economic barriers to access. 

Policy Statement: Healthcare Cost Containment via Payment Reform
PBLN supports universal healthcare for all Americans as a right and not a privilege. In fully supporting Massachusetts’ innovative approach to achieving near-universal coverage, we view the next frontier for Massachusetts and the nation to be cost containment so that universal health care is affordable and sustainable. We support the findings of the Governor’s Special Payment Commission to shift Massachusetts toward an all-payer global payment model over the next five years. We are committed to deep engagement over the impact of this shift on all stakeholders including consumers, businesses, physicians and hospitals, disadvantaged populations, and to innovation in the health care and life sciences sectors.

PBLN Summit Agenda

Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy
Friday, November 20, 2009│Boston, MA

9:00 – 10:00am	Registration (Smith Hall Foyer)
10:15 – 10:25am	Welcome (Smith Hall) Thomas D. Dretler, President & CEO, Eduventures, Inc. & President, PBLN
10:30 – 11:30am	"Blue Sky" Roundtable Sessions (Smith Hall) Small group-brainstorming sessions where the “blue sky” is the only limit on your ideas. Each is led by a pair of facilitators from the worlds of business and policy. The purpose is to focus on a specific challenge and how it can be addressed by business leaders as part of “inventing a more sustainable economy”. Roundtable #1 How can we Foster Economic Development that links Housing Markets and Job Growth? Edith Silva (Partner, Next Street Financial), and Tina Brooks (Massachusetts Undersecretary of Housing and Economic Development) Roundtable #2 How Can we Effect Change in the Corporate Carbon Footprint? Janet Kraus (CEO, Spire), Mark Shirman (President & CEO, Glasshouse Technologies), and Patti Prairie (CEO, Brighter Planet) Roundtable #3 Can we Afford True Innovation in Education? Winston Henderson (Vice President & General Counsel, Surface Logix), and Noah Berger (Executive Director, Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center) Roundtable #4 Can We Offer Zero Taxes for Zero Net-Energy Buildings? James F. Boyle (President & CEO, Sustainability Roundtable, Inc.), and Mark Gallagher (Massachusetts District Director, Congressman Ed Markey)* Roundtable #5 What Makes a Healthy Life Sciences Cluster? Matthew Henshon (Founding Partner, Henshon Parker LLC), and Glen Comiso (Executive Director, Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative) Roundtable #6 How Can We Build More Homes People Can Actually Afford to Buy? Thomas N. O’Brien (Managing Director, The HYM Investment Group, LLC.), and Brenda McKenzie (Director of Economic Development, Boston Redevelopment Authority) Roundtable #7 How should we Message Energy Efficiency? Laura Bartsch (Principal, Millville Partners) & Susan Kaplan (Marketing Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources) Roundtable #8 Can we have both a Progressive Tax Policy and an Innovation Economy? Jay Kaufman (Massachusetts State Representative) and Jeffrey J. Bussgang (General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners) Roundtable #9 Can we Shift the Public/Private Focus from Healthcare Coverage to Healthy People? Rebecca Onie (Co-founder & CEO, Project HEALTH) and Philip Edmundson (CEO, William Gallagher Associates) Roundtable #10 Can we Rein in Wall Street and Protect Financial Markets from Disaster? Robert Kuttner (Co-founder & co-Editor, The American Prospect) and Justin Dangel (CEO, Consumer United)
11:30 – 12:00pm	Networking Break
11:45pm	Lunch
12:15 – 1:30pm	PBLN Working Group panel sessions Health Reform and Cost Containment: The Next Frontier (Smith Hall) Chairs: James R. Roosevelt, Jr. (President & CEO, Tufts Health Plan), and Joshua Boger, Ph.D., (Founder & President, Vertex Pharmaceuticals – ret.) Moderator: James R. Roosevelt, Jr. Panelists: Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Massachusetts Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert Kuttner, Founder & Co-Editor, The American Prospect Paul F. Levy, President & CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Philip Edmundson, President & CEO, William Gallagher Associates & Chair, Mass ACT (Affordable Care Today) Coalition Dr. Gene Lindsey, President and CEO, Atrius Health Richard Pops, President & CEO, Alkermes Innovation for All Students: Transforming K-12 Educational Opportunity (Dave Powers Room) Chair: Gloria Cordes Larson (President, Bentley University) Moderator: Paul Sagan (President & CEO, Akamai Technologies) Panelists: Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Anne Wass, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association Christopher Gabrieli, Chairman, Massachusetts2020 Foundation Paul Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation Jonah Edelman, co-Founder &CEO, Stand for Children Putting a Price on Carbon: The Business of Climate Change (Atlantic Room) Chairs: Mitchell G. Tyson, (CEO & Director, Advanced Electron Beams), and Thomas N. O’Brien (Managing Director, The HYM Investment Group, LLC.) Moderator: Mitchell G. Tyson Panelists: Martin Madaus, President & CEO, Millipore Corporation Patti Prairie, President & CEO, Brighter Planet Jay Kaufman, Massachusetts State Representative Nick D’Arbeloff, Executive Director, New England Clean Energy Council
1:30 – 1:45pm	Networking Break
1:45- 2:45pm	Discussion with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (Smith Hall) Introduction by Paul Egerman, Co-Founder & former CEO, eScription
2:45 – 3:15pm	Networking Break
3:15 – 4:30pm	U.S. Senate Candidates Forum Introduction:  Jack Manning, President & CEO, Boston Capital Corporation Moderator: Robert Kuttner, Co-Editor, The American Prospect* Candidates: Michael Capuano, U.S. Congressman (D - MA) Stephen Pagliuca, Managing Partner, Bain Capital, & Co-Owner, Boston Celtics Alan Khazei, Co-Founder, City Year, & CEO, Be the Change, Inc. Jack E. Robinson, General Counsel, Benistar
4:30 – 4:40pm	Concluding Remarks (Smith Hall) Presenter: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
4:45 – 6:00pm	PBLN CEO Leadership Cocktail Reception with remarks by Special Guest Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (Smith Hall Foyer) Introduction by Stephen E. Smith, Jr., Founding Partner, KSS Realty

