Representative Abigail Spanberger

Rep. Abigail Spanberger

U.S. Representative

Rep. Spanberger serves Virginia’s seventh congressional district. Spanberger began her career in public service, first serving as a federal agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigating money laundering and narcotic cases, and then serving as a case officer with the CIA. As a CIA officer, she worked at home and abroad to collect vital intelligence, keep our country safe, and worked in furtherance of our national security priorities. In the private sector, Representative Spanberger worked with colleges and universities to help them diversify their student bodies and increase graduation rates.

Rep. Spanberger serves on the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture and the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. On the House Agriculture Committee, she serves as Chair of the Conservation & Forestry Subcommittee and as a member of the Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee. And on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Spanberger serves as Vice-Chair of the Europe, Energy, the Environment, and Cyber Subcommittee and as a member of the Asia, Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation Subcommittee.

Representative Spanberger grew up in Henrico County. She earned her B.A at the University of Virginia and her MBA at a dual degree program between Purdue University’s Krannert School and the GISMA Business School in Hanover, Germany.

On November 30, 2021, Representative Abigail Spanberger participated in Rising Leaders Series: Meet Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA)

Letitia James

Letitia “Tish” James

New York Attorney General

Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York. With decades of work, she is an experienced attorney and public servant with a long record of accomplishments. She is the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General. 

In 2013, Ms. James was elected Public Advocate for the City of New York and became the first woman of color to hold citywide office. As Public Advocate, Ms. James served as a watchdog over New York City government agencies and as an advocate for the City’s most vulnerable communities. She Transformed the Public Advocate’s office to be a formidable engine for change.

Prior to serving as Public Advocate, Tish James represented the 35th Council District in Brooklyn in the New York City Council for ten years. As a council Member, she passed the Safe Housing Act, legislation that forced landlords to improve living conditions for tenants in New York City’s worst building. She also pushed through a revolutionary recycling package that included expanding plastic recycling, a new clothing and textile recycling program, and increased access to recycling in public spaces.

Tish James began her career as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society. A proud Brooklynite, she is a graduate of Lehman College and Howard University School of Law.

On November 11, 2021, Letitia “Tish” James participated in Meet Letitia James, New York's Attorney General

Representative Chrissy Houlahan

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan

U.S. Representative

U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan is an Air Force veteran, engineer, entrepreneur, and educator who is continuing her career of service as the first woman ever to represent Pennsylvania's 6th District in Congress.

Chrissy is the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who came to America with nothing. She grew up in a military family; her parents met when her father and grandfather flew P3s in the same Navy squadron. She earned her engineering degree from Stanford with an ROTC scholarship that launched her service in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves, and later earned her M.S. in Technology and Policy from MIT.

Chrissy has helped lead several thriving Southeastern Pennsylvania companies including AND1, a basketball apparel company headquartered in Paoli, and B Lab, the organization that launched the B Corporation movement. She went on to serve in Teach for America as a chemistry teacher at Simon Gratz High School in North Philadelphia, and then led and scaled a non-profit helping thousands of underserved students all across America build their literacy skills.

These experiences helped shape her political vision of a great nation united by common values that leaves no one behind. She is committed to fighting for access to quality, affordable healthcare, common sense gun safety, government accountability and transparency, and working to build a strong, stable economy with good jobs and good benefits for everyone.

Chrissy is a leader driven by a spirit of service. A longtime resident of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and a first-time congressional representative heading to Washington to solve real problems for the people and communities of Pennsylvania.

On November 4, 2021, Chrissy Houlahan participated in Rising Leaders Series: Meet Representative Chrissy Houlahan

Gary Ginsberg

Gary Ginsberg

Author, Lawyer, and Corporate Adviser

Gary Ginsberg is a lawyer, American political operative and corporate adviser, serving as a strategist in both the public and private sectors for more than 25 years. He was most recently the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Communications at SoftBank Group Corp. before leaving in 2020. Prior to joining SoftBank, Ginsberg served as Executive Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications at Time Warner and as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Corporate Affairs at News Corp.

Ginsberg began his career as a lawyer as an attorney at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. After that he served in the Clinton Administration at the White House’s Counsel office and the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1995, Ginsberg became Senior Editor and legal counsel for George, the magazine started by John. F. Kennedy, Jr.

In 2018, after being hired by SoftBank, Ginsberg has worked on a number of initiatives including the launch of a new global website and more sophisticated video content to sharpen the company’s messaging. Ginsberg is also the author of his new book First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (and Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents published in July 2021, which reached The New York Times Best Seller list.

On October 21, 2021, Gary Ginsberg participated in First Friends: The Powerful, Unsung (and Unelected) People Who Shaped Our President's

Tom Allon

Tom Allon

President of City & State

Tom Allon is the president and publisher of City & State, a company dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy. 

Allon has over three decades of experience in New York’s media world, both on the publishing and editorial side of the business. He started his career in 1986 as the editor-in-chief of a weekly newspaper, The West Side Spirit, which won a number of awards for investigative reporting during his tenure. He then became the publisher and vice president of a public media company, News Communications, which owned 23 publications in the metropolitan area and Washington, D.C. He was involved in the creation of the daily Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill, which became the inspiration for City & State. He also spent a decade building a private media company, Manhattan Media, which owned AVENUE magazine, Dan’s Papers, New York Family, five weekly newspapers in Manhattan and City & State.

