Kevin Klowden
Showing 1–11 of 11 transcripts.
- Milken Institute49 min
Shaping the Workforce of the Future: Academia and Employer Partnerships
Kevin Klowden, Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Soraya M. Coley, Jay Banfield, Manoli Ratnatunga
The 2018 State Technology and Science Index reports California maintains a fourth-place overall ranking despite significant challenges in human capital investment, where high living costs are driving a net outflow of bachelor's degree holders while attracting only those with advanced degrees. To address this divergence between job creation and local workforce readiness, the Milken Institute and academic leaders recommend shifting educational models toward competency-based learning, dismantling unnecessary credential barriers, and investing in infrastructure to retain skilled talent. Panelists highlighted specific initiatives, such as Cal Poly Pomona's social mobility improvements and community college partnerships with major employers, that aim to align curricula with industry needs and provide continuous reskilling pathways for a rapidly evolving economy.
- Milken Institute1h 6m
Insights from the C-Suite: California's Business Climate
Kevin Klowden, Anne Hoskins, Jeff Maggioncalda, Mary O'Hara, Sandra Stern, Pete Vlastelica
A panel of senior executives from Sunrun, Coursera, Blue Shield of California, Lions Gate, and Activision Blizzard convened to analyze how California's high cost of living, housing scarcity, and infrastructure inefficiencies are eroding its competitive business climate despite strong regulatory support for emerging industries. Speakers highlighted specific operational challenges, including the exodus of entertainment production due to tax policy gaps and the difficulty of retaining talent in healthcare and tech sectors where local compensation cannot match Silicon Valley giants or out-of-state alternatives. The group concluded that increasing housing density, reforming tax structures, and expanding accessible online education are the critical, bipartisan priorities required to retain the state's middle-class workforce and sustain global innovation leadership.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Can the Open World Economy Be Saved?
Kevin Klowden, Ailish Campbell, Steven Ciobo, Ron Kirk, Henrique Meirelles
Moderated by Kevin Clowden of the Milken Institute, a panel of trade experts from Mexico, the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Australia convened to address the global resurgence of protectionism and the economic anxiety driving political shifts. The discussion highlighted how nations like Australia and Canada leverage high-tech investment in natural resources and aggressive trade liberalization to sustain growth while acknowledging the need for robust social safety nets to counter automation-driven job displacement. Ultimately, the experts concluded that preserving an open world economy requires decoupling trade policy from job insecurity by prioritizing lifelong learning, institutional independence, and "flanking policies" that support workers facing structural economic changes.
- Milken Institute58 min
Fulfilling the Promise of National and Military Service
Kevin Klowden, Cutler Dawson, Susan Eisenhower, Mark Graham, Blaine Holt, Andrew Peek
Panelists addressed the widening civil-military gap and associated career transition challenges, highlighting how information asymmetry and support system loss often drive veterans into financial insecurity or unsuitable employment. To counter these issues, the discussion showcased successful recruitment models from firms like Goldman Sachs and Amazon that leverage transferable skills, while proposing structural reforms such as leader-led career planning and reciprocal civilian-military exchange pipelines. The dialogue concluded by weighing the complexities of reinstating national service against insularity concerns, urging organizations to bridge socioeconomic divides through aggressive retention strategies and community-based economic integration.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
London Falling? Fact vs. Fiction
Francesco Guerrera, Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Kevin Klowden, Howard Shore, Hubertus Väth, Jasmine Whitbread
A diverse panel of financial leaders and policymakers debates the impact of Brexit on London's status as a global city, contrasting Hubertus Frankfurt's claims of imminent job losses with Howard Shaw's view that the metropolis will remain a top-tier hub. While experts emphasize that London's future depends on retaining international talent and resolving housing deficits, regulatory pressures are already forcing major institutions to relocate operations to Frankfurt and Brussels to mitigate uncertainty. Ultimately, the consensus identifies prolonged ambiguity in government strategy and immigration policy as the most immediate threat to business confidence, outweighing the specifics of the final deal.
