The Global Speaker Series is a podcast partnership between the Wyoming Humanities Council and the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs.
With the goal of educating and inspiring listeners, the series interviews global thought leaders on relevant issues impacting Wyoming and the world such as the future of energy, the impacts of climate change, trends in business and entrepreneurship, foreign policy, issues impacting global coal communities, and more.
Each interview also illuminates each interviewees personal journey as part of their work and passion for what they do.
Jürgen Kretschmann, German economist and university president discusses the future of coal energy in Germany. Born and raised in Gelsenkirchen, His post doctorate research followed, specializing in geo-resources and materials science.
Kretschmann held various management positions at Ruhrkohle AG. RAG AG, formerly Ruhrkohle AG, is the largest German coal mining corporation. The company headquarters are in Essen in the Ruhr area. The company was founded on 27 November 1968, consolidating several coalmining corporations into the Ruhrkohle AG. Jürgen served as personal advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Labour Director of the RAG.
In 2001, he joined RAG BILDUNG GmbH as a member of the management board. Since 2006, he is chairperson of the management board of DMT-Gesellschaft für Lehre und Bildung GmbH and president of the Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola University in Bochum. DMT-Gesellschaft für Lehre und Bildung mbH (DMT-LB), based in Bochum, is a collective association of the German coal industry and acts as the funding organization of Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum (German Mining Museum) .
Kretschmann is a member of numerous national and international professional bodies, currently (2018/19) President of the Society of Mining Professors.