Top Business, Government & Nonprofit Leaders to Chart a “Sustainable Economy” for Massachusetts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Andrew Tarsy 617-515-9004 Andy@pbln.org

US Senate Candidates to Answer Questions from
Progressive Business Leaders at Summit
 BOSTON – As Massachusetts prepares to emerge from the worst recession in decades, more than 200 executives from health care, life sciences, finance, technology, education and clean-energy companies will gather with top state policymakers and nonprofit leaders to chart a course toward a more “sustainable economy.” On Friday, Nov. 20, Governor Deval Patrick will kick off the Business Leadership and Public Policy Summit, which aims to foster lasting economic growth through business practices and public policy designed to benefit the economy, society and environment.

Candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy will also make a joint appearance at the Summit. The candidates will discuss their visions for creating a sustainable economy, and answer questions from the audience about how they would address challenges in health care, energy, education and financial policy. Currently scheduled to attend are U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, City Year Founder Alan Khazei, and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca. Attorney General Martha Coakley, State Sen. Scott Brown and Jack Robinson have also been invited. The forum will be moderated by Robert Kuttner, Founder and Co-Editor of The American Prospect.
“As the state works to recover from this difficult recession, the time has come to chart a new course toward a more sustainable economy,” said Tom Dretler, CEO of Eduventures, Inc., and President of the Progressive Business Leaders Network. “Business is too often seen as standing in the way of solutions – on issues like climate change, health care and financial reform. We are a community of business leaders who believe in a ‘triple bottom line’ that values profits, people and the planet. This Summit will produce provocative ideas, innovative solutions – a new level of business leader engagement. PBLN is about CEOs and other senior executives partnering with the shapers of public policy to create progressive solutions to major public challenges.”

