Kevin Klowden is the Chief Global Strategist for the Milken Institute, where he leads the Milken Institute’s global strategy in research expertise, subject matter focus and policy engagement. In this role is focused on issues of regional economic competitiveness, sustainability, technology-based development, and the modernization of trade and supply chains. He was most recently the executive director of the Institute’s Center for Regional Economics where he focused on issues connected to job creation, tech-based development, small business access to capital, and California's role in the global economy. Klowden is the lead author of numerous publications, including 'A Hollywood Exit: What California Must Do to Remain Competitive in Entertainment and Keep Jobs' as well as 'Strategies for Expanding California's Exports' and the bi-annual State Technology and Science Index. He has written about the importance of a skilled and educated workforce in maintaining regional competitiveness, and the need for increasing exports by small and mid-sized businesses to grow the economy. A frequent speaker, he currently serves on multiple advisory boards, including for the Los Angeles Regional Export Council, Asia Society of Southern California, and particularly spending the past five years as Chair of Trade Finance Advisory Council for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Klowden holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago and London School of Economics, where he studied Asian financial centers and foreign direct investment.