The John Adams Institute. Annual Report 2008

Transcription

1 The John Adams Institute Annual Report 2008

2 Annual report 2008 Table of content 3 Our Mission 4 Note from the director 6 Events 23 Other activities 26 Support 28 Publicity 29 Staff and volunteers for Board of Directors, Honorary board and Advisory board 32 West-Indisch Huis 33 Attendance In the Press 38 Corporate Sponsors & Friends in Finance The John Adams Institute West-Indisch Huis Herenmarkt EC Amsterdam T. +31(0) F. +31(0) E. info@john-adams.nl W.

3 Our Mission To be one of the premier speaker s podiums in Europe on American culture. To bring American culture to a Dutch and international audience by organizing public lectures, readings and discussions. To maintain our independent, nonprofit status, with freedom to choose speakers and topics. To provide our audience the opportunity to listen, learn and engage in discussions on the broad subject of the United States, its culture, and its impact on the world, without necessarily advocating particular viewpoint ourselves. 3

4 A Note from the Director Being an American living in Europe, looking back at America, and attempting all the while to present America to European audiences, is a challenging, and generally rewarding way to make a living. If that was true a few years ago, it was especially so during the eventful year of You had the waning of the Bush era. You had the building frenzy of a presidential campaign. As the year wore on you had the economic meltdown first in the U.S., then globally. And by the end of the year you had a new power center in the U.S., and new pronouncements and new hopes about the role the U.S. would play henceforth. Happily, the John Adams Institute does not have to try to embrace all of that change in its program. We are an independent American culture center, located in a corner of the storied West India House on the Herenmarkt in Amsterdam. Our job is to bring American voices to the Netherlands. How we define it beyond that depends on circumstances: our funding, our inclinations, what we think is important or relevant or special or amusing. And of course it depends on events. In the case of 2008, we tried to keep the big events in focus. We held a series of panel discussions, cosponsored by the University of Amsterdam, on the evolving state of the U.S. presidential race. We hosted former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in an event broadcast on NOVA in which she gave her perspective on what the next president should do internationally to restore American standing and leadership in the world. Michael Oreskes, editor of the International Herald Tribune, handicapped the campaign as it stood at midyear. And as we approached election day, Shelby Steele gave our audience his views on Barack Obama, with a particular focus on race. As to the economic collapse, we actually had that covered long before its effects registered. Our first program of 2008 featured former American Labor Secretary Robert Reich, in an event with Alexander Rinnooy Kan and Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven. The topic was Supercapitalism, and Reich s contention that there were dangers in the spread of American-style capitalism. Some of those dangers became apparent as the year wore on. Meanwhile, the war in Iraq and lingering effects of 9/11 occupied many of us in 2008, and as well merited space in our lecture series. Martin Amis, one of the world s great novelists, came to Amsterdam to talk about the subject of his essay collection, The Second Plane, and the aftereffects of 9/11. New York Times war correspondent Dexter Filkins gave us an annotated slide show of his experiences in Iraq. New Yorker writer Steve Coll gave us the backstory of the Bin Laden family. 4

5 But we want not only to be a forum for politics and economic matters. We also want to be a window onto culture, art, history, lifestyle onto what Americans are feeling and watching and listening to. Thus we presented novelists Amy Bloom, Paul Auster and Junot Diaz, cartoonist Ben Katchor, musicians Steve Earle and Chip Taylor, and historian Lisa Jardine. And in a category by himself David Sedaris held forth on talking animals and how he packs his suitcase. No sooner was the year finished than we were launched into a truly new era. The turn from 2008 to 2009 was a rare fulcrum, a point on which history pivots. The era of Obama, the era of nationalization and economic restructuring, the Hudson Year, The Island these are some of the directions in which the John Adams Institute has moved since then. But those are topics for another time. For now, let me conclude with an observation. Times of economic distress provide easy and legitimate reasons not to support nonprofit activities. Who has extra money at such times? On the other hand, I would like to put forth the idea that it is precisely at such moments, when so much transformation is afoot, that trans-national dialogue is most vital. The John Adams Institute is a small organization, but we like to think that our work has real merit, especially at such a time of questioning and confusion and reevaluation. Our newest sponsors and supporters among whom are the City of Amsterdam and the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry attest to that. So do our many corporate friends, Aegon, the U.S. Embassy, the Dutch publishers and booksellers with whom we work closely, the 183 new members who joined us over the year, and the 3281 people who came to our events in That is an increase of 67 percent over the previous year. If you will permit me a touch of hyperbole The people have spoken! Russell Shorto 5