On October 15, 2021, Tom Allon participated in the Meet Alvin Bragg with Tom Allon

Alvin Bragg

Alvin Bragg

Former Chief Deputy Attorney General

Alvin Bragg has spent the better two decades in the courtroom, standing up to the powerful and fighting to get justice. Recently, Alvin Bragg served as the Chief Deputy Attorney General for New York State where he oversaw some of the office’s biggest cases, including suing Harvey Weinstein and his company for the existence of a hostile work environment; challenging the Trump administration over the census for its inclusion of a citizenship question; and bringing significant criminal charges in bribery, securities fraud, and Medicaid fraud matters.

Prior to the Attorney General’s Office, Alvin served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He successfully prosecuted corrupt politicians, both Democrat and Republican, and obtained trial verdicts convicting the owner of a multi-million dollar business for laundering millions of dollars for an international drug cartel, an FBI agent for making false statements, and individuals blocking a reproductive health facility in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

Alvin Bragg has spent the better part of two decades in the courtroom, standing up to the powerful and fighting to get justice. He is now running for Manhattan District Attorney.

On October 15, 2021, Alvin Bragg participated in the Meet Alvin Bragg with Tom Allon

Wendy Davis

Wendy Davis

Former Texas State Senator

Wendy Davis was a member of the Texas State Senate, representing District 10. She assumed office in 2009 and left in 2015 to run for Congress as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Davis ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Texas’ 21st Congressional District. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Prior to assuming her position in the Texas State Senate, Wendy served on the Fort Worth City Council. Wendy Davis received her B.A. from Texas Christian University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. In 2016, Wendy Davis founded Deeds Not Words, a nonprofit aimed at getting young women involved in policy making and organizing.

On September 30, 2021, Wendy Davis participated in Roe v Wade with Wendy Davis

Alexander Vindman

Alexander Vindman

Former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council

Vindman was 3 years old in 1979, when he and his family fled Ukraine, then a Soviet republic, for the U.S. His mother died in Ukraine before they immigrated to the U.S.

Vindman and his twin also made an appearance as boys in Ken Burns’ 1985 documentary “The Statue of Liberty,” which explored how the landmark has become a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants.

From an early age, Vindman’s father worked multiple jobs to support his family, all the while learning English at night. Vindman’s father stressed the importance of fully integrating into their adopted country (U.S.). For many years, life for Vindman and his family was quite difficult. In spite of these challenges, his family worked hard to build its own American dream.

Vindman began his career taking part in the ROTC program while attending the State University of New York at Binghamton and later earned a master’s degree from Harvard University in Russian, Eastern Europe and Central Asian studies.

Earlier in his army career, he was an infantry officer and did tours in South Korea, Germany and Iraq. In October 2004, not long into his yearlong tour in Iraq, he was wounded by a roadside bomb and awarded the Purple Heart, according to the Defense Department.

Vindman was director of European Affairs at the National Security Council. He was appointed to his post at the Trump White House in 2018 and asked to stay for two years. His tasks consisted of developing, coordinating, and executing plans and policies to manage the full range of diplomatic, informational, military and economic national security for the countries in his portfolio, which included Ukraine and Russia.

Vindman had listened to the July 25, 2019 call between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the center of the impeachment inquiry. Vindman was also present in an April 21 call when Trump congratulated Zelensky on his victory. He was also tasked to attend his inauguration in May.

On September 22, 2021, Alexander Vindman participated in Alexander Vindman: Here, Right Matters

Matt Zeller

Matt Zeller

Author, CEO, and Afghan War Veteran

Matt Zeller is an author, Afghan war veteran, and CEO of No One Left Behind. He was deployed to Afghanistan in Ghazni Province in 2008, and upon his return to the US, he worked for the CIA. He was also the Democratic nominee for New York’s 29th district in the 2010 special election for the US House of Representatives.

In 2013 Zeller founded No One Left Behind, a nonprofit organization aiming to assist Afghan and Iraqi interpreters immigrating to the United States. This organization provides assistance to these immigrants in obtaining their Special Immigrant Visas while providing financial aid, employment opportunities, and used cars.

Matt Zeller is the author of Watches Without Time: An American Soldier in Afghanistan a story that gives a vivid description of what Zeller experienced while serving as an embedded combat adviser to the Afghan Security forces in Ghazni, Afghanistan, in 2008. Matt Zeller is also a contributor to HuffPost.

On August 25, 2021, Matt Zeller participated in Afghanistan with Ambassador Peter Galbraith and the Honorable Mike Rogers

Felicia Taylor

Felicia Taylor

Anchor-correspondent for CNN

Felicia Taylor was an anchor-correspondent for CNN International’s World Business Today having previously been contributing to the Business Updates unit for CNN. She was also the co-host of Retirement Living TV’s Daily Cafe until November 2009. Previously, Taylor was a business news anchor and a correspondent for CNBC. Prior to CNBC, she served as weekend anchor on WNBC-TV in New York. 

