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Dear USGLC Board of Directors,

You probably saw the recent WSJ poll that mimicked the Pew Study from last year, showing 47% of Americas want us less active in the world. Yet, over the Easter recess I traveled with our amazing field team and was incredibly impressed with the quality and quantity of the participants at our events around the country. What is clear to me is that the field program is working and when the right influential people from the states deliver a strong message about development and diplomacy, it has a powerful impact.

I was also impressed with the number of members of Congress who traveled overseas over the recess to Ukraine, Afghanistan, Asia, Africa and other parts of the world.

Here are a few highlights from our work:


1. North Carolina Event Provides Important Platform for Senator Richard Burr (R-NC). After two years of on-the-ground organizing, over the recess I joined Senator Burr at USGLC's Charlotte event with over 500 influential NC leaders, including the state's Secretary of Commerce and lead Counsel from Bank of America.

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Truth be told, this has been a long project that finally paid off. I met Senator Burr with our four-star Generals soon after he returned from his trip to Africa and he was not interested in participating in a public event. After seeing our NC Committee led by popular Governors Jim Martin and Jim Hunt, and his staff attending our November event with Senator Hagan, they finally confirmed Senator Burr as a speaker at our spring event.


Not only did he attend, but he stayed for three hours, delivered the keynote speech, participated in a panel discussion on global poverty, and joined in our Smart Power Innovation Award presentation to MANA, a NC based non-profit providing life-saving food in Africa. He spoke of his trip to Africa and encouraged other legislators to travel to the developing world.


I am confident that he will remember that his influential constituents are involved in our issues. A special shout out to USGLC Co-President, Bill Lane, for joining us and speaking so eloquently!


2. In-Districts with Power Players Work - Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and 20 Others. Since January, the USGLC has held in-district meetings across the country with policymakers and candidates running for office in 2014, all of which are having incredible impacts.

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I joined one of our larger meetings in Minneapolis last week with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and 50 top business leaders for a discussion that also included former World Bank President, Robert Zoellick. The "who's who" included Senator Norm Coleman, Chris Policinski CEO of Land O'Lakes and Mike Fernandez, Vice President of Cargill.


We had an engaging conversation on the connection between U.S. global leadership and Minnesota's economic growth. Senator Klobuchar was a powerful advocate for our issues and it certainly didn't hurt for her to hear so many business leaders thanking her for her support.


Other highlights:

§ In-Districts: Meetings with Representatives Tom Rice (R-SC), Tom Price (R-GA), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Scott Rigell (R-VA) and Ann Kuster (D-NH).

§ South Carolina: Reception with South Carolina State Legislators as part of our 2016 presidential strategy.

§ Colorado: Colorado Springs event with veterans and business leaders featuring USGLC Board member Jeff Hofgard.

§ Ohio: Ohio events in Columbus and Cincinnati with officials from Speaker Boehner's office and Rep. Stivers' team.

§ Florida: Tallahassee program featuring Florida's Secretary of Agriculture Adam Putman, a rising star who is committed to food security.


There are so many stories of the power of these meetings. The one I will share is Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), an influential voice in the Republican leadership but not a supporter of the International Affairs Budget.


He participated in the meeting because his top donors were participating. Knowing he was a medical doctor by training, we recruited the head of CDC's Foundation to talk about the global health challenges and the strategy paid off. He showed great interest in the infectious disease concerns and wanted to learn more about International Affairs programs. It is the first time he seemed open to supporting global development and wants to continue the dialogue. When you bring the right people with the right message, these meetings work.


3. Influencing the Debate Continues. Despite the recess, we were keeping up with the policy discussions in DC. A few quick items:

§ National Security Strategy. We were honored to be asked to provide input to the NSC Chief of Staff on the 2014 National Security Strategy that is expected to be released later this month. Our team of Admiral Jim Loy, Carolyn Miles, John Murphy and John Glenn used the meeting to urge continued elevation of development and diplomacy.

§ QDDR II. The QDDR team, led by Tom Perriello, has also reached out to us to gain both substantive and tactical input on ensuring they have the right priorities going forward. Tom is very committed to getting the USGLC's input and we anticipate announcing additional meetings later this summer when they have interim findings.

§ South Korea Success Story. As the President landed in South Korea, we used the opportunity to highlight the extraordinary foreign assistance success story of this country through a shared graphic<http://www.usglc.org/2014/04/24/how-south-korea-became-a-smart-investment-success/> and an op-ed by General Bell<http://politix.topix.com/story/11720-our-investment-in-the-success-of-south-korea>. Both were very successful social media tools to influence the debate.

§ Senators Kyl and Lieberman's AEI's Internationalism Project. Thanks to Bill Inglee, Tod Preston, Jeff Colman and I presented to AEI's Steering Committee on how we work to build support for international engagement, following a terrific presentation by John Murphy. It is a great opportunity to inform a wide array of thought leaders about the case for foreign assistance and update them on the reform agenda.


On May 19, we have a big event in Miami with General Mattis, former Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Jeb Bush Jr. Our Smart Vote 2014 Campaign will kick-off formally at our June 17-18 State Leaders Conference when we will also unveil our first Innovation Report.


I know many of you are traveling so please keep me posted as we like to include your stories on our blog. Many thanks.


Liz

Liz Schrayer | President
202-689-8900 | liz@schrayer.com<mailto:liz@schrayer.com>