6 6 Events

7 Robert B. Reich 14 January 2008 Location: Kloosterkerk, The Hague President Bill Clinton s former Secretary of Labor argues in his important new book that in the last thirty years capitalism has flourished at the expense of democracy. Robert Reich, one of America s most renowned economists, says people now see themselves as buyers and sellers first and citizens only later, if at all. The rise of supercapitalism has meant fantastically increased choices for consumer goods but also decimated public services, an end to job security and looming environmental catastrophe. The U.S. leads in this dark trend, Reich argues, but Europe is right behind, and the only solution is to renew civic participation: to turn consumers back into citizens. In cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Business Contact Publishers Moderator Alexander Rinnooy Kan, Chairman of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands With the participation of Maria van der Hoeven, Minister of Economic Affairs Photos Piet Gispen 7

8 Steve Earle 31 January 2008 Location: Paradiso, Amsterdam Steve Earle in conversation with Chris Kijne about politics, music and the culture clash of moving from Nashville to New York City. Special John Adams Institute event, held in the afternoon of Earle's performance at Paradiso. Moderator Chris Kijne, VPRO broadcaster In cooperation with Paradiso Steve Earle -"the hardcore troubadour"-is a legend in rock and country music circles, and nearly as renowned for his politics as for his music. His 2002 album, Jerusalem, was a reaction to President George W. Bush's "war on terrorism." The song "John Walker's Blues," about the captured American Taliban John Walker Lindh, provoked headlines around the world and much outrage; many accused Earle of sympathizing with terrorists. Photos Chris van Houts 8

9 Christopher Hitchens 13 February 2008 Location: Aula, Universiteit van Amsterdam He dismissed Hillary Clinton as "an aging and resentful female" and, regarding Barack Obama, he asked, "why is a man with a white mother considered to be 'black, anyway?" Christopher Hitchens is one of America's most provocative public intellectuals. In his new book, God Is Not Great -a runaway bestseller in the U.S. -Hitchens goes after organized religion with both barrels blazing. Why is the West in such a heightened state of insecurity? Hitchens gives a three-word answer: "Religion poisons everything." And if all religions are dangerous, Islam, he says, is the biggest threat because "it's unalterable." Moderator Panelist Arjo Klamer, Chair of Economics of Art and Culture at Erasmus University Fouad Laroui, Teacher of Arabic Language and Culture at the Universiteit van Amsterdam and author of Islamism In cooperation with J.M. Meulenhoff Publishers Photos Chris van Houts 9

10 Madeleine Albright 19 February 2008 Location: Aula, Universiteit van Amsterdam In this one-of-a-kind event, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright talked about her new book, Memo to the President-Elect, offered her analysis of what the next president must do to restore America's international standing, and assessed the presidential candidates. Coproduction: -The John Adams Institute -The International School for Humanities and Social Sciences of the Universiteit van Amsterdam -Ambo Anthos Publishers -NOVA Moderator Twan Huys, Journalist & Author Broadcast as a special installment of the "Nova College Tour" Photos Chris van Houts 10

11 Amy Bloom 5 March 2008 Location: Felix Meritis, Amsterdam Amy Bloom trained as a psychotherapist, but her prose is anything but analytical. Her sensitive exploration of human interactions, expressed in a style that is luminous yet engagingly direct, has won her many fans and awards. Her new novel, Away, tells the picaresque story of a Russian Jew in the 1920s whose family is killed in a pogrom and who then finds her way to New York and its Yiddish theater world. News that her daughter may be alive -in Siberia -then sparks an improbable transcontinental trek. Critics have hailed it as "far and away one of the best books of the year." The New York Times called it "a classic page-turner, one that delivers a relentlessly good read." Moderator Kristien Hemmerechts, Journalist & Author In cooperation with Nieuw Amsterdam Publishers Photos Gerrit Serné 11

