On November 19, The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation staged the III. Community Symposium in cooperation with and at Charlotte Country Day School with the topic “30 Years after Peaceful Revolutions”. Key-note speakers were Dr. Niels von Redecker, Director of the German Information Center USA at the German Embassy in Washington and Dr. Piotr Erenfeicht, Chief of Political and Economic Section at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. Both were later joined by panelist Chris Domeny, Honorary Consul of Hungary. Mike Hawley, Sr. Partner at K+L Gates, masterfully moderated this intellectual jewel of panel discussion.

At the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of the Wall, Honorary Consul and chairman of the N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation Klaus Becker gave a speech to the topic: 70 Years of Peace – 30 Years Fall of the Wall - Where does the History Snail Go?- The event took place at the premises of the Mittelstands-Company Menzel in Spartanburg whose lawn adjacent to I-85 was decorated with two original pieces of the Wall between the two Germanys.

Charlotte—The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation hosted its annual white asparagus dinner at the Charlotte City Club on June 6, 2019. More than eighty guests enjoyed the champagne reception and an exquisite 3-course white asparagus meal. The highlight of the evening was this year’s keynote speaker, Sven Afhüppe, the editor-in-chief of Handelsblatt and co-author of the recently published book “Europa kann es besser.”

Mr. Afhüppe, who specially came from Germany to join the event, addressed in his speech current challenges of Germany and the European Union, Brexit and the transatlantic relations between Germany and the United States.

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A special thank-you to Sven Afhüppe and all our guests!

February 15, 2019—At the invitation of Klaus Becker, German Honorary Consul and Chairman of The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation, and in cooperation with the German Embassy in Washington, Annette Schavan, former German Ambassador to the Holy See and former Federal Minister of Education and Research, paid a multi-day visit to Charlotte. 
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The highlights of her diversified program included a guest lecture at UNCC titled “Engaging Students to be Catalysts for Innovation,” a dinner reception and round table discussion with representatives of the German business community located in the Charlotte region, as well as a presentation on “The Arts of Politics of Pope Francis” held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Mrs. Schavan’s profound passion for accessible education combined with her global vision of the role of today’s Christianity generates synergies that make her an impressive advocate for change and improvement on many levels of human life. Throughout her busy itinerary, the Charlottean audience enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about her perspectives on the discussed topics.

​The N.C. Zeitgeist Foundation thanks its program sponsors—The American Council on Germany, Groninger USA and Parker Poe.

​From left to right: Philip Dubois, UNCC Chancellor; Annette Schavan; Klaus Becker; Rick Tankersley, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development. Photo by Brandon Scott.