In its first face-to-face meeting since the onset of the pandemic, the Council’s Executive Committee and National Commissioners assembled at Gallup’s DC headquarters to review and critique a new concept paper for “phase 2” of the National Commission – and endorse the re-launching of the Council’s policy-generating Commission Working Group Community.
In addition, meeting participants engaged directly with three keynote leaders:
- Gallup CEO Jon Clifton, the meeting host, shared path-breaking work started by the firm in 2006, examining the state of global unhappiness – which has been on the rise even prior to the current COVID-19 pandemic. One of the critical linkages for the Council’s agenda is the connection between unhappiness, worker engagement, and, ultimately, productivity.
- National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan delivered a powerful address, “Accelerating Innovation @ Speed and Scale,” outlining major priorities – and mapping a range of potential partnership opportunities with the Council to build on the NSF’s mission: Innovation Anywhere (curiosity-driven, discovery-based explorations), Opportunities Everywhere (use-inspired, solutions-focused innovations).
- Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of NIST Laurie Locascio participated virtually, sharing NIST’s mission to promote innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. The Director focused her remarks around the work NIST is undertaking to help the United States lead on a range of critical and emerging technologies – including semiconductors, biotechnology, AI, cybersecurity, quantum information science, and energy technologies.
Read the summary report below.
