CSR Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO – Van Jones, founder and National Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights (EBC) will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Business for Social Responsibility Annual Conference, November 11-14, 2003 in Los Angeles.

Mr. Jones founded the Ella Baker Center in 1996. Based in San Francisco, EBC is a national organization that challenges human rights abuses in the U.S. criminal justice system. Mr. Jones is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin and the Yale Law School. He is the recipient of the international Ashoka Fellowship award in 2000 and was named a World Economic Forum Global Leader of Tomorrow in 2002.

Mr. Jones will lead an evening keynote panel Wednesday, November 12 entitled “Restoring the Inner City: A New Vision and Role for Business” that explores advocacy and business strategies for reducing violence and excessive incarceration in inner city America.

Other keynote and featured speakers at this year’s BSR conference include:

• Yvon Chouinard, Founder and Owner, Patagonia
  
• Michael Eskew, Chairman and CEO, United Parcel Service
  
• Carly Fiorina, Chairman and CEO, HP
  
• Arianna Huffington, Syndicated columnist and author of “Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption are Undermining America.”
  
• Ernst Ligteringen, CEO, Global Reporting Initiative
  
• Teruo Masaki, Corporate Senior Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel, Sony Corporation
  
• Anthony Romero, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union

Also, BSR welcomes Sharon Lawrence, former star of the U.S. television series NYPD Blue and spokesperson for the Earth Communications Office to the BSR Annual Conference. Ms. Lawrence will introduce “Full Spectrum,” an evening Gala Reception Thursday, November 13 featuring the “Sustainable Savvy Lounge.” After a “green” carpet arrival, “Full Spectrum” guests will be treated to a multimedia experience demonstrating sustainable fashion, interior design and cuisine.

This year’s BSR conference, “Building and Sustaining Solutions,” features more than 35 breakout sessions on significant CSR issues such as business ethics, community investment, environment, global CSR, governance and accountability, human rights, marketplace and public policy.

The 2003 Business for Social Responsibility conference is made possible by the generous support of our Convening Sponsor Hewlett-Packard Company; by Plenary Sponsors Fannie Mae and Ford Motor Company; and by Reception Sponsors Levi Strauss & Co, Li & Fung Limited and General Motors Corporation.

For complete details about the 2003 BSR Annual Conference, visit the official conference website at www.bsr.org/conference.

About BSR
Founded in 1992, Business for Social Responsibility is a global nonprofit organization that helps member companies to achieve success in ways that respect ethical values, people, communities and the environment. BSR provides information, tools, training and advisory services and promotes cross sector collaboration to make corporate social responsibility an integral part of business operations and strategies. BSR member companies have nearly $2 trillion in combined annual revenues and employ more than six million workers around the world. For more information, visit www.bsr.org.

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