Steve Menzies Launches Global Foundation Aimed at Bold Thinking and Bold Action

The Nonprofit Organization Will Be Dedicated to Solving Complex Societal Issues

 

July 1, 2020, OMAHA, NE.— Steve Menzies, Founder and CEO of the global risk services firm Applied Underwriters, today announced the launch of The Steve Menzies Global Foundation, a non-profit organization that takes a creative, constructive approach to intellectual advancement and solving grand-scale economic and societal problems.

Mr. Menzies describes his Foundation as one that harnesses the strength of his worldwide network of independent thinkers and doers into a force capable of delivering the strategic planning, operational infrastructure, and financial resources needed to help solve complex world problems: “The Foundation is a think tank with an action mission. We engage Bold Thinkers from far and wide—individuals willing to apply and generously share their energy, intellect, and resources to solve complex problems that risk going unsolved because they seem too difficult or overwhelming,” said Mr. Menzies.

Mr. Menzies reflected on how his corporate life prepared him for this next step: “As CEO of an international insurer and financial services company, I saw how directly good faith, fairness, and, in a broad sense, social stability and ethical behavior are tied to success. This Foundation is my way of expressing the will to think and then act meaningfully to solve global issues. I believe this to be part of our obligation as human beings.”

The Foundation is distinctive in its approach to philanthropy in that it’s not driven by any singular cause, but by the coalescence of Critical Missions that have a decisive, crucial impact on people and society. Mr. Menzies explained: “Our Critical Missions address problems that have been neglected or abandoned by others. Because we address the root cause, we are often able to solve the underlying problem permanently.” Mr. Menzies also stated that the results of each Critical Mission are measured uniformly to determine success rate.

The current Critical Missions of The Foundation include:

Professional Training and Partnered Infrastructure Mission
In the United States, many well-established teaching colleges are struggling because tuition increases cannot keep pace with the fixed costs needed to support a massive infrastructure. Meanwhile, developing nations struggle to create crucial professional and nursing programs for lack of infrastructure. The Foundation is bridging the gap by working with U.S. colleges to export their curriculums and monitor quality and performance remotely, so students from developing countries can receive a degree from a U.S. college while studying in their homeland.

“It requires skilled intervention to overcome the cultural, bureaucratic, and language barriers and to bring the recipient nations a fully functioning, credentialed medical training infrastructure,” Mr. Menzies stated. “My Foundation is building the team to do that, which will, in turn, permanently improve the health and lives of the citizens of these countries.”

Citizen Diplomacy Logistical Support and Advisory Mission
The Foundation works to promote international peace by providing the critical logistics planning and resources needed to accomplish engagements involving the safe and humanitarian release of people detained around the world, including journalists, prisoners of conscience, and others caught as pawns in larger conflicts. By providing hands-on logistical operations including transportation, medical support, communications, and security, the Foundation adds an additional layer of support beyond traditional diplomatic efforts by directly intervening and engaging with national leaders, governments, local governments, and regimes.

The Advancement of Critical Thinking Mission
Promoting critical thinking, particularly to upcoming generations, has never been more essential than in this age of social media. Inadequate preparation for the inescapable cacophony of social media has created a world where individual thought, empathy, and patience are overshadowed by a perpetual mob psychology and extreme arbitrary idealism. The cultural and societal effects are everywhere—particularly on the younger generations who play and learn about life more in the virtual world. All of this inevitably erodes the critical thinking skills necessary to cope with everyday problems of a complex world. The Foundation is creating world-wide educational resources that focus on critical thinking at all levels from preschool through adult education.

 

About The Steve Menzies Global Foundation
Steve Menzies is the Founder and CEO of Applied Underwriters, a global risk services firm that helps businesses and people manage uncertainty through its business services, insurance, and reinsurance solutions. His Foundation is a global non-profit organization that takes a creative, constructive view to solving grand scale problems related to societal issues, economic issues, and intellectual advancement. The Foundation engages Bold Thinkers from its worldwide network of  individuals willing to apply and generously share their energy, intellect, and resources to solve complex problems that risk going unsolved. Visit boldthinkers.org for more information.

Media:
Ryan Gerding
press@boldthinkers.org