I am honored to serve as co-chair of the Minnesota 2027 Expo bid committee. The bid committee and I were privileged to officially present our candidature to the BIE (Bureau International Exhibitions) today at the General Assembly in Paris. Bringing the “Healthy People, Healthy Planet” themed expo to America will provide tremendous opportunities for public diplomacy, business engagement, and political discourse that we need to achieve the world’s ambitious health and sustainability goals.

I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with my many friends from Expo 2020 Dubai and making new acquaintances within the BIE while in Paris, including the Mayor of Busan Park Heong-joon, Director, International Expositions Unit at the State Department James Core, Prime Minister of South Korea Han Duck-soo, Chairman of SK Group Chey Tae-won, and the ministers at BIE in Paris.