Grand-Speakers-Series
Since Klaus Becker when nominated as Honorary Consul in Charlotte in December 2013, he launched the Grand-Speaker-Serie of the N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation.
The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation was founded in 2014 by Klaus Becker, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany to North Carolina (ret.). The mission of the Foundation, also reflected in its name, Zeitgeist, which means the “Spirit of Time,” is to inform, educate and foster dialogue about the influence in North Carolina of the current and historic culture, arts, society, and spirit of Germany. In recognition of the long-standing German-American bilateral relationship, the program of the Foundation focuses on the exchange of societal and governmental thought and theory, art exhibitions, and cultural and social events.
Highlights of the Foundation’s current, past and future programs include:
The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation was founded in 2014 by Klaus Becker, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany to North Carolina (ret.). The mission of the Foundation, also reflected in its name, Zeitgeist, which means the “Spirit of Time,” is to inform, educate and foster dialogue about the influence in North Carolina of the current and historic culture, arts, society, and spirit of Germany. In recognition of the long-standing German-American bilateral relationship, the program of the Foundation focuses on the exchange of societal and governmental thought and theory, art exhibitions, and cultural and social events.
Highlights of the Foundation’s current, past and future programs include:
Grand Speaker Series, Culture and Sports
EVENTS IN 2023
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Nov.
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Fred Kempe, President, Atlantic Council of the U.S., Gänsebraten-Dinner / Roast Goose Dinner |
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Dec. 9
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Christmas-Party, Cedarwood Country Club |
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TBD
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Business Forum, with Dr. Jürgen Großmann, owner of steel conglomerate Georgsmarienhütte and former CEO of RWE, in conjunction with WACC
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TBD
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Symposium, The American Academy in Berlin |
EVENTS IN 2025
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February
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Luncheon with Mark McGrath, CEO-NA, Schaeffler
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February 14
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Valentine’s Ball at Ballantyne’s
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March
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Elmar Theveßen, Washington Bureau Chief of ZDF German Television |
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April
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Dr. Jürgen Großmann, Georgsmarienhütte, former CEO of RWE Private Dinner
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May
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White Asparagus Dinner
with Rear Admiral Axel Ristau |
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November
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Gänsebraten / Roast Goose Dinner
with Frank Sieren longest serving Western business journalist reporting from China (Handelsblatt, Tagesspiegel, Die Zeit, The Pioneer) |
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December 6
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Christmas Party
Firethorne Country Club |
EVENTS IN 2024
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Nov. 19
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Gänsebraten / Roast Goose Dinner
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Sept. 3
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Private Dinner with Axel Bense, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Vans
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July 18
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Visit of MdB Thorsten Frei, delegation of the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation
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June 4
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Ambassador Robert Kimmitt, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury White-Asparagus Dinner 10th Anniversary of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation
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May 15
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“Day of the Berlin Airlift” in Charlotte
Luncheon at Dressler’s with Rear Admiral Axel Ristau Lt. General Klaus Habersetzer ret.), Maj. General Timothy Zadalis (ret.) PPP-Presentation by Lt. General Klaus Habersetzer, Private Dinner |
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Apr. 21
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“Kaffee + Kuchen mit Kant” 300th Birthday of Immanuel Kant - a Le Salon event at the Beckers residence
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Feb. 23
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Valentine’s Vernissage, -Impressions of an Art Journey to Mecklenburg and Berlin-
TEASE– Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast |
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Jan. 25
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Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Estonia at UNC Chapel Hill
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Jan. 24
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Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Estonia in Charleston
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Jan. 23
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Ambassador Kristjan Prikk, Estonia, Key-note speaker at the celebration of the German-Franco-Friendship Treaty
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EVENTS IN 2023
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Nov. 14
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Gänsebraten-Dinner / Roast Goose Dinner with Juliane Schäuble, journalist, DerTagesspiegel, Washington
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Oct. 17
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Jonathan Dawley, President of KION North America Corporation, (Linde-Forklifts)
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Aug. 29
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Dirk Janzen, CEO of Lufthansa of the Americas
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June 1-9
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TEASE Artist’s Tour in Germany: Schloss Plüschow, Rostock, Berlin
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May 10
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White-Asparagus Dinner with Roland Nelles as key-note speaker. Roland is Washington Bureau-Chief of SPIEGEL-ONLINE
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May 1
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Dr. Robert Engelhorn, President of BMW Mfg.
