MEDIA ADVISORY: In Three Weeks: Nation’s Nonprofit Leaders Will Convene at the Independent Sector Annual Conference in the Twin Cities

Just Added: David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States

(Washington, D.C., September 28, 2006) – Under the theme, “Many Voices, Shared Purpose: Working Together to Improve Lives,” leaders of the nation's charities, foundations, and corporations will gather at the Independent Sector Annual Conference from October 22 – 24, 2006, in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Approximately 800 senior-level staff from diverse segments of the charitable sector will meet to discuss the challenges facing the sector including ways to foster civic engagement and advocacy and how to build a more accountable sector.

The CEO Summit with David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States , is now open to the media.  Mr. Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan, investigative arm of Congress, will detail the impact of current fiscal policies on future federal budgets and future generations of Americans.

WHAT:   Independent Sector Annual Conference

WHEN:  October 22-24, 2006

WHERE:   Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

Other conference speakers include:

• Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, president of Bennett College for Women;
• Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA;
• Rev. Bob Franklin, professor of ethics at Emory University ;
• Dr. Richard Land, president of The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission;
• Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation;
• Robert Senkler, chairman, president, and CEO of Securian Financial Group;
• Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union;
• Patty Stonesifer, chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
• Rev. Jim Wallis, editor-in-chief and executive director of Sojourners ;
• Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector.

The conference will examine a range of issues including:

• Strengthening democracy through fostering civic engagement, increasing advocacy, and reshaping the social compact; and
• Building a more effective, more accountable sector by empowering leadership, improving transparency, and increasing public support for charities and foundations.

For more information about the conference, visit: http://www.independentsector.org/annualconference/2006/index.html .

Full-time journalists are welcome to attend the conference.  To obtain a media pass, contact Elizabeth Jenkins at elizabethj@independentsector.org or (202) 467-6134.

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Independent Sector is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of approximately 600 charities, foundations, and corporate philanthropy programs, collectively representing tens of thousands of charitable groups in every state across the nation. Its mission is to advance the common good by leading, strengthening, and mobilizing the charitable community.