Hot Topics

Aggressive Health Care Cost Containment. While Congress debates health care reform, Massachusetts is pursuing a far more ambitious restructuring of health care. Participants will discuss the next frontier of health reform – cost containment – including a move away from the traditional fee-for-service payment model toward a system of “global payment.” Panelists include: James Roosevelt, Jr., CEO of Tufts Health Plan; Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Massachusetts Secretary of Health & Human Services; Paul Levy, President & CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and Robert Kuttner, Founder & Co-Editor of The American Prospect.

Putting a Real Price on Carbon. PBLN supports the “cap-and-trade” system proposed in federal climate change legislation – but business leaders are concerned with fairly accounting for the costs of carbon pollution under this new system. Panelists will discuss how to set a fair price on carbon – and the implications of this system for our businesses, communities and environment. Panelists include: Mitch Tyson, CEO of Advanced Electron Beams; Martin Madaus, President & CEO of Millipore Corporation; Pattie Prairie, CEO of Brighter Planet; State Rep. Jay Kaufman; and Nick d’Arbeloff, Executive Director of the New England Clean Energy Council.
Making Innovation the Norm in Education. As the state legislature debates the most sweeping education reforms in a generation, business and education leaders will gather to examine what it really takes to make innovation the norm in public education: charter schools, in-district schools, readiness schools, innovation schools, and longer school days. Panelists include: Paul Sagan, President & CEO of Akamai Technologies; Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Education; Christopher Gabrielli, Chairman of the Massachusetts 2020 Foundation; Anne Wass, President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Paul Grogan, President & CEO of the Boston Foundation.

PBLN is a non-profit peer-to-peer network of CEOs and top corporate officers committed to socially and environmentally responsible economic growth and the public policies that advance it. To learn more, see www.pbln.org

Progressive Business Leaders Network Statement on Budget Cuts Proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Andrew Tarsy 617-515-9004 Andy@pbln.org

Boston, MA (October 28, 2009) … The Progressive Business Leaders Network (PBLN) released the following statement from PBLN President Thomas D. Dretler (President, Eduventures, Inc.) and PBLN Co-Chairs Jeffrey Bussgang (General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners) and Joshua Boger (Founder & former CEO Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) regarding budget cuts proposed today by Governor Deval Patrick:

“The budget cuts Governor Patrick proposed today reflect the grim truth that there are nothing but hard choices in this economy. We support his strategic choices to preserve the Commonwealth's long-term investments in education, healthcare and sectors that are critical to inventing a more sustainable economy like life sciences and alternative energy. We are relieved to see a priority placed on protecting those who are most vulnerable in our communities."

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PBLN Hails Massachusetts Education Reform Package

In a press release issued September 16th, The Progressive Business Leaders Network (PBLN) hailed the education reform package before the Massachusetts legislature as “innovation for all students.” PBLN President Thomas D. Dretler, President & CEO, Eduventures, Inc. and PBLN Executive Director James F. Boyle, President & CEO, Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. said, "We believe that the business community has an important role to play in addressing complex social sector issues. And we are committed to empowering innovative thinkers and education entrepreneurs to create new possibilities for the children of the Commonwealth."

In a policy statement entitled “Innovation to Benefit All Students’ read in part ““The Readiness proposal reflects a commitment to the students, teachers and administrators of our local school districts and to the schools and children most in need of our attention because of the challenges facing the most underperforming schools.” The statement also offers strong support for the provisions concerning charter schools: “It is easy to get excited about the results in some charter schools. PBLN believes it is equally important that as they grow as a percentage of total number of students enrolled, charter schools be required to reach out to and include students and populations that have been under-represented in the past. We are encouraged to see these ideas reflected in the proposed legislation.” For the complete policy statement: PBLN Policy Statement
PBLN News Release

Introducing the P-BLOG: For & about the ideas of Progressive Business Leaders committed to socially and environmentally responsible economic growth and the public policies that advance it.

