Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Former USAID Administrator Gayle Smith and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dele Olojede, Founder & Host, Africa in the World (Africa Leadership Initiative – South Africa), have spent careers bearing witness to some of the worst moments in recent history — the Ethiopian famine, the Rwandan genocide, and war in the Balkans — first as journalists, later as humanitarian leaders. In this conversation, they reflected on what it meant to see atrocity up close, the political and bureaucratic language used to avoid responding to it, and the toll of carrying what could not be unseen.
The conversation also turned to the present: the recent dismantling of USAID, the erosion of institutions built over decades, and the fear of growing indifference. But both speakers pushed back against despair, pointing to real historical progress, from the end of apartheid in South Africa to global health breakthroughs, as evidence that choosing to act, together, still works.
About the Resnick Aspen Action Forum
Each summer, the Resnick Aspen Action Forum offers the opportunity for the Aspen Global Leadership Network to come together to reflect, refresh, and recommit to confronting some of society’s greatest challenges.
More than a conference or a reunion; the Action Forum is a space where AGLN Fellows gather to search, challenge, and inspire one another. It’s where timeless questions spark bold commitments — and where we move together from thought to action.
About the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN)
The Aspen Global Leadership Network develops authentic, high-integrity leaders committed to proactively confronting societal challenges, individually and collectively, in order to create a more just, free, and equitable society. The network has fostered a worldwide community of more than 4,200 high-integrity, entrepreneurial leaders from business, government, and the nonprofit sector in more than 62 countries. Because of their demonstrated accomplishments and abilities, they have been selected to join one of 16+ geographic or sector-specific AGLN Fellowships around the world. Through Fellowship programs, global gatherings, and direct capital support, the AGLN equips exceptional individuals with the support to address humanity’s greatest challenges — working to create a world where everyone thrives.
AGLN’s website: aspeninstitute.org/agln
Instagram: instagram.com/aspenagln
Linkedin: linkedin.com/showcase/aspen-global-leadership-network
Former USAID Administrator Gayle Smith and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dele Olojede, Founder & Host, Africa in the World (Africa Leadership Initiative – South Africa), have spent careers bearing witness to some of the worst moments in recent history — the Ethiopian famine, the Rwandan genocide, and war in the Balkans — first as journalists, later as humanitarian leaders. In this conversation, they reflected on what it meant to see atrocity up close, the political and bureaucratic language used to avoid responding to it, and the toll of carrying what could not be unseen.
The conversation also turned to the present: the recent dismantling of USAID, the erosion of institutions built over decades, and the fear of growing indifference. But both speakers pushed back against despair, pointing to real historical progress, from the end of apartheid in South Africa to global health breakthroughs, as evidence that choosing to act, together, still works.
About the Resnick Aspen Action Forum
Each summer, the Resnick Aspen Action Forum offers the opportunity for the Aspen Global Leadership Network to come together to reflect, refresh, and recommit to confronting some of society’s greatest challenges.
More than a conference or a reunion; the Action Forum is a space where AGLN Fellows gather to search, challenge, and inspire one another. It’s where timeless questions spark bold commitments — and where we move together from thought to action.
About the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN)
The Aspen Global Leadership Network develops authentic, high-integrity leaders committed to proactively confronting societal challenges, individually and collectively, in order to create a more just, free, and equitable society. The network has fostered a worldwide community of more than 4,200 high-integrity, entrepreneurial leaders from business, government, and the nonprofit sector in more than 62 countries. Because of their demonstrated accomplishments and abilities, they have been selected to join one of 16+ geographic or sector-specific AGLN Fellowships around the world. Through Fellowship programs, global gatherings, and direct capital support, the AGLN equips exceptional individuals with the support to address humanity’s greatest challenges — working to create a world where everyone thrives.
AGLN’s website: aspeninstitute.org/agln
Instagram: instagram.com/aspenagln
Linkedin: linkedin.com/showcase/aspen-global-leadership-network
