The 2021 ConocoPhillips White House Lecture Series will feature senior officials from the Robert Mosbacher Commerce Department (1989-1992) applying past lessons to today’s challenges.
COLLEGE STATION – Former senior officials from Secretary Robert Mosbacher’s Commerce Department will speak to the Bush School of Government and Public Service about the lessons they learned and how those lessons apply to today’s challenges. The event is an installment of the ConocoPhillips White House Lecture Series, which provides insights into the workings of the executive branch, governmental processes, and the particular functions and challenges of each office. The Mosbacher Institute at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University will host this event virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, February 9, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time.
The late Robert A. Mosbacher Sr. served as Secretary of the U.S. Commerce Department from 1989 to 1992. His central accomplishments while at the helm included helping to lay the foundation for the North American Free Trade Agreement, significantly closing America’s trade deficit with key trading partners such as Japan and South Korea, and prevailing in a unanimous Supreme Court decision following the 1990 census.
“It is interesting how certain public policy issues circle back around, and we are definitely seeing that with several key issues handled by Secretary Mosbacher’s Commerce Department. It is important to recognize how experience improves our understanding of today’s issues, and so that is why we are hosting this event,” stated Raymond Robertson, Director of the Mosbacher Institute.
Wayne Berman, Senior Managing Director and Head of Global Government Affairs at Blackstone and former Senior Counselor and Assistant Secretary in the Mosbacher Commerce Department will serve as moderator for the program. The other panelists are Thomas J. Collamore, founder of Collamore Consulting Group and former Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary; Ambassador Susan Schwab, Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland, Strategic Advisor for Mayer Brown, and former Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service; Bruce Soll, Counselor at Soll Advisors and former Counselor to the Secretary; and Wendell L. Willkie II, Adjunct Fellow at American Enterprise Institute, Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University, and former General Counsel. Those wishing to attend “Together Again: The Mosbacher Commerce Department Team” must register online or call (979) 845-1927 in order to receive the Zoom link.
