GRINNELL, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006 - Ben Cohen, ice cream aficionado turned political activist, will present a public lecture, "Take it Back!" at Grinnell College on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Co-founder with Jerry Greenfield of the highly successful Ben & Jerry's ice cream brand, Cohen is also founding member of Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities.

He will speak at noon in the Forum South Lounge on the need to change U.S. budget priorities to reflect a national commitment to education, health care, energy independence, job training, and deficit reduction.

Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, says Cohen, is a network of business leaders willing to take a leadership role on the critical issue of national spending priorities. Founded in 1998, the organization wants to bring the issue of budget priorities into the national debate by using professional marketing activities, including advertising, public relations, and face-to-face meetings with members of Congress.

"Business has a responsibility to give back to the community from which it draws its support," Cohen says. Activities are focused geographically to the target markets of Iowa and New Hampshire because of their out-sized role in American politics.

Co-author of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book (Workman Publishing Company, 1987), Cohen and Greenfield have been recognized by the Council on Economic Priorities and by the U.S. Small Business Administration, which named them U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year in 1988 in a White House ceremony hosted by President Ronald Reagan. The honor was presented to Cohen and Greenfield for fostering their company's commitment to social responsibility.

Cohen is on the boards of various organizations and in demand as a speaker, appearing several times a year at various academic institutions, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

The lecture is sponsored by the Rosenfield Program in Public Affairs, International Relations, and Human Rights.

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