Biannual Trustee Policy Summit: Insight Summary (Spring 2025)

17 June 2025 / Report

On June 11, 2025, CED had the privilege of hosting its Biannual Trustee Policy Summit Navigating Washington in Washington, DC. As in past years, this all-day event brought together leaders from both the business and public policy communities to discuss both challenges and opportunities on some of the most consequential issues facing the Nation. Our speakers included current and former members of Congress, Administration officials, economists, leading journalists, and, of course, our Trustees offering their essential perspective as business leaders.

The day was filled with insightful discussions on issues from AI to the economy, national security, education reform, and the future of DEI. Just as valuable were the comments so many Trustees made during our roundtable sessions.

This report is intended to capture the major insights from the day and provide a flavor of the discussion, which was held under the Chatham House Rule to encourage open discussion among both speakers and Trustees. These insights will contribute to CED’s work for the remainder of the year and the future.

One key point that arose repeatedly during the Summit is that the world is intertwined. Nothing works in isolation. In today’s world, with the rapid advances in technology, these increasingly deep complexities have tremendous strategic, operational, investment, and political implications both domestically and internationally. There is a true butterfly effect, growing as a result of global integration.

CED expresses its sincere thanks to the Summit’s sponsors, Adtalem Global Education Foundation, AlixPartners, Growth Protocol, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, and RW2 Enterprises, along with the Trustees and our guest speakers for making the Summit a success.