Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, and White House Coordinator for Operation Allies Welcome Jack Markell led a roundtable with CEOs to discuss the role of the private sector in effectively welcoming and resettling our Afghan allies.

Today, White House Coordinator for Operation Allies Welcome Jack Markell, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, convened a conversation with CEOs and other senior executives from 28 companies engaged in private sector efforts to welcome Afghan allies and at-risk Afghans in the United States. The White House hosted the roundtable along with Welcome.US, a new hub working to channel the outpouring of support from Americans and institutions eager to get involved in welcoming and resettling Afghans across the United States. Participants in today’s roundtable included leaders in the airline, housing, banking, consumer goods, financial services, and other industries who have been engaged in the historic resettlement effort known as Operation Allies Welcome (OAW).

During the meeting, Biden Administration officials shared updates on the historic effort to resettle our Afghan allies. Participants shared private sector efforts underway to support resettlement by bringing their resources, networks, and expertise to bear. The participants discussed opportunities to equip Afghans for success by accelerating resettlement and reducing barriers to employment, affordable housing, education, health care, and other needs. Administration officials highlighted the widespread national support for welcoming Afghans as part of a long proud American tradition of offering a safe haven to newcomers.

Operation Allies Welcome is the Biden Administration’s effort to provide a safe, secure, and dignified welcome to our Afghan allies. OAW aims to marshal a whole-of-America response to resettlement, serving as a strong partner to every American and every organization that wants to help.

Participants included:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Operation Allies Welcome Coordinator Jack Markell
Robert Fenton, Senior Response Official for the Unified Coordination Group, Operation Allies Welcome
Nazanin Ash, CEO, Welcome.US
John Bridgeland, Co-Chair, Welcome.US
Cecilia Muñoz, Co-Chair, Welcome.US
Barbara Becker, Chair & Managing Partner, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher
Josh Bolten, President and CEO, Business Roundtable
Carolyn Cawley, President, Chamber of Commerce Foundation
John Culver, Group President, North America and COO, Starbucks
Joe Gebbia, Co-Founder, Chairman of Samara and Airbnb.org
Stephen Kaufer, Co-Founder, President and CEO, Trip Advisor
Jonathan Lavine, Co-Managing Partner, Bain Capital
Michelle Kydd Lee, Chief Innovation Officer, Creative Artists Agency
Steve Preston, President and CEO, Goodwill
Jennifer Piepszak, Co-CEO of Consumer & Community Banking, JPMorgan Chase
Jonas Prising, CEO, Manpower Group
Sean Reilly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lamar Advertising Company
Ed Shapiro, Founder and President, Shapiro Family Foundation
Josh Silverman, CEO, Etsy
Julie Sweet, CEO & Chair, Accenture
Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder & CEO, Chobani
Kent Walker, President, Global Affairs, Google & Alphabet
Dan Bryant, VP, Global Public Policy and Government Affairs, Walmart
Nathan J. Gatten, Senior Vice President Global Government Affairs, American Airlines
Kate Gebo, EVP, Human Resources and Labor Relations, United Airlines
Charles V. Greener, Senior Vice President, Global Chief Public Affairs Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
Marvin Irby, Interim President and CEO, National Restaurant Association and Educational Foundation
Selina Jackson, SVP of Global Government Relations and Public Policy, Procter & Gamble
Broderick Johnson, EVP for Public Policy and Digital Equity, Comcast
Gregory Maniatis, Director of the Open Society International Migration Initiative
Kathleen McCarthy, Global Co-Head of Real Estate, Blackstone
Tom Moriaty, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy and External Affairs Officer, and General Counsel, CVS Health
Clifton J. Porter II, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, American Healthcare Association

###