Taylor was a moderator for Afghanistan with Ambassador Peter Galbraith and the Honorable Mike Rogers in 2021 and for the “Women’s Breakfast” subsection of The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017, and hosted both a Special Screening of “Disturbing the Peace” and a Lunch and Discussion with: NY Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

Twitter: @ftaylorCNN

---

Representative Mike Rogers

Mike Rogers

Former U.S. Representative for Michigan's 8th congressional district

Honorary Mike Rogers, is a former member of Congress representing Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District, officer in the U.S. Army, and FBI special Agent. From his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and was a member of the Energy and Commerce panel. Mike built a legacy as a tireless and effective leader on counterterrorism and national security policy.

As chairman of HPSCI, Mike authorized and oversaw a budget of $70 billion that provided funding to the nation’s 17 intelligence agencies. Rogers was a prominent leader on cybersecurity in the United States Congress during his service, shepherding multiple cybersecurity bills through the House of Representatives and is a highly sought-after national expert on cyber policy.

Mike has also worked with two presidents, Congressional leadership, and countless foreign leaders, diplomats and intelligence professionals to ensure our nation is well equipped with the resources necessary to get the job done.

Mike is the host and executive producer of Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies that airs on CNN. Hon. Mike Rogers is also a CNN national security commentator and a regular in major news outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press.

On August 25, 2021, Hon. Mike Rogers participated in Afghanistan with Ambassador Peter Galbraith and the Honorable Mike Rogers.

---

---

Ambassador Peter Galbraith

Ambassador Peter Galbraith

Author, policy adviser, former U.S. diplomat

Ambassador Peter Galbraith is an author, politician, and former United States Diplomat. From 1993 to 1998, he served as the first U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, where he was co-mediator of the 1995 Erdut Agreement that ended the Croatian War of Independence. He was a cabinet member in East Timor’s first transitional government, successfully negotiating the Timor Sea Treaty. In 2009, Ambassador Galbraith was an Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations serving as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan. Ambassador Peter Galbraith also served two terms as a Vermont State Senator from Windham County from 2011 to 2015, and was a candidate for Governor of Vermont in 2016.

Beginning in 2003, Galbraith acted as an adviser to the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. As an author and commentator, he argued that Iraq has broken up and that the US occupation authorities should not try to build a strong central government over Kurdish objections. In 2009, Galbraith was appointed United Nations’ Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan where he contributed to exposing the massive fraud that took place in the 2009 Afghanistan Presidential Elections.

He is also the author of two critically acclaimed books on the Iraq War, including bestselling The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End. In the 1980s, Galbraith uncovered the beginnings of the Anfal campaign against the Iraqi Kurds and, in 1988, documented the use of chemical weapons, leading the U.S. Senate to pass The Prevention of Genocide Act of 1988. Beginning in 2003, Ambassador Galbraith was an informal advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, supporting the Kurdistan delegation in the drafting process of the 2005 Iraqi Constitution. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the research arm of the Council for a Livable World.

Ambassador Galbraith was an assistant professor of International Relations and Economics at Windham College in Putney, Vermont, from 1975 to 1978. Later, he was the professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College in 1999 and between 2001 and 2003. In addition to his books, Ambassador Peter Galbraith has written extensively for a range of publications including The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Guardian.

On August 25, 2021, Ambassador Peter Galbraith participated in Afghanistan with Ambassador Peter Galbraith and the Honorable Mike Rogers.

Twitter: @GalbraithforVT

---

Read more:

Karzan Sulaivany, ‘Remaining part of Irag risky for Kurds: Former US Ambassador’, Kurdistan 24, 26 June 2017

Ken Auletta

Ken Auletta

American writer, journalist, media critic

Ken Auletta is an American journalist and media critic at The New Yorker. He has worked in government and on several political campaigns along with having taught and trained Peace Corps volunteers. In 1974, Auletta became the chief political correspondent for the New York Post. Following that, he was a staff writer and weekly columnist for The Village Voice, and then a contributing editor at New York Magazine. He started contributing to The New Yorker in 1977. Between 1977 and 1993, he wrote a weekly political column for the New York Daily News.

Auletta has been writing his column, the Annals of Communications, since 1992. He has written twelve books, including five bestsellers —Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way; Greed and Glory On Wall Street: The Fall of the House of Lehman; The Highwaymen: Warriors of the Information Super Highway; World War 3.0: Microsoft and Its Enemies; and Googled: The End Of The World As We Know It. His most recent book, Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else), was published in June of 2018.

Before becoming a journalist and author, Auletta trained Peace Corps volunteers, served as Special Assistant to the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce, and worked on Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign. 

Auletta has served as a Pulitzer Prize juror and a judge for the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists. In 2001, his profile of Ted Turner won the National Magazine Award for best profile. The New York Public Library chose him as a Literary Lion. He was also a board member for PEN, a worldwide association of writers, and a trustee of The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival. 

On July 28, 2021 Ken Auletta participated in A Conversation with American's Police Commissioner, Bill Bratton

Twitter: @kenauletta

---

