Mike Klowden

Published July 30, 2020.

 
From the CEO

The first months of 2020 saw the world caught up in a crisis touched off by a global pandemic. And in nearly two decades as head of the Milken Institute, I have never been prouder of our work and our engagement in response to rapidly unfolding events. Let me explain.

Given our dual focus on helping to foster better health and to promote economic growth, we watched with concern reports, beginning in January, of the spread and impact of the novel coronavirus. By late February, the centers and the departments of the Institute swung into action to contribute to the Covid- 19 response – work that intensified even as all of us started to work remotely in mid-March. The result: a whirlwind of engagement. There are too many facets to cover all of them here, so let me provide some highlights.

The mission of our FasterCures center – to speed the development of life-saving medicines and treatments – has never been more relevant. Drawing on public validated sources, Faster-Cures staff created a Covid-19 Treatment and Vaccine Tracker, a comprehensive list of more than 100 possible vaccines and some 200 treatments. Updated daily, the tracker immediately gained widespread attention and use by media, policymakers and the public as a one-stop resource to better understand progress in combat with Covid-19.

Our other departments stepped up to the plate, too. We made detailed suggestions at both the federal and state levels on how to address the urgent needs of small businesses dealing with the economic impact of virus-imposed shutdowns.

The Institute created interactive resource hubs to address a variety of groups, including philanthropists wanting to deliver help where it was most needed, policymakers wanting to track financial support for Africa, and anyone wanting to identify U.S. communities most vulnerable to the virus. In addition, Mike Milken, our chairman, launched a series of podcast conversations with experts across health and economic sectors. I want to salute my colleagues for these efforts, the fruits of which can be found at milkeninstitute.org.

A final word regarding another crisis that has occurred as this letter was being finalized for publication. The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis brought persistent racial injustice in the United States into sharper relief, along with the urgent need for our society to address these issues in deep and lasting fashion. The Institute has an important role to play here as well, and that will be the focus of a future letter.

mksig 600

Michael Klowden, CEO