Balancing Act: A Dialogue on Public Debt and Fiscal Policy

Balancing Act: A Dialogue on Public Debt and Fiscal Policy

Commemorating the 250th birthday of Albert Gallatin — one of the most prominent Swiss-Americans in history — a U.S. Congressman and the longest-serving Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.

PANEL DISCUSSION and luncheon

Balancing Act: A Dialogue on Public Debt and Fiscal Policy

Thursday, February 10, 2011
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m

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Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta
The event was hosted by the Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta.

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Panelists

Fritz Zurbrügg, Director General of the Swiss Federal Finance Administration

Fritz ZurbrüggFritz Zurbrügg is currently General Director of the Federal Finance Administration in the Federal Ministry of Finance. The Federal Finance Administration is responsible i.a. for the federal budget and medium-term financial plan, the federal treasury and debt management, fiscal policy issues and the financial equalization system for subnational governments.

He has held various positions within the Federal Finance Administration. He also represented Switzerland in the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund from 1998–2006 as Senior Advisor and Executive Director. Fritz Zurbrügg gained experience in dealing with a broad range of economic and development issues given the composition of the Swiss-led constituency (Azerbaijan, Kyrgyz Republic, Poland, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan).

Fritz Zurbrügg received his graduate degree and PhD in economics from the University of Berne, Switzerland.


Dennis P. Lockhart, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Dennis LockhartDennis P. Lockhart took office March 1, 2007, as the 14th president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. In this role, Lockhart is responsible for all the Bank’s activities, including monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and payment services. In addition, he serves on the Federal Reserve’s chief monetary policy body, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

From 2003 to 2007, Lockhart served on the faculty of Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, teaching in the masters program. In this role, he chaired the program’s concentrations in international business–government relations and global commerce and finance, teaching courses in international finance and investment, global business strategy, and other subjects. He also was an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. During this period, he was also chairman of the Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, a sponsor/operator of emerging markets venture capital/private equity funds.

From 2001 to 2003, Lockhart was managing partner at the private equity firm Zephyr Management LP, based in New York with activity in Africa and Latin America. Prior to joining Zephyr, Lockhart worked for 13 years at Heller Financial, where he served as president of Heller International Group, which had activities in commercial finance and merchant banking in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. In 2000, he served as chairman of the advisory committee of the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

From 1971 to 1988, Lockhart held various positions, both domestic and international, with Citicorp/Citibank (now Citigroup). Early in his career with Citibank, he worked in the Middle East in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Iran. From 1978 to 1986, he served in Atlanta as Citicorp’s senior corporate officer and head of corporate banking for the Southeast. And from 1987 to 1988, he was head of the firm’s Latin American debt-to-equity swap investment program, designed to restructure sovereign debt.

Lockhart currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, on the board of directors of St. Joseph’s Health System, and as a trustee of Agnes Scott College and Atlanta International School.

Lockhart was born in 1947 in Bakersfield, Calif. He earned a BA in political science and economics from Stanford University in 1968 and an MA in international economics and American foreign policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in 1971. He also attended the Senior Executive Program at MIT, Sloan School of Management, in 1994. He served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve from 1968 to 1974.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta serves the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which covers Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Bank has branches in Birmingham, Jacksonville, Miami, Nashville, and New Orleans.


Annabelle Malins, Her Majesty’s Consul General, Consulate General of Great Britain, Atlanta

Annabelle MalinsAnnabelle Malins took up her appointment as Her Majesty’s Consul General in September 2009. She leads a staff working throughout the Southeast on a wide range of issues, including support for British nationals, public diplomacy on the UK government’s policy priorities, scientific co-operation, and trans-Atlantic trade and investment.

Annabelle’s previous position was as the Consul for Science and Innovation at the British Consulate-General in San Francisco. In addition to building UK-US bridges in all aspects of science and technology, she lead broad-ranging exchanges on climate change and energy issues. She facilitated a collaboration with California on climate change and energy launched by then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at Long Beach in 2006.

Annabelle joined the UK’s diplomatic service in 1999. From 1999 to 2005 she served in London as a First Secretary leading teams in global issues, geographic, and international organisations departments, including:

Environment Policy, dealing with many aspects of sustainable development including genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), forests, European Union negotiations, international treaties, and trade and the environment.

South Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, and the small island countries, as well as acting as Deputy Head of the Northeast Asia Pacific Department covering also Japan and the Koreas.

Commonwealth business

Council of Europe and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe encompassing human rights, democracy building and security issues.

Unlike many British diplomats, Annabelle had an extensive career before she joined the diplomatic service. She worked in the agriculture industry and in international development. Her career has lead her to many parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean as well as to India and Latin America. During several years living in the Caribbean Annabelle worked with the banana industry and with high value agricultural exports. She has provided consultancy and advice to governments, big business, and small farmers.

Annabelle was born in Bradford in the North of England, and earned degrees at Durham University and Reading University. Her husband, James Malins, is an agronomist, whose current work focuses on auditing companies for the quality of their products and for their social and environmental practices. She has a son at Glasgow University in Scotland, and another son living with his parents in Atlanta.


Glenn Campbell, Consul and Head of Economic Finance Program, Consulate General of Canada, New York

Glenn CampbellGlenn Campbell is Canada’s treasury representative in New York responsible for monitoring financial and economic developments in the United States, as well as providing analysis and advice to the Government of Canada on financial, fiscal and economic issues, and fostering relations with the international financial community and promoting Canada’s financial and economic interests. During his tenure in New York he has been particularly focused on the impact of the financial crisis on Canada-US capital markets and shared economy, and evaluating the fiscal, monetary and regulatory policy response. He has worked at Finance Canada for 10 years which included reform of major fiscal transfer arrangements between the federal and provincial governments that support social programs and regional economic development. Prior to joining Canada Finance ministry he held positions at Industry Canada and Treasury Board Secretariat in Ottawa and Canada’s Revenue Agency in Toronto. He holds a BA from St. Francis Xavier University and an MA from the University of Western Ontario.


Charles H. Green, Executive Director, Small Business Finance Institute

Charles H. GreenCharles Green founded Small Business Finance Institute to provide applied learning to small business owners and entrepreneurs on finance. He is the former President of Sunrise Bank of Atlanta and has authored several financing books. Charles earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama, and completed the Stonier National Graduate School of Banking at the Wharton School of Business. He serves on the Board of the Atlanta Medical Center and is Chair of the Fulton County Arts Council.

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Our Partners

World Affairs Council of Atlanta British Consulate-General Atlanta

Consulate General of Canada in Atlanta Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce

CIBER Georgia State University Robinson College of Business

Small Business Finance Institute

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