12 Steve Coll 21 April 2008 Location: Posthoornkerk, Amsterdam One of America' s most renowned international affairs correspondents came to the John Adams Institute podium to discuss his revelatory new book on the Bin Laden family. Steve Coll won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 for Ghost Wars, which showed how 9/11 was an outgrowth of the CIA' s long involvement in Afghanistan. His new book, The Bin Ladens, one of the most highly anticipated releases of the spring, penetrates the veil of secrecy that has kept the famous and infamous Saudi family largely hidden from public view. The result is a sprawling saga of money, oil, religion, and politics -and at the center of it all, of course, the figure of Osama bin Laden. Steve Coll is a writer for The New Yorker and president of the New America Foundation, a Washington, D.C. think tank. Moderator Joris Luyendijk, Journalist & Author In cooperation with Mouria Publishers Penguin Books Benelux Photos Chris van Houts 12

13 The Word as a Way Out 26 April 2008 Location: OBA Public Library Amsterdam Junot Diaz Julie Phillips Ben Katchor Moderator: Michael Martin Part of: International Literature Festival Amsterdam April

14 Ben Katchor 27 April 2008 Location: Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam Ben Katchor, the first comic strip artist ever to win a McArthur Foundation "genius grant. has been called "the most poetic, deeply layered artist ever to draw a comic strip." Katchor started out as a contributor to Art Spiegelman's legendary cutting edge graphics magazine Raw, and his strips Julius Knipl Real Estate Photographer and The Jew in New York have been syndicated in the United States since Moderator Gert Jan Pos, Journalist In cooperation with Jewish Historical Museum Photos Chris van Houts 14

15 Michael Oreskes Executive Editor, International Herald Tribune 13 May 2008 Location: Aula, Universiteit van Amsterdam Moderator Twan Huys, Journalist & Author In cooperation with International Herald Tribune The intense interest in this year's American presidential election has a flipside: the reason all campaigns have had the mantra of "change" is that no one is pleased with the country s recent leadership. The U.S. prides itself on its democracy, and above all on its Constitution. How has the American government strayed so far from its principles? What will be the central battleground of the general election campaign, and can the next president restore faith -at home and abroad -in the American system? In a very special John Adams Institute event, Michael Oreskes, the executive editor of the International Herald Tribune, gave his unique perspective on these questions in a wide-ranging discussion with Twan Huys, the host of NOVA. Photos Chris van Houts 15

16 Paul Auster 10 June 2008 Location: De Duif, Amsterdam Paul Auster was born in New Jersey, but is most associated with Brooklyn (where he has long lived) and Paris (where he worked as a translator of French literature). He is a writer like no other, who has been known to mix magical realism with detective fiction. From the "New York Trilogy"of the 1980s to Mr. Vertigo, in which a boy is determined to learn to levitate, to Timbuktu, whose main character is a dog, to the screenplay for the indie film Smoke, Auster's work plays on coincidence and absurdity. In his new novel, Man in the Dark, Auster turns a political theme -the war in Iraq -into an exploration of the possibly even more nightmarish realm of one man's psyche. Introduction Guusje ter Horst, Minister of Home Affairs & Kingdom Relations In cooperation with Arbeiderspers Publishers Photos Chris van Houts 16

17 Lisa Jardine 19 June 2008 Location: Bethaniënklooster, Amsterdam Moderator Russell Shorto In cooperation with Arbeiderspers Publishers Photos Gerrit Serné In the great book of history, the British Empire typically merits a fat chapter, while the Dutch Enlightenment gets a passing mention. The problem with this, argues Lisa Jardine in her groundbreaking work Going Dutch: How England Plundered Holland's Glory, is that Britain's rise was built on -not to say swiped from-the intellectual achievements of its neighbor and competitor. From painting techniques to new business practices to its passion for cleanliness and proclivity for tolerance, the Dutch Republic infected England in the 17th century. Its way of doing things became part of the English way. In her rich new book, bristling with examples and exuding the colors and textures of the time, Jardine -professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London- simply changes history

18 Martin Amis 9 September 2008 Location: De Duif, Amsterdam Britain's greatest living author comes to the John Adams Institute podium on the occasion of the Dutch publication of his new collection of essays about the post-9/11 world, The Second Plane. After spending his early career on the political left, Martin Amis lived for two years in Uruguay and returned to find that, as he later said, "I had moved quite a distance to the right while staying in the same place." The Second Plane ignited controversy in the U.K. for seeming to conflate hatred of Islamism with hatred of Islam. Amis is the author of some of the most celebrated novels of our time, including London Fields, Money, and The Information. Moderator Pieter Steinz, NRC Handelsblad In cooperation with Contact Publishers Photo Gerrit Serné 18

