Dear Council on Competitiveness Community,
The celebration of our Council’s 40th anniversary and the nation's 250th Independence Day is the right time to consider the extraordinary role innovation – encompassing imagination, insight, ingenuity, invention, and impact – has always played in America’s history of prosperity and global leadership.
As we noted in our seminal report, Innovate America, innovation has always been deep in the nation’s soul. From the country’s birth, we have most fundamentally been about exploration, opportunity, and discovery, about new beginnings, about setting out for the frontier. This focus on the horizon has always reflected our collective faith in a better future.
And so, it is the right time again to reinforce why innovation is the single most important factor that will determining America’s success through the 21st century.
The legacy America and its leaders bequeath to our next generations will depend on the creativity and commitment to lead a new era of prosperity at home and abroad. America’s challenge is to unleash even further our innovation capacity to drive productivity and economic growth, increases in our collective standard of living, security, and leadership in global markets.
Our task? I think it is straightforward. Over the next 40 years, we must double down and optimize our entire society – in communities across the entire country – for more innovation. In this spirit of co-creation and engagement, I invite you to participate in two vital activities in the coming months:
First – our 40th Anniversary Gala (a black-tie reception and dinner on December 16) and the 2026 National Competitiveness Forum (December 17). We will host both events in the historic Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. We will celebrate the Council’s past successes; assess the state of U.S. competitiveness today – how is America doing; how are Americans doing? – and release significant policy recommendations to enhance the future of U.S., innovation-driven competitiveness. Register here to take part.
- I would also ask our community to take note of this special occasion and to consider strongly supporting the 40th Anniversary and 2026 NCF through our sponsorship opportunities.
- You can review the sponsorship brochure here, and contact Council on Competitiveness EVP and COO Chad Evans to take advantage of the opportunity.
Second – the 13th edition of our “Competitiveness Conversations Across America,” takes place July 20–21 in San Diego. Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla will co-host 200 leaders from across San Diego, Southern California, the nation, and 10 countries on the dynamic UC San Diego campus. Together, we will explore one of the nation's most consequential innovation ecosystems, and how it is helping shape the next economy:
- 40+ distinguished speakers
- An expansive focus on the future of the bioeconomy, energy, health, autonomous systems in space and defense, transformative computing, and more.
- Interest is strong, and space is filling quickly. Please register as soon as possible here to join us in San Diego.
- AND - in advance of the Conversation, the Council, in partnership with IFF and ANSI, will host a "Smart Regulations and Standards for Transformative Tech and Industries” Workshop on July 20 at UC San Diego. Those interested in attending should reach out directly to Chad Evans.
Earlier this month, members of the Technology Leadership & Strategy Initiative (TLSI) met for the initiative's 32nd Dialogue. Lockheed Martin leaders – including TLSI Co-Chair Dr. Tahllee Baynard – hosted at their Aeronautics Company’s Fort Worth headquarters. The Dialogue focused on advanced technologies, national security, and scaling innovation — and included a debate on an emerging recommendation from the Council’s Board, Executive Committee and National Commission: the development of a series of Advanced Innovation & Manufacturing (AIM) Zones across the United States (more to come on this!).
I wish you all a July 4th weekend filled with celebration and reflection. Yes, we live in tumultuous times. But we, as a community, know instinctively our way forward is not to retreat or to re-trench. Our way forward is to become more open, more experimental, and to embrace the unknown. The key to our future success remains the same as it has been for 250 years: to remember who we are and to keep innovating. That is our Council’s goal, and I thank you for your many contributions in helping us to fulfill our mission.
Sincerely,
Deborah L. Wince-Smith
President & CEO
Council on Competitiveness
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Read the full edition of the June 2026, Compete Connect newsletter, including much more about the Council's upcoming engagement opportunities and initiatives led by Council Members, below:
