JD Durkin: Angel Cabrera joins us now, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute as of just a few days ago. Congratulations, and thanks for chatting with us here today.
Angel Cabrera: Thank you. Thank you. As of Monday, indeed.
JD Durkin: Day five of the job. You just wrapped up your first full week leading the Aspen Institute. Talk to me. First and foremost, what are some of the most exciting conversations you’ve been having, and what have you been hearing here this week?
Angel Cabrera: This is an amazing organization, the Aspen Institute, an organization that is at the right moment right now. It’s an organization dedicated to developing principled leaders, to convening conversations from all sorts of perspectives, and to really empowering people to make a difference in the world. So I feel like it’s great that we have the Aspen Institute here, the world’s largest stock exchange and the world’s largest idea exchange coming together. It couldn’t be any better alignment.
JD Durkin: And what drew you to the Aspen Institute after all your years over at Georgia Tech? Why take on this particular challenge at this time?
Angel Cabrera: A few years ago, I had the honor and privilege of becoming a Henry Crown Fellow, one of the leadership development fellowships of the Aspen Institute. I think it’s an understatement to say that that experience changed my life in profound ways, and I hope to be able to contribute to an organization that changed my life, and hopefully change the lives of many other people.
JD Durkin: How would you describe the very ethos, the mission of the Aspen Institute’s overall goals, your mission, your vision and values at this time, to people unfamiliar?
Angel Cabrera: The Aspen Institute is dedicated to building a better society for everybody, a free, just, and equitable society. We do that in a variety of ways. We empower and inspire leaders who can make a difference. We exchange ideas and try to bring people to the table from different perspectives. And we also organize these festivals. The New York Stock Exchange is a proud partner of [unclear: “our probably the top festival”]. We have the Ideas Festival, to make sure that all that work informs the public, whether it’s the Ideas Festival, which is certainly very well known, or any other programming.
JD Durkin: What most excites you about the opportunities you have ahead of you?
Angel Cabrera: We have a moment. The Aspen Institute was created right after World War II, at a moment of great change, great technological change that almost mirrors exactly what we’re living through right now. I feel like the Aspen Institute is prepared to really make a positive contribution to the world when it is most needed.
JD Durkin: Really grateful for your time today. Before I let you go, what was the experience like for you personally, and for your team, to round out the closing bell down here at the New York Stock Exchange?
Angel Cabrera: This is iconic. I always feel like this is a temple of freedom, of economic freedom, of capitalism. And I feel like, again, the Aspen Institute represents the freedom of ideas together with the freedom of capital and investment. I think this was a really, really special day.
JD Durkin: Doctor Angel Cabrera, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, congratulations on a very eventful first five days on the job. Really grateful you’re finishing up on this Friday afternoon with us. Nice to see you here today.
Angel Cabrera: Thank you, sir.