19 David Sedaris 23 September 2008 Location: De Rode Hoed, Amsterdam The humorist and author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim brought his entourage to Amsterdam for the Dutch publication of his latest collection of wisdom, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Sedaris instructed the John Adams audience on how to buy drugs in a North Carolina trailer and how to pretend you attended Princeton University before the birth of Jesus Christ. Moderator Tim Overdiek, Deputy Editor in Chief at NOS In cooperation with Lebowski Publishers Photo Chris van Houts 19

20 Shelby Steele 5 October 2008 Location: De Rode Hoed, Amsterdam Barack Obama is the most compelling political figure to come out of the U.S. in at least a generation. At the core of his personality is his biracial background. Shelby Steele -a research fellow at Stanford University and a winner of the National Book Critics' Circle Award-is also the child of a white mother and a black father. He sees both Obama's promise and pitfalls as rooted in his search for identity. One month before the presidential election, Steele was in Amsterdam to share his thesis, which is provocatively spelled out in the English subtitle of his book: "Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win." Moderator Twan Huys, Journalist & Author Organized in cooperation with -De Rode Hoed -Elsevier Publishers Photo (screenshot from video) Roberto Bourgonjen 20

21 Dexter Filkins 20 November 2008 Location: West-Indisch Huis, Amsterdam In The Forever War, Dexter Filkins -one of America's top war correspondents -has produced a book of scintillating beauty, if one can apply such a term to the nightmare that has unfolded in Afghanistan and Iraq. How to sort through the lies, the bombs, the billions of dollars, the thousands of deaths? Filkins stays close to the ground. He tells stories. He bears witness. He knows which details hold meaning. "His writing," says novelist Robert Stone, "is one of the scant good things to come out of the war. Moderator Chris Kijne, VPRO broadcaster In cooperation with Contact Publishers Photos Chris van Houts 21

22 Chip Taylor 14 December 2008 Location: Paradiso, Amsterdam Singer-songwriter Chip Taylor took the John Adams Institute stage to talk about his special bond with The Netherlands, but also to play some of his famous songs. Taylor is the man behind such classics as Wild Thing (The Troggs), Try Just a Little Bit Harder (Janis Joplin) and Angel of the Morning (Juice Newton), and is considered one of the great American songwriters of his generation. Moderator Leo Blokhuis, Pop music expert & Author In cooperation with -Ambo Anthos Publishers -Paradiso Photos Chris van Houts 22

23 Other activities 23

24 The Next President of the United States The John Adams Institute, together with the Universiteit van Amsterdam, presented a series of discussions on the U.S. presidential campaign. Location: International School for Humanities and Social Science, Prins Hendrikkade Amsterdam. 5 Febr. Super Tuesday The presidential primary system is a Byzantine affair, involving dozens of states, millions of voters and untold numbers of laws, rules and traditions. Our panel of experts dissected it all. With: Galen Irwin, political scientist at Universiteit Leiden; Frans Verhagen, the author of De beste wint nooit; and Maarten Huygen, journalist and commentator for the NRC Handelsblad. 19 Febr. The Ground War A presidential campaign is like a military campaign: a long ground war. What are the strategies and tactics of each campaign? The panel examined the role of the media and the use of the internet. With: Marc Chavannes, professor of journalism, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen; Professor Ruth Oldenziel, American Studies, Technical University Eindhoven and Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam; and Professor Andrew Tanenbaum, Computer Science, VU Amsterdam 4 March Follow the Money A presidential campaign runs on money, and following the cash trail gives surprising insights into how the election system really works. Special guest for this program was Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C. Moderator: Kees Brants 18 March Over There What changes would the various candidates bring to American foreign policy? Karel van Wolferen - University Professor of Comparative Political and Economic Institutions (UvA) William Pfaff (t.b.c.) - International Herald Tribune 1 April Holier Then Thou What is the special role that religion plays in a presidential campaign? James Kennedy - Professor of Dutch History (UvA) 14 April Health Care & Social Policy An introduction to the importance of issues about Health Care and Social Policy. Special guest was Theodore Marmor (Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Management & Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Yale) Moderator: Jan Willem Duyvendak (Professor of Sociology, UvA) 13 May And the Winner Is As we headed into the political conventions, our experts looked ahead to the general election. Special guests were Michael Oreskes (editor International Herald Tribune) and Michiel Vos (journalist). 24

