The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF)’s fifth Marshall Seminar met from September 21-23 in Detroit to explore leadership insights into how to lead change in your community or organization in the context of rapid global shifts.  A group of over 50 alumni and leaders from both the U.S. and Europe met with experts in Detroit to discuss how to build powerful coalitions, achieve inclusive growth, inspire creative breakthroughs, reinvent image and brand, and leverage global trends and networks for sustainable success.

Learning on the ground in Detroit was action-oriented and interactive.  Programmatic highlights included a visit to the Shinola factory, pictured here, as well as a special address by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Participants engaged with local and international leaders through panel discussions, leadership simulations, and site visits. Together the members of the GMF alumni network discussed insights into developing new ideas and strategies to strengthen communities and the transatlantic relationship as a whole.

Marshall Seminars are designed to mobilize and enrich GMF’s smart power alumni network to lead on issues of critical importance to the transatlantic relationship.  This series began in 2013, when participants met in Washington, DC, to examine U.S. foreign policy through the lens of diversity and inclusion. Our next seminar in Berlin examined innovation and economic inclusion.  In Brussels, leaders gathered to face emerging threats to global security.  Earlier this year in Bucharest, we engaged with trends impacting democracies in the transatlantic region.  For news of future GMF programs—including upcoming seminars in a city near you---check out GMF’s alumni engagement opportunities.