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April 13
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Stuart Sandlin, President of Hapag-Lloyd North America
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Jan. 25
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Key note speech of Ambassador Marek Magierowski at UNC Chapel Hill
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Jan. 24
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Key-note speech of Ambassador Marek Magierowski, Poland at a Gala-luncheon organized with the World Affairs Council Speech at Queens University
Celebration with Ambassador Magierowski of the German-French Friendship Treat with the Alliance Française |
EVENTS IN 2022
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Dec. 17
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Christmas-Party, Cedarwood Country Club
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Sep. 15/16
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Karl Haeusgen, President and Thilo Brodtmann, CEO, VDMA
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June 10
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Delegation of Bavarian Federal Parliamentarians, in cooperation with the ACG
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May 26-28
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"Day of Europe", with Stavros Lambrinidis Ambassador at the Embassy of the E.U. to the United States, Charlotte and Charleston |
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May 11/12
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Hanns-Seidel Foundation Delegation of Bavarian Business Leaders |
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April 24 – 30
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March 1-5
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Lt. General (ret.) Ben Hodges, formerly Commander-in-Chief of the American Army in Europe, and Brigadegeneral Frank Gräfe, and Kapitän zur See Ivo Schneider, Embassy Washington, “NATO & its Challenges – A German and an American View”
Charlotte on March 1, at UNC Chapel Hill on March 2 and in Charleston on March 3 |
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January 25
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Jean-Arthur Régibeau, Ambassador of Belgium to the United States, in Charlotte:
Celebration of the German-French Friendship Treaty, in cooperation with the Alliance Française |
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January 26
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Ambassador Jean-Arthur Régibeau in Charleston:
Lecture at the Mroz Global Leadership Institute / College of Charleston, Lecture at The Library Society, "Walker international Studies and Diplomacy Series" |
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January 27
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Ambassador Jean-Arthur Régibeau in Chapel Hill:
Krasno Global Events Series, “Ambassadors and Distinguished Statesperson Forum”, organized by Prof. Dr. Klaus Larres at UNC Chapel Hill, and Ambassador Barbara Stephenson |
EVENTS IN 2021
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December 18
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The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation’s 2021 Christmas Party at Cedarwoord Country Club – ‘Ode to Beethoven’ with Concert Pianist and String Quartet, - Champagne Reception – 3-course Dinner
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October 10
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Wreath-Laying at the Tomb of Baron Johann de Kalb in Camden S.C. upon invitation of Major General Julian Burs, with BG Frank Gräfe
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October 9
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Dinner with Brigadegeneral Frank Gräfe, Military Attaché at the German Embassy in Washington
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September 28
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Dr. Udo Lange, President of FEDEX Logistics
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September 16
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Reception at the Carolina Yacht Club, “The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation in Charleston”, with Tomas Baert, Mayor John Tecklenburg, Dr. Andrew Hsu, President of the College of Charleston
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September 15
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Tomas Baert, Head of Trade & Agriculture at the E.U. Embassy in Washington
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EVENTS IN 2020
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January
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Celebration of the German-French Friendship Treaty with the Alliance Française, Charlotte
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EVENTS IN 2019
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December 13:
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Christmas Party - The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, Dinner
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November 19:
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Niels von Redecker, Director, German Information Center USA German Embassy
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November 3 - 6:
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Delegation Rhineland-Palatinate, Dr. Volker Wissing, Vice Minister-President and Secretary of Commerce
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September 26:
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Knut Dethlefsen, Executive Director, Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung, Washington D.C.; Germany-US-China: "How to assess the German-Chinese and U.S. Relationship; joint luncheon event with the American Council on Germany"
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September 9:
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Dinner Reception for Janet LaBar, President & CEO, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance
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August 3:
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Celebration of the Fifth Anniversary of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation with guest of honor: Dr. Karen Donfried, President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States
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June 6:
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White Asparagus Feast; keynote speaker: Sven Afhüppe, Editor-in-Chief of Das Handelsblatt
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April 29-30:
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Helga Barth, Minister-Political Affairs - Head of Political Department at the German Embassy, Washington
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March 6:
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Roland Nelles, Chief Correspondent of Spiegel Online, Washington
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February 13-20:
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Annette Schavan, former Federal Minister for Education and Research, and former German Ambassador to the Holy See
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January 20-22:
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Karl Matthias Klause, Minister, Head of Economic Department, German Embassy, Washington
Nicole Koesling, Sr. V.P. Human Resources, Volkswagen, Chattanooga |
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January 21:
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Diversity Symposium, on Martin-Luther-King-Jr. Day, co-organized with Charlotte Country Day School. Keynote speaker and panelist: Nicole Koesling, Sr. V.P. Human Resources, Volkswagen Chattanooga; panel discussion with Karl-Matthias Klause, Minister, German Embassy, Washington; Keva Walton, Sr. VP Charlotte Regional Business Alliance; Dr. Derek, President of the Levine Cancer Institute; Rohan Paul, Deloitte; moderated by Troy Pelshak, entrepreneur, philanthropist and former NFL player.