25 The Quincy Club The Quincy Club is part of our ongoing effort to help young Dutch students understand American culture. The Club's activities take students out of the classroom and into an interactive new learning environment through American history, literature and art. The US Presidential Elections 2008 America expert Frans Verhagen gave an overview of the history and workings of the presidential elections and gave his view on the current elections. 20 lectures at Dutch high schools: 22 Sept. Calvijn Groene Hart, Barendrecht 22 Sept. Coenecoop College, Waddinxveen 24 Sept. Sint-Oelbertgymnasium, Oosterhout 24 Sept. Mgr. Frencken college, Oosterhout 25 Sept. Theresialyceum, Tilburg 26 Sept. Murmellius Gymnasium, Alkmaar 29 Sept. Goese Lyceum, Goes 29 Sept. Calvijn College, Goes 30 Sept. Rythovius College, Eersel 01 Oct. Bernardinus College, Heerlen 01 Oct. Strabrecht College, Geldrop 03 Oct. Groene Hart Lyceum, Alphen a/d Rijn 03 Oct. Scala College, Alphen a/d Rijn 07 Oct. Citycollege St Franciscus, Rotterdam 08 Oct. Elde College, Schijndel 08 Oct. Mondriaan College, Oss 09 Oct. St. Janslyceum, Den Bosch 10 Oct. Werkplaats Kindergemeenschap, Bilthoven 14 Oct. Herman Wesselink College, Amstelveen 17 Oct. 4e Gymnasium, Amsterdam 25

26 Support As a nonprofit organization, the John Adams Institute has been ahead of its time in the sense that, ever since its launch in 1987, it has depended heavily on the private sector. We are also fortunate to benefit from a small number of public sector grants and funding. This year we received a very generous donation from the Holland America Friendship Foundation. In addition to annual support from our Friends, Sponsors and members, we also seek partners with a particular interest in individual events. In 2008, we received specific event-related support and assistance from the following: Publishers and book importers J.M. Meulenhoff Other supporters 26

27 Becoming a Sponsor or Friend of the John Adams Institute brings a company or individual with interests in the United States into an eclectic community, which includes politicians, entrepreneurs, writers, artists, journalists, professors and publishers. Indeed, our audiences and network of supporters include people of accomplishments that rival those of our speakers. Our Sponsors and Friends tell us they find value in their affiliation in various ways, whether by inviting clients to hear a Nobel Prize winner or former U.S. Secretary of State in an intimate setting or by mingling at our receptions. Many times a corporation will approach us asking to sponsor an individual event; this gives them a large bloc of seats and the chance to use a reception with the featured speaker as a special occasion for their members or customers. In 2008, we gained the following corporate sponsors: - Nyenrode University - Resources Global Professionals. For a complete List of Corporate Friends & Sponsors for 2008, see page 38. Sometimes supporters indicate from the beginning that their contribution will be limited to a certain time period. We wish to thank the following departing Friends for their generous support in past years: Nieuw-Amsterdam Publishers, NIBC Bank, Greif, Boom Publishers and Kadaster Apeldoorn. Individual support Member ( 25), Patron ( 65) President s Club ( 500) Personal Friend ( 1500 and up). We currently have 1228 members. Of this total, 16 are members of the President s Club (see below) and 13 are donating at the Ambassador level. In 2007 the board of the John Adams Institute has decided to cancel the Ambassador level for new members. President s Club members R.M. Amato, K.A. van den Broek-Kohlstrand, R. Donehoo, R.W.H. Groen, P.J. Gunn, C. &. D. Harple, L. Kaplanian, S.W. Khan, W. Knibbeler, D.S. Macy, W. van Roijen-Van Nispen, H.O.C.R. Ruding, F. Schaik, M. Schuit- Williams, W.F.C. Stevens-Mullens, F. Warmelink. 27