The Progressive Business Leaders Network (PBLN) is emerging as a new voice and new force for innovation and engagement among CEOs and top business leaders. PBLN business leaders represent diverse sectors, backgrounds and business models. The aim of PBLN is to help “invent a more sustainable economy” that fosters economic growth, lasting and shared prosperity and social and environmental justice. This ambition requires business leaders to engage in a new way with each other and with shapers of public policy around the challenges of our times. There is no time for "business as usual." We bring progressive business leaders together with their peers and with shapers of public policy from government, think-tanks and academia. As a result, CEOs, top officers and other business leaders find their own ways of contributing to the development of progressive public policies and thoughtful public-private partnerships.

PBLN has an agenda for change that we fully intend to share for the education of our business communities, policy makers and the general public. We believe "progressive" means supporting ideas that are backed by research, data and insight that run ahead of conventional wisdom. We believe sustainable means fostering economic growth that brings shared and lasting prosperity and also advances social and environmental justice. We measure our success by our impact on those individuals who participate, and by our impact on the world around us.

You can expect to read in this space about issues and people that are driving a progressive approach to  to public policy and business practices. We want to highlight examples of leadership, innovation and progress in order to inspire entrepreneurs and executives, investors and inventors to make contributing to the development of thoughtful public policy their business. Join us at the PBLN Summit at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston on November 20th called "Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy." Details are available at www.pbln.org

Please feel free to let us know what you think, and how you would like to participate by commenting here or emailing aaron@pbln.org. On behalf of our Board of Directors, Officers, members and sponsors, thank you for your interest in PBLN. 

Videos from the PBLN Summit

The PBLN’s Education Working Group presents:
Innovation for All Students: Transforming K-12 Educational Opportunity

Moderator: Paul Sagan, President & CEO, Akamai Technologies

Panelists:
Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Education

Anne Wass, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association

Christopher Gabrieli, Chairman, Massachusetts2020 Foundation

Paul Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation

Jonah Edelman, co-Founder &CEO, Stand for Children



The PBLN’s Energy & Environment / Housing & Economic Development Working Groups presents
Putting a Price on Carbon: The Business of Climate Change
Moderator: Mitchell G. Tyson

Panelists:
Martin Madaus, President & CEO, Millipore Corporation

Patti Prairie, President & CEO, Brighter Planet

Jay Kaufman, Massachusetts State Representative

Nick D’Arbeloff, Executive Director, New England Clean Energy Council





The PBLN’s Healthcare & Life Sciences Working Group presents:
Health Reform and Cost Containment: The Next Frontier
Moderator: James R. Roosevelt, Jr.
Panelists:
Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Massachusetts Secretary of Health & Human Services

Robert Kuttner, Founder & Co-Editor, The American Prospect

Paul F. Levy, President & CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Philip Edmundson, President & CEO, William Gallagher Associates & Chair, Mass ACT (Affordable Care Today) Coalition

Dr. Gene Lindsey, President and CEO, Atrius Health

Richard Pops, President & CEO, Alkermes


The PBLN presents:
The US Senate Candidates Forum
Introduction: Jack Manning, President & CEO, Boston Capital Corporation
Moderator: Robert Kuttner, Co-Editor, The American Prospect*
Candidates:
Alan Khazei, Co-Founder, City Year, & CEO, Be the Change, Inc.

Michael Capuano, U.S. Congressman – D (MA)

Stephen Pagliuca, Managing Partner, Bain Capital, & Co-Owner, Boston Celtics

Jack E. Robinson, General Counsel, Benistar

Apple breaks ties with US Chamber of Commerce over disagreement on how to address climate change

Apple joined a recent trend of major players breaking with the US Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to US government attempts to address climate change. The details are still coming in but the basics are here. As well, Newsweek's Dan Gross writes this week about the new progressive CEOs who are not easily pegged as left or right, but who see this issue and their responsibility to lead differently than their peers do. Dan's piece is here - and he calls it "Corner Office Converts."

PBLN's Board of Directors recently adopted a position in support of climate change legislation that is at least as robust as what is found in the so-called Waxman-Markey bill that passed the House this summer.

