Zelenskyy, McConaughey to partake in National Governors Association meeting in Salt Lake City

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Matthew McConaughey. Photo: AP Photo // Jose Luis Magana, Wikimedia Commons // All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, and renowned actor and author Matthew McConaughey will attend the National Governors Association’s (NGA) summer meeting in Salt Lake City.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox currently serves as the NGA’s chairman, a position he was elected to by his fellow Governors last summer.

“We’re honored to welcome President Zelenskyy and First Lady Zelenska to Utah and the National Governors Association,” Gov. Cox wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Utah stands behind Ukraine and we look forward to hearing his message to the nation’s governors.”

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— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) July 11, 2024

President Zelenskyy is currently in the U.S. for the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. It is not yet clear what President Zelenskyy will be discussing with the governors, academics, and businesspeople in attendance.

As chair of the NGA, Cox’s main focus has been to encourage Americans to engage in more constructive disagreement. Cox perceives that political discourse in America has grown excessively divided. His objective is to foster disagreements that lead to productive solutions and mutual understanding instead of perpetual arguments.

In line with Cox’s disagree better initiative, McConaughey will join governors to discuss the role of culture in polarization.

The discussion will begin on Friday, July 12, at 9 a.m. Mountain Time and will be live-streamed via Zoom.

The NGA’s summer meeting public sessions will feature a presentation on the study findings from ‘disagree better’ campaigns, along with a task force session examining strategies to enhance educational standards, strengthen national security and cyber defense, and address economic and infrastructure challenges in a global economy.

The governors will also hold private sessions and join federal officials and leaders from business, academia, and philanthropy to discuss issues in states, commonwealths, and territories.

The conference and public sessions will be held at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.

Prior to McConaughey’s discussion on Friday, the actor will join Cox, Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to kick off a service project with United Way of Salt Lake.

United Way of Salt Lake, which is a branch of the larger United Way organization, is a nonprofit organization that focuses on boosting education, economic mobility, and health resources.

As part of the charitable initiative, governors in attendance, McConaughey, and guests of the conference will participate in United Way’s “Stuff the Bus” campaign, stuffing 3,000 backpacks with school supplies and handwritten notes for children in Salt Lake City and surrounding areas.