28 Publicity We get the word out with news cards, e-cards cards, posters, press releases, advertisements and via our website. Our website is an important source of information for the public, providing the latest updates on our program, membership subcription, ticket sale and past guests videos. Apart from our own promotional materials, we occasionally advertise lectures in local newspapers. The International Herald Tribune provides a large advertisement to announce our program and to enable us to thank our Friends and Sponsors for their support. 28

29 Staff and volunteers for 2008 Staff Russell Shorto Director Maarten van Essen Program administrator Cobie Ivens Event coordinator Office volunteers Christine Boreel Quincy club (first half 2008) Miriam van der Meij Quincy club (second half 2008) Kristin Jooss-Amadon Kiekie Pabbruwe Heather Gould Fundraising Ambassador The Hague Office assistance Event volunteers Heather Gould Liesbeth van den Heijden Naomi Kamphuijs Ellen Kroese-Kane Gerard Kroese Veronika Kovacsova Richard Nyaku Rebecca Sakoun Yvonne Veger Alex Verdegaal Casper Wuite 29

30 Board of Directors Arie Westerlaken, Chairman Arie Westerlaken was Philips' Chief Legal Officer and a member of the Group Management Committee. He joined the company s legal department in the Netherlands in 1973 and was appointed General Counsel to Philips Japan in After six years in Japan and five years with the Corporate Legal Department in Eindhoven, he left the company in 1990 to become Director of Legal Affairs for DAF Trucks. Returning to Philips in 1994, he was appointed Director of Legal Affairs. He became Chief Legal Officer of Philips on April 1, 1996, Secretary of the Board of Management in July 1997 and a member of the Group Management Committee on May 1, Mr. Westerlaken was born in 1946 and graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Utrecht. He is married with two children. Evert van de Bergh, Treasurer Until 2002 he served on the board of management at ExxonMobil Benelux, with contact responsibility in the area of financial affairs. After his retirement in 2003, he was appointed in 2004 to the Supervisory Board of Esso Nederland. Among his many other activities, Mr van den Bergh currently holds the post of Director for Strategy and Policy at Delft University of Technology. He is treasurer of the Dutch String Quartet Academy, and sits on the Gasunie pension fund investment advisory board. Since 2003 he has served as a mediator for ACB, an intermediary organization dedicated to dispute resolution. In 2003 Mr van den Bergh was appointed a member of the Committee set up to adjudicate and allocate non-personal claims to 'Jewish' funds relating to damages sustained in World War II and released by the Dutch government, banks and the stock exchange. Marry de Gaay Fortman, Secretary Marry de Gaay Fortman graduated in 1988 from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Since then she has worked as a lawyer with Houthoff Buruma. In 1997 she was named partner and from 2001 until 2007 she was Managing Partner at this firm. Alongside her daily tasks, she also works as a mediator (affiliated with the Dutch Mediation Institute, NMI) and contributes regularly to roundtable discussions on leadership, management and diversity. Marry de Gaay Fortman occupies various additional functions, she is member of the supervisory board of AMREF Flying Doctors, the Nederlands Dans Theater and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, sits on the Commission to promote sound management and integrity in Public Broadcasting, and is a member of the Advice Council of the Dutch Care Authority. 30

