A New America: How Millennials Are Sparking Change

This 2+ hour discussion on the Millennials is brought to you by Microsoft, The Atlantic, National Journal, and FORA.tv. It was held at the University of Texas, Austin, on March 25, 2014, featuring Margo Dover, Jae Kim, Trey Martinez Fischer, Bob Metcalfe, Jason Seats, Michele Skelding, and Wendy Spencer (biographies are provided below).

Summary

Millennials are on track to be the most educated, the most connected, and the most wired generation, with a bent for entrepreneurship and service. Evidence shows that Millennials may represent the tipping point generation in America, whose preferences and priorities are setting the direction for public and private life over the decades ahead. They are, by far, the most diverse generation in American history, with non-whites comprising about 40 percent. Austin, Texas has become a hub for Millennials and millennial entrepreneurs; the city's open and collaborative business climate has turned it into a unique entrepreneurship incubator.

Join National Journal and The Atlantic for the second in a series of town hall events as we go to the heart of Austin to examine the opportunities, inclinations and impact of this giant influential generation. This exciting event will focus on how Millennials are using entrepreneurship to build a pathway to success, and will feature insights from Millennials, government officials, educators, entrepreneurs, and more.

A New America: How Millennials Are Sparking Change from National Journal and The Atlantic on FORA.tv  

BIOS

Margo Dover oversees Skillpoint Alliance’s direction and mission as its Executive Director. Margo came to this position after a lengthy career holding leadership positions at nonprofit and for-profit companies.

Jae Kim is Founder and Owner of Chi'Lantro BBQ.

Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, a member of an emerging group of Latino leaders in the United States, has built his career as a no-nonsense, down-to-business Democrat. Currently serving his seventh term representing District 116 in San Antonio, he was recently named one of the 10 Best Legislators of 2013 by Texas Monthly Magazine, who described him as a “soldier prepared to do battle but ready to make peace.” The Houston Chronicle and the San Francisco Chronicle named him one of the “20 Latino political rising stars of 2012,” placing him among those under 55 “who just might change the face of American politics over the next two decades.” In 2010, Campaigns and Elections Magazine named him a “Texas Influencer” and one of the Top-50 Democrats in the state. The New York Times has dubbed him a “heavy hitter” whose “loyalty to San Antonio remains steadfast.”

Bob Metcalfe is Professor of Innovation and Murchison Fellow of Free Enterprise in The University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering.

Jason Seats is the Managing Director of Techstars in Austin. Jason was most recently the Managing Director of the Techstars Cloud program. Prior to joining Techstars, Jason was a founder of Slicehost, an early cloud computing hosting company. In 2008 Slicehost was acquired by Rackspace and became the core for the initial Cloud Servers product. Jason continued on at Rackspace until 2010 as VP of software development for Rackspace Cloud, managing the cloud engineering teams. Jason has a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology at Saint Louis University.

Michele Skelding is the Senior Vice President of Global Technology Strategies for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce where she leads the development and execution of the organization’s vision for Central Texas as a top global region for technology innovation, company formation and expansion, in addition to increasing top access to private equity and venture capital. In this role, Michele cultivates emerging and strategic technology growth that identifies next generation technology and innovation trends, as well as facilitating the vital creation and interconnection of the Austin region’s burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem for company inception and growth acceleration.

Wendy Spencer began her duties as the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) on April 9, 2012, shortly after her nomination was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She has a proven track record of nearly 30 years in volunteer management and administration, and she is the first CEO to come to CNCS directly from the field of national service.