Renaissance Weekend is an invite-only American retreat for leaders in business and finance, government, the media, religion, medicine, science, technology, and the arts. Conversations are
off-the-record and subject matter ranges widely, tending to focus heavily on policy and business issues.[1]
History
Founded in 1980 on
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, by Linda LeSourd Lader and her husband
Philip Lader,[2] the former U.S. Ambassador to the
Court of St. James's, Renaissance Weekends, now held in several locations each year, are structured to encourage the transcendence of political, economic, and religious differences by bringing together distinguished participants from a wide range of fields, including CEOs, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, Nobel Laureates and Pulitzer Prize-winners, artists and scientists, astronauts and Olympians, judges, diplomats and Presidents, Prime Ministers, professors and priests, Republicans, Democrats and Independents.[3] The Weekends are geared towards the establishment of an environment free of partisanship and commercialism, where "civility prevails." Membership is by invitation only.[3]
Sixty families pioneered the Laders' 1980
New Year's
house party. The result has been a cross-generational "continuing conversation" of individuals with broadly divergent perspectives, no
political agenda, but a legacy of ideas and friendships[citation needed].
Objectives
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The mission is "To build bridges among innovative leaders with exceptionally diverse perspectives."[4] Each Renaissance Weekend seeks to build bridges across traditional divides of professions, politics, geography, age, religions, philosophies, religion, and race.[5] For over 25 years, these family retreats' objective has been to encourage personal and national renewal.[5]
Through hundreds of panels, seminars and workshops each Weekend, participants themselves address such public policy and personal concerns as "America's Responsibility to the World," "Investment Perspectives," "How the Media has Covered the War Against Terrorism," "
Corporate Governance After
Enron," "Beating Cancer," "My Family's Legacies for Life," and "
Christianity,
Judaism &
Islam - Eternal Truths & Current Myths."
Attendees
"More than 1,000 participants will take part in 500 lectures, seminars, discussions and performances during the four-day event." The Clinton family attended Renaissance Weekend for 13 years.[6] Some former attendees of Renaissance Weekend, listed by the year(s) of attendance have included;
2010 –
Dirk Kempthorne, former Bush administration Interior Secretary, U.S. Senator and Idaho Governor.[9]
2010 –
Bruce Babbitt, former Clinton administration Interior Secretary and Arizona Governor.[9]
2010 –
Gil Kerlikowske, Obama administration commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and former director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.[9]
2010 –
Richard Riley, former Clinton administration US Secretary of Education and South Carolina Governor.[9]
2015 –
Millie Hallow, National Rifle Association (NRA) executive[3] (formerly known as Mildred Bautista).