31 Chris Kijne Chris Kijne is a VPRO broadcaster and journalist. He started as a print journalist but later switched to radio, both as a domestic- and foreigndesk reporter. The last decade he was one of the anchors for the VPRO broadcasts on Radio 1, the national news-channel. He also works for television, making documentaries and most recently with a series of extensive interviews for both the digital channel HollandDoc and the in depth-program 'Tegenlicht'. Among his recent guests were Salman Rushdie, Madeleine Albright, Elie Wiesel, Amos Oz and Amartya Sen. He also moderates events of the Institute. Tracy Metz Tracy Metz, a native of California, is a journalist with the NRC Handelsblad. She writes regularly about architecture, urbanism and landscape and has written a number of books, such as Snelweg: Highways in the Netherlands, Nieuwe natuur: Reportages over veranderend landschap Atlas of Changes. Rearranging the Netherland. Her most recent book is FUN! Leisure and Landscape.She is also a correspondent for the American magazine Architectural Record. For the John Adams Institute, where she has been a member of the board since 2004, she also regularly moderates evenings with authors. Jeannette Sanders A fervent reader and art collector, Jeanette is responsible for co-hosting receptions at lectures and organizing the Women's Leadership Circle fundraising dinners together with Swe Thant. Jeannette is a member of the Board of the Groninger Museum. Pim Roest He is Managing Director and Netherlands country leader for USA Headquartered BearingPoint Management and Technology Consultancy. He graduated as Master of Science in Business Administration specializing in Strategy and Finance from the Erasmus Universiteit. He also studied International Business at the Stockholm School of Economics and has worked in the corporate strategy department of Shell in Sweden. Since 1993 he worked in the business strategy units of KPMG Management Consulting and Nolan, Norton & Co. in The Netherlands. He transferred to Australia and has been based in the Asia Pacific region between 1996 and 2003 before returning to BearingPoint Europe to start the new Netherlands office. He has a passion for culture, traveling, modern art and good food & wine. HONORARY BOARD Mr. John H. Bryan, former Director, Sara Lee Corporation The Hon. K. Terry Dornbush, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands The Hon. Cynthia P. Schneider, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands The Hon. Clifford M. Sobel, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands ADVISORY BOARD Mr. B. Alexander, Mr. A. Rinnooy Kan, Mr. H. Ruding, Mr. C. van Lede, Mr. J. Hessels Mrs. A. Wertheim, former Director, McKinsey & Co Chairman SER former Minister of Finance former Chairman. Akzo Nobel Chairman NYSE Euronext former Director, John Adams Institute 31

32 West-Indisch Huis Where Amsterdam meets New York Two great institutions owe their existence to Amsterdam's historic West Indisch Huis: the city of New York and the John Adams Institute. It was here in the headquarters of the Dutch West-Indische Compagnie that two historic more made to establish a Dutch trading base in the New World on the island of Manhattan, and, centuries later, to create an institution dedicated to transatlantic cultural exchange. After stints as an orphanage, retirement home and warehouse, the West Indisch Huis was renovated in the 1980s. In 1987 it became the home and symbol of The John Adams Institute. 32

33 2008 Attendance 33

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35 In the Press 35

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37 article by Russell Shorto (NRC Handelsblad) article by Russell Shorto 37

38 Corporate Sponsors & Friends 2008 The Friends of the John Adams Institute are directors of American companies based in the Netherlands and top executives of Dutch companies with significant interests in de United States of America. Sponsors Holland America Friendship Foundation Private Friends T. Dornbush, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands K.J. Storm, former CEO AEGON Additional Supporters Boekhandel Athenaeum 38

39 Corporate Friends Ahold Wakkie, P.N. Amsterdam Foreign Investment Office Meer, H.I. van der Amsterdam Institute of Finance Childers, B. AON Groep Nederland Steen, J.W.Th. v d Baker & McKenzie Scheer, E.T.H. Bank Insinger de Beaufort Kantor, I.R. BearingPoint Roest, P. Boekhandel Van Rossum Johnson, Ms. B. Boer & Croon Groot, E.P. de Booz Allen Hamilton Mensing, P.B. Corporate Express Ventress, P. Citibank International Boom, P.F. Clifford Chance Eijsbouts, Ch.J.R. Esso Nederland Baeckelmans, N. Fortis Lanschot F.J. van Fugro Jonkman, A. Greenberg & Traurig Jong, W. de Greif Engelen, Ms. W.H. van Houthoff Buruma Bosman, J. ING Groep Tilmant, M. Kadaster Apeldoorn Deelen, M. McKinsey & Co. Reibestein, R.W.P. Mees Pierson, Private Wealth Management Kok, B. NIBC bank Drost, J. Nyenrode Business Univerteit Tebbe, F. Philips Electronics Sivignon, J.P. PricewaterhouseCoopers Nijhuis, J.A. Provincie Zuid-Holland Dijk, J.W.A. Rabobank Heggeler, R.H.L. Ten Resources Global Professionals Meertens, A Sara Lee International Kennett, B. Siemens Pernis, M.C.J. van SNS Reaal Groep Verburg, J.H. Theodoor Gilissen Bankiers Dam, E. van Uitgeverij Boom Ingen, E.A. van Uitgeverij Nieuw Amsterdam Borg, H. ter Unilever Waaij, K. van der Weekblad Pers Groep Clement, K. Wolters Kluwer McKinstry, Ms. N. 39

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