DENVER, CO. - May 20, 2009 - The Aspen Network for Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), a member-driven organization housed within the Aspen Institute, has been selected as a Summit Chancellor of the Opportunity Collaboration - an impartial, non-aligned business summit to create economic justice and alleviate poverty.

Alongside other Summit Chancellors, including Ashoka, the Calvert Social Investment Foundation, Global Philanthropy Forum, Social Venture Network, Stanford Social Innovation Review (Stanford Center for Social Innovation), Women Donors Network and Worldways Social Marketing, ANDE will help bring together leaders from all over the world to leverage resources, work more efficiently and create alliances in the fight against poverty.

"ANDE is a new and important voice for economic development which is smartly designed and efficiently implemented. With ANDE members at the Opportunity Collaboration, this ground breaking business summit becomes even more results-oriented," says Opportunity Collaboration CEO, Jonathan Lewis. "It is an honor to work side by side with such a brilliant organization."

Representing ANDE at the Opportunity Collaboration will be Founding Executive Director, Randall Kempner. With over fifteen years of experience in the field of national and international business/economic development, Kempner has served as Vice President for Regional Innovation at the Council on Competitiveness, and Vice President and co-founder of OTF Group. During the four day summit, Kempner will be presenting a "Conversation for Good," highlighting the important role of small and growing businesses in the poverty alleviation puzzle.

"Unique and compelling, the Opportunity Collaboration will provide a setting that fosters critical conversations about building prosperity for the poor. The people who are doing something about it now will be there and I'm excited to see how the participants - and their myriad perspectives -- will join together to scale initiatives," says Kempner, founding Executive Director, ANDE. "We are thrilled to join the Opportunity Collaboration as a Chancellor and are absolutely committed to making it an enlightening and catalytic event."

About The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs
ANDE is a member-driven organization housed within the Aspen Institute. Members are leading foundations, investment funds, educational institutions and non-profits who are creating a movement to unleash the potential of small and growing businesses (SGBs) in emerging markets. Participants in ANDE share a common goal: to dramatically increase the amount and effectiveness of capital and business assistance for entrepreneurs in developing countries. With the right support, we believe SGBs will generate much needed employment, and in the process, address critical social and environmental problems in the developing world. To learn more about ANDE, please visit www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/aspen-network-development-entrepreneurs.

About the Opportunity Collaboration
From October 17-20, 2009, the Opportunity Collaboration is strategic networking summit of social investors/social ventures, entrepreneurial nonprofit leaders, foundation trustees/executives and policy thought leaders. An impartial, non-aligned congress, the co-conveners are the Ashoka, Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, Calvert Social Investment Foundation, Global Philanthropy Forum, Social Venture Network, Stanford Social Innovation Review (Stanford Center for Social Innovation), Women Donors Network, Worldways Social Marketing and MicroCredit Enterprises CEO Jonathan C. Lewis. The Opportunity Collaboration brings together leaders from all over the world to leverage resources and create new alliances in the fight against poverty. Learn more about the Opportunity Collaboration at www.OpportunityCollaboration.net.

Opportunity Collaboration

Opportunity Collaboration

A four-day problem-solving, strategic retreat for nonprofit leaders, for-profit social entrepreneurs, grant-makers and social investors engaged in poverty alleviation and economic justice enterprises. On World Poverty Day, leverage resources, combine forces, share innovations and operate more effectively. Break down the silos of unproductive competition and go beyond the boundaries of conventional poverty alleviation.

More from Opportunity Collaboration