As a precursor to Global Entrepreneurship Week, Library Director Crosby Kemper III conducts a public conversation with Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The discussion is part of Kansas City – Cradle of Entrepreneurs, an ongoing series of discussions with some of Kansas City’s most iconic and innovative business founders.

Recognized internationally as an authority on entrepreneurial innovation, job creation, and economic growth, Schramm’s research on how entrepreneurship fuels economic expansion led him to play a prominent role in the White House jobs summit in December 2009.

In 2008, Schramm, along with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, launched what is now Global Entrepreneurship Week. The initiative involves 115 countries and directly engages seven million people while celebrating innovators and job creators who launch start-ups that bring ideas to life and drive economic growth. The Library will take part in celebrating the week with three public discussions in the Kansas City – Cradle of Entrepreneurs series. The business leaders featured include Danny O’Neill of The Roasterie on November 15, Ollie Gates of Gates BBQ (November 16) and Clara Reyes of Dos Mundos (November 17).

Major funding for programs at the Kansas City Public Library is provided by a generous grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.