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January 15-16:
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Emily Haber, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany
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EVENTS IN 2018
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December 14:
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Christmas Party of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation
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November 16:
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Dr. Timo Lochoki, “New Chancellor? New Congress? What’s Next for a Changing Political Landscape”
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November 14-16:
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Klaus Becker, Chairman of the Foundation, attended the 2018 Consular Conference in Washington, D.C.
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October 24:
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John Emerson, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, co-hosted by the American Council on Germany (ACG)
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October 10:
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Knudt Flor, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC
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October 3 - 5:
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TEASE – Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast
Vernissages in Charlotte, Elder Gallery and in Boone, Appalachian State University |
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September 20:
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Peter Beyer, Member of the Bundestag (MdB) and Coordinator of Transatlantic Relations, key-note speaker at a luncheon event, co-hosted by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte (WACC)
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September 19:
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Reception in honor of Peter Beyer, with selected members of the City and County Administration and members of the German/international business community
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July 23:
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Consul General Detlev Rünger and Honorary Consul Klaus Becker invited members of the City Administration and the German/international business community to a lunch reception in honor of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and delegation; Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is Secretary General of the CDU Party in Germany and was Minister-President (Ministerpräsident) of the Saarland
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July 21:
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Welcome Reception at the Fahrenheit for the top management of Germany’s soccer club Borussia Dortmund, including BVB’s CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and soccer legends Roman Weidenfeller, Patrick Owomoyela and Lars Ricken. Mayor pro tem Julie Eiselt and approximately 120 guests welcomed the team in Charlotte on the eve of the International Champions Cup against Liverpool. BVB won the match 3 -1, with Christian Pulisic, a promising American national player, shooting two of the three goals.
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May 31:
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Annual White Asparagus Feast Dinner; introductory remarks by John Williams, President & CEO at Domtar Corp.; Charlotte City Club
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April 4:
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Prof. Dr. Peter M. Huber, Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court, Germany); panel discussion with Judge Al Diaz, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; moderated by Judge Louis Bledsoe, Special Superior Court Judge for Complex Business Cases; joint luncheon event with WACC and ACG
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March 19-21:
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Visit of Louisa Maria Giersberg in Charlotte, national political correspondent for Norddeutscher Rundfunk, NDR, a large German regional radio and TV-station and a member of the ARD consortium. Ms. Giersberg, worked on a 45 minutes program that introduced the modern New South and the relations between the two Meck’s: Mecklenburg-Pomerania and Mecklenburg County
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February 27:
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Dinner reception with Mayor Vi Lyles and selected members of German institutions to discuss future possibilities of cooperation between the City of Charlotte and members of the German community
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February 22:
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Keynote speaker Klaus Zellmer, President & CEO, Porsche North America, “Embracing Change”; joint luncheon event with the WACC
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EVENTS IN 2017
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October 12:
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Ambassador Thomas Matussek, key-note speaker on the topic “Three Elections and a Brexit: The Unraveling of Europe?” Ambassador Matussek, was German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, the United Nations and to India. The event was co-hosted by the ACG.
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October 8-10:
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Atlantic Bridge (Atlantik Brücke) Delegation in Charlotte — Dr. Friedrich Merz, Chairman of the Atlantic Bridge, visited Charlotte with a delegation of 22 members. In close cooperation with Prof. Dr. Scott Denham, Davidson College, who initiated the invitation, and the Atlantic Bridge Organization in Germany, The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation arranged a formidable program for the delegation, including a dinner at the 59th floor at Bank of America , a tour through the Levine Museum of the New South, with the Mayor of Charlotte, a lunch event at K+L Gates with comprehensive briefing on Charlotte by representatives of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and members of the business community; and a discussion on vocational training at CPCC under the leadership of Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer. The Atlantic Bridge offers high ranking decision makers from business, politics, defense, academia, media, and culture a platform to meet and connect with their counterparts on both sides of the Atlantic.
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September:
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Jewish Life in Germany Today Exhibition — Through the initiative of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, and in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Thomas Pegelow Kaplan, Professor of History, Leon Levine Distinguished Professor of Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies, Director, Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies, the exhibition “Jewish Life in Germany Today” was shown at Appalachian State University (ASU). The same exhibition was shown at Davidson College in October. In both communities, the exhibition was met with greatest interest, and several related events and symposiums were arranged around it.
