Conrad Kiechel is executive director of global programming and events at the Milken Institute. A veteran of journalism and public relations, he was international editorial director of Reader's Digest, overseeing more than 40 international editions. His contributions at Reader's Digest include interviews with such figures as Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. As a principal with a prominent New York strategic communications firm, he worked with a Fortune 500 energy firm on its public outreach as well as public-sector organizations and companies in the technology and health-care industries. A director of the World Press Institute, Kiechel has taught as an adjunct professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is a graduate of Columbia University, holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and studied at the University of Cologne as a Fulbright scholar.