The entire PBLN position statement on the issue will be posted here shortly. These issues will be given a good workout at PBLN's November 20th Summit on Business Leadership and Public Policy by a panel moderated by Mitch Tyson, CEO of Advanced Electron Beams and Board Member of the New England Clean Energy Council. It will be interesting to see at the Summit how many CEOs and Executives indicate the desire to line up with Apple, as well as Nike and others. These mega-brand companies certainly get attention to the issue when they take this kind of leadership step.

A PBLN Summit at the JFK Presidential Library: "Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy"

Friday, November 20th, 2009
John F. Kennedy Library‚ Boston, MA

The economy and our communities are reeling from the effects of short-sighted business practices and public policies. Business leadership must be a leading part of the solution. The PBLN Board of Directors is thrilled to invite you to join over 200 business leaders for our CEO and Top Officer Summit at the JFK Library. Our "Business Leadership and Public Policy: Inventing a More Sustainable Economy" conference will emphasize peer-to-peer engagement. You should plan on a full day where the real highlight is the chance to know the other participants.

Register here to reserve your seat; or email aaron@pbln.org; or call (978) 337-8210.

View the agenda

Exciting plans for the Summit include:

A forum with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick whose commitment to the innovation economy is reflected in the State's investments in the Life Sciences sector as well as Clean Tech, infrastructure and healthcare and education reforms.

Highly interactive sessions on business leadership, public policy and innovation on topics like: Pricing Carbon to Address Climate Change, How to build more Housing, Economic Development that Creates Jobs, Healthcare Reform and Cost Containment, Innovation in K-12 Education, Clean Tech and Life Sciences Cluster Development, Technology Companies And Public Policy, Greening Buildings, Measuring the Corporate Carbon Footprint, and more....

Presenters will include:
David Belluck, Managing Partner, Riverside Partners
Noah Berger, Executive Director Mass. Budget & Policy Center
JudyAnn Bigby, Secretary of Health and Human Services (MA)
Tina Brooks, Undersecretary of Housing/Economic Development (MA)
Jeffrey Bussgang, Partner Flybridge Capital Partners
US Representative Michael Capuano, US Senate Candidate (MA)
Glen Comiso, Exec. Director, Mass. Life Sciences Collaborative
Nick D'Arbeloff, President, NE Clean Energy Council
Tom Dretler, President & CEO, Eduventures, Inc.
Phil Edmundson, CEO William Gallagher Associates
Paul Egerman, Egerman Associates
Chris Gabrieli, Chairman, Mass 2020
Paul Grogan, President & CEO, The Boston Foundation
Winston Henderson, Vice President & General Counsel, Surface Logix
MA State Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington)
Alan Khazei, Founder, City Year, & US Senate Candidate (MA)
Janet Kraus, CEO, Sprire
Robert Kuttner, Founder & Co-Editor The American Prospect
Paul Levy, CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dr. Gene Lindsey, CEO Atrius Health Mary
Martin Madaus, CEO, Millipore
Brenda McKenzie, Dir. of Economic Development, Boston Redevelopment Authority
Tom O'Brien, Managing Director The HYM Invesment Group
Stephen Pagliuca, US Senate Candidate (MA)
Patti Prairie, CEO Brighter Planet
Richard Pops, Chairman, President & CEO, Alkermes
Paul Reville, Secretary of Education (MA)
Jim Roosevelt, CEO Tufts Health Plan
Paul Sagan, CEO, Akamai
Mark Shirman, CEO Glasshouse Technologies
Edith Silva, Partner, Next Street Financial
Mitch Tyson, CEO Advanced Electron Beams
 
.........and more.

It is a special honor to have Stephen E. Smith (partner, KSS Realty), nephew of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, to host a reception with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas in the Family room at the Kennedy Library.