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June 26-27:
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Prof. Dr. Michael Haspel, Director of the Lutheran Academy Thuringia and Professor for Systematic Theology, a recognized expert on Martin Luther, presented a comparative analysis “From Martin Luther to Martin Luther King, Jr”
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June 1:
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White Asparagus Feast, Charlotte City Club
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May 18:
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Reception of an Economic Delegation from the State of Thuringia, led by Wolfgang Tiefensee, former Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development and former Mayor of Leipzig
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EVENTS IN 2016
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December 2:
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Detlev Rünger, Consul General of Germany; “German Foreign Policy Today: Between Routine Work and Crisis Management.” (Joint luncheon event with the World Affairs Council of Charlotte)
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October 30:
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Reception of a Delegation of Thuringian Members of the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) and of the State Parliament (Landtag) by the Mayor of Charlotte, Jennifer Roberts; the delegation was led by Christian Carius, President of the Thuringian State Parliament; the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation co-sponsored the event.
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October 24:
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Dr. Timo Lochocki, Transatlantic Fellow—Europe Program, German Marshall Fund of the United States; “Is Germany Following the US and Turning into a Reluctant Hegemon?” Joint luncheon event with the ACG Warburg Chapter
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October 1:
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Economic Delegation of the German Bundestag; Reception of the delegation with the Mayor of Charlotte, Jennifer Roberts
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Sep- Oct:
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TEASE – Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast – Atlanta – Spartanburg – Charlotte – Durham / Raleigh
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July 30:
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Soccer Match FC Bayern München against Inter Milano, Bank of America Stadium. The event solely materialized because of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation’s initiative to bring the German soccer giant together with the City of Charlotte.
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June 23:
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White Asparagus Feast at BLUE Restaurant; Guests of honor: John Kornblum, former Ambassador of the United States to German, and Jim McPhilliamy, Owner of the Charlotte Independence, a United Soccer League Team
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April 13:
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Symposium “Implementing COP21 – The Business of Clean Power: The Intelligent Grid” — The event was organized by E4Carolinas and The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation and sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany.
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May 18:
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An Evening with Bayern Munich’s Vanguard Team — The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation organized a Reception for FC Bayern Munich legend and brand ambassador Paul Breitner Guests included dignitaries of the City, including Mayor Jennifer Roberts and members of the Charlotte business and sports community
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January 6:
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Christian Carius, President of the State Parliament of Thuringia; “A Phoenix Still Rising: Economic Transformation in East Germany 25 Years after Unification”
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EVENTS IN 2015
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Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Former German Minster for Economics and Technology and Minster for Defense; Chairman of Spitzberg Partners
Jagoda Marinić, Founding Director of the Intercultural Center, Heidelberg Rudolph Houck, Partner at Eaton & Van Winkle, New York Ralf Fücks, President of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung/Foundation in Berlin Prof. Jonathan Steinberg, University of Pennsylvania, “Why Bismarck matters today”; joint exhibition with the Goethe Cultural Center, Atlanta, and Davidson College, Davidson, NC First German Opera Ball in Charlotte Honoring His Excellency Dr. Peter Wittig, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States; Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte Josef Joffe, Editor of DIE ZEIT |
EVENTS IN 2014
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Prof. Dr. Kurt Biedenkopf, former member of the Bundestag and Minister-President of the State of Saxony
Yasmin Fahimi, Secretary General of the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, Foreign Affairs Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) Ruprecht Polenz, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag Peter Schneider, German novelist, Roth Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Georgetown University Thomas Matussek, former German Ambassador to the United Kingdom and India; Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings; former senior transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund on the United States (GMF) Holger Stark, White-House Correspondent for DER SPIEGEL TEASE – Transatlantic Exhibition of Art in the Southeast – Atlanta – Spartanburg – Charlotte – Durham / Raleigh The 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall Professor Dr. Kurt Biedenkopf , former Secretary General of the German party CDU, former President of the German Senate (Bundesrat) |
Previous Guests :
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2005 - 2013
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Jens Bischof, Managing Board at Lufthansa
Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of the European Paliament for the German Green Party Klaus von Dohnanyi, former Mayor of Hamburg, Germany Dr. Margot Käßmann, ehemalige Bischöfin (former woman bishop) Josef Kerscher, CEO and President of BMW Manufacturing in Geer, SC Dr. Theo Sommer, former Editor "Die Zeit" Klaus Scharioth, former Ambassador of the Federal Republic Germany to the United States |
Presenting Sponsors:
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