- Milken Institute34 min
California's Future Economy
Kevin Klowden, Kevin Demoff, Charles Harrington, Paul Markovich, Betty Yee
Hosted by the California Center for Regional Economics, a panel of leaders from Blue Shield, Parsons, the LA Rams, and the Controller's Office examined the intersection of infrastructure, healthcare, and human capital in shaping the state's future economy. Panelists identified critical challenges including healthcare costs suppressing wage growth, automation threatening tax revenue sustainability, and the urgent need to secure aging infrastructure against cyber threats. To address these issues, the group advocated for public-private partnerships like the Inglewood micro-city project, expanded workforce training initiatives, and blended funding models to maintain California's global economic leadership over the coming decades.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
Global Cities Roundtable: Economic Dynamics from China to California
Henny Sender, Kevin Klowden, Perry Wong
A panel discussion analyzes urbanization as a critical economic strategy for China, contrasting its infrastructure-led growth model with the bureaucratic and political obstacles hindering modernization in the U.S. and India. The conversation highlights divergent regional trajectories, noting how cities like Guiyang and Shenzhen have successfully reinvented themselves through strategic investment and entrepreneurial flexibility while others face stagnation from structural rigidity or talent outflows. Ultimately, the analysis emphasizes that long-term viability depends on a city's capacity to continuously adapt its industrial base and governance to evolving technological and global market demands.
- Milken Institute1h 2m
California and Asia: The Need for Collaboration
Kevin Klowden, Fred Hochberg, Elise Huang, Pradeep Khosla, Ashok Kumar Mirpuri
A panel of experts warns that shifting U.S. trade policies and proposed federal budget cuts threaten California's role as the primary gateway for Pacific economic and technological engagement. While China and Singapore aggressively expand their influence through strategic investments, regulatory sandboxes, and bilateral partnerships, the United States faces significant risks to its leadership in R&D, education, and export markets. The discussion highlights that sustaining California's innovation ecosystem requires immediate government support to counteract global shifts in semiconductor manufacturing and fintech dominance.
- Milken Institute55 min
2016 CA Summit - Enhancing California's Role as a Global Crossroads for Trade and Investment
Michael Klowden, Kevin Klowden, Caroline Brown, Maria Contreras-Sweet, Fred Hochberg, James Villeneuve
A comprehensive overview of California's trade landscape highlights the state's status as a global economic powerhouse where over 40% of U.S. container goods pass, while federal programs like the SBA's STEP and Ex-Im Bank guarantees drive small business export growth with a $17 ROI per dollar invested. The event further details how targeted strategies leveraging immigrant communities and veterans, alongside technical assistance from institutions like Bank of America Merrill Lynch, mitigate financial and logistical risks for emerging exporters. By shifting focus toward clean technology and utilizing bilateral agreements to navigate evolving global dynamics, these initiatives aim to secure California's competitive edge against rivals like China and support the transition from domestic to global market strategies.
- Milken Institute1h 30m
A Hollywood Exit: What California Must Do to Remain Competitive in Entertainment - and Keep Jobs
Fred Baron, Rajiv Dalal, Kathy Garmezy, Joseph Henchman, Kevin Klowden, Larry Mantle, David Rockefeller Jr.
Facing an 11% workforce decline and a 50% drop in feature film production since 2004, California officials and industry leaders are advocating for legislation to replace the state's capped lottery system with a non-tradable, expanded tax credit program. Proposed reforms aim to increase annual funding to $1 billion and extend incentives to large-budget films and visual effects to counter the migration of crews to states offering higher subsidies. While fiscal critics warn of unsustainable "race to the bottom" dynamics citing Michigan's failed 40% credit, panelists argue that preserving the state's dense infrastructure and middle-class jobs justifies the investment to stabilize a shrinking domestic market.
- Milken Institute1h 1m
Creative California: Where the World Comes to Innovate
Darren Jamison, Joe Kiani, Gavin Newsom, Peter Platzer, Kim Polese, Kevin Klowden
California retains its status as a global patent hub driven by premier institutions like Caltech and Stanford, yet its economic vitality is severely hampered by flatlining growth, high unemployment disparities, and a regulatory environment that has driven venture capital in medical technology down by 70%. Facing intensified competition from international locations offering substantial R&D subsidies and domestic rivals providing lower operational costs, the state struggles with a stagnant talent pipeline marked by negative net migration and severe higher education funding cuts. Experts recommend a strategic pivot toward offensive regional economic development, including federal advocacy for immigration reform and the adoption of streamlined zoning models, to reconcile high regulatory costs with the need to retain innovation leadership.