We are also pleased to announce that as part of the Summit PBLN will be hosting a candidates forum to which we have invited all of the declared candidates for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the passing of Senator Kennedy. This will include (in alphabetical order) Michael Capuano, Martha Coakley, Alan Khazei, and Steve Pagliuca. The forum will be moderated by Robert Kuttner, Founder & Co-Editor of the American Prospect and like the rest of the Summit, the focus will be on “inventing a more sustainable economy.”

Brighter Planet: The official Carbon Off-Set Sponsor of the PBLN Summit

PBLN is pleased to be partnering with Brighter Planet, a Vermont-based company that develops products and services to help individuals and companies decrease their impact on the environment. Brighter Planet is the official Carbon Offset Sponsor of the PBLN Summit and will be purchasing carbon offsets on behalf of the PBLN to help create a carbon-neutral conference.


Sponsorship Opportunities

Healthcare & Life Sciences Working Group

Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services
Dr. JudyAnn Bigby has been a regular participant at meetings
of the PBLN Healthcare/Life Sciences Working Group

Co-Chaired by Jim Roosevelt, President & CEO of Tufts Health Plan, and Joshua Boger, former President & CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Coordinatored by Valerie Fleishman, Executive Director of the New England Healthcare Network (NEHI), and Brian Carey, Partner with the law firm Foley Hoag LLP, this group has addressed the Massachusetts plan to expand healthcare coverage to include all residents, the urgency of sustained federal funding of biomedical research, public strategies for retaining life science industry businesses, and the value of corporate health and wellness programs. Currently they are looking at issues surrounding national and Massachusetts healthcare reform efforts, and at strategies for sustainable development of the life sciences as both social/health innovators and as a source of economic growth.

Healthcare/Life Sciences Policy Statement
As progressive business leaders, we believe Massachusetts should continue to lead the nation as an innovator in health, health care and life sciences.

Health Reform and Cost Containment:
The Next Frontier
At the fall 2009 PBLN Summit, members of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Working Group discussed current issues in the field. Moderated by James R. Roosevelt, Jr., panelists were:
Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, Massachusetts Secretary of Health & Human Services
Robert Kuttner, Founder & Co-Editor, The American Prospect
Paul F. Levy, President & CEO, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Philip Edmundson, President & CEO, William Gallagher Associates & Chair, Mass ACT (Affordable Care Today) Coalition
Dr. Gene Lindsey, President and CEO, Atrius Health
Richard Pops, President & CEO, Alkermes


Values Statement
As progressive business leaders, we believe Massachusetts should continue to lead the nation as an innovator in health, health care and life sciences. To that end:

1. We stand by the Massachusetts model for health reform achieving near universal coverage; and we are committed to universal health care as a right, not a privilege for all Americans
2. We support policies for cost containment in order to make universal coverage a sustainable and affordable reality
3. We support polices that promote innovation in health care and life sciences
4. We support policies that enhance the health of all our citizens including strategies to promote health care quality and disease prevention
5. We support policies that address disparities in access to/quality of healthcare for the disadvantaged, racial/ethnic minorities and those with economic barriers to access.

Policy Statement: Healthcare Cost Containment via Payment Reform

PBLN supports universal healthcare for all Americans as a right and not a privilege. In fully supporting Massachusetts’ innovative approach to achieving near-universal coverage, we view the next frontier for Massachusetts and the nation to be cost containment so that universal health care is affordable and sustainable. We support the findings of the Governor’s Special Payment Commission to shift Massachusetts toward an all-payer global payment model over the next five years. We are committed to deep engagement over the impact of this shift on all stakeholders including consumers, businesses, physicians and hospitals, disadvantaged populations, and to innovation in the health care and life sciences sectors.

 
The above policy statement reflects the position of PBLN. This position was developed by the PBLN Healthcare/Life Sciences Working Group and adopted by the PBLN Board of Directors. We encourage individual business leaders to “opt-in” by signing on to our policy statements, which PBLN may use publicly to advance awareness of our position. If you would like to opt-in and sign on to any or all of these three policy statements, you may do so by emailing PBLN Director of Operations Aaron Chalek at aaron@pbln.org.