Former President of Mexico To Speak at Alma
Vicente Fox, president of Mexico from 2000 through 2006, will be the
keynote speaker for the 2008 Robert D. Swanson Responsible Leadership
Speaker Series at Alma College.
Joining him will be his wife, Marta Sahagun de Fox, president of Vamos
Mexico Foundation, who will speak with Alma College students about her
leadership experiences.
Their presentations at Alma College will take place Wednesday, Sept.
24, 2008. The evening’s keynote address by Vicente Fox in Cappaert
Gymnasium will be free and open to the public.
Vincente Fox
“We
are so pleased that former President Fox and his wife Marta will be our
2008 speakers,” said Alma College President Saundra Tracy. “Vicente Fox
is credited with extensive leadership accomplishments both as a
corporate leader and as Mexico's president. Mrs. Fox is well known for
her leadership on issues of social responsibility and human rights.
“Their unique shared experiences and global perspectives promise an
exciting event for the campus and wider community,” she said.
The Swanson Responsible Leadership Speaker Series brings prominent
leaders to campus for discussions on related topics. Past speakers
include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 2007 and former
presidential candidates and U.S. Senators Robert Dole and George
McGovern in 2006.
The speaker series is part of the Alma College Center for Responsible
Leadership, which encompasses a large network of leadership-development
opportunities for all Alma students, regardless of academic major or
degree.
When Vicente Fox was elected to the presidency of Mexico in
2000, he broke the stranglehold that the ruling Institutional
Revolutionary Party had held on the country for seven decades. A
charismatic reformer, Vicente Fox is credited as playing a vital role
in Mexico’s democratization and with strengthening the country’s
economy. During his tenure, President Fox succeeded in controlling
inflation and interest rates and in achieving the lowest unemployment
rate in all of Latin America.
In his book, Revolution of Hope, President Fox outlines a new
vision of hope for the future of the Americas. He speaks out forcefully
on hot global topics like immigration, the war in Iraq, racism,
globalization, the role of the United Nations, free trade, religion,
gender equity, indigenous rights and the moral imperative to heal the
global divide between rich and poor nations.
Marta de Fox
Marta de Fox
is known as a powerful voice on women’s issues and social
responsibility. She has been effective in her support of a wide array
of social causes, including involvement in one program that reduced the
incidence of physical handicaps in Mexican newborns by 70 percent. She
has helped provide access to computers to underprivileged youth, and
has chaired numerous organizations that work on behalf of women,
children, healthcare and education.
As president of the Vamos Mexico Foundation, Marta de Fox inspires the
vision of the organization, which is to enable Mexicans and Mexican
Americans, in the U.S. and in Mexico, to overcome poverty, live in safe
cities and towns, and have access to healthcare, jobs and resources
that enable them to take care of themselves and their families.
Posted: Thu, March 6th, 2008 at 8:42AM
