UM President Shalala To Lead Clinton Foundation
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- University of Miami President Donna Shalala will be recommended as the President and CEO of the Clinton Foundation, former President Bill Clinton confirmed at an event on campus Friday night.
President Clinton and his daughter Chelsea are in town to host the Clinton Global Initiative University conference at the Coral Gables campus.
Hillary Clinton is scheduled to speak at the event Saturday.
"You have a pretty fantastic leader in Donna Shalala," Chelsea Clinton said while introducing the UM leader, who served as the Health and Human Services Secretary during Clinton's eight-year administration.
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Bill Clinton went on to list Shalala's accomplishments, which include her time as a Peace Corps volunteer and a stint at the Children's Defense Fund alongside his wife, Hillary.
He said Shalala has the entire family's support to lead the foundation they created with the purpose of developing partnerships to find solutions to the world's challenges.
"Please don't run for office," he joked. "Stay with us!"
Shalala was equal in her praise of Clinton.
She called him "the supreme guardian of the galaxy" as she called him on stage.
The event being held at UM's Bank United Center brought together roughly 1,000 students from around the world to discuss change, and how to make that change a reality.
Speakers included actress and activist America Ferrara, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Tawakkoi Karman, Yale University student Paul Lorem and United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.
"This is basically a big conference for students all over the world who want to make a difference and have ideas about how they want to make that difference," UM student Guardiana Theloman said. "They come together and exchange ideas and ways to enhance those ideas to make the world a better place."
Participants were eager to share their projects and learn from their fellow presenters.
"It's all interconnected, because we're all part of the same global community," student Faizah Shareef said.
"We really think with the tools that we get, we can change our campus in a positive light," said Daniela Lorenzo, a UM student.
"Just being in that atmosphere with people who want to make the world a better place and want to do it effectively and sustainability, it's a powerful thing," Theloman explained.
While those students are focused on the future, the past is plaguing the Clintons right now, specifically, Hillary Clinton's old emails from her time as Secretary of State.
Her use of a private email account rather than a government-run address has raised questions about transparency as she heads into a possible presidential run in 2016.
Bill and Chelsea Clinton are expected to participate in a "day of action" in Liberty City Sunday.
The former First Daughter said, "We're really excited to leave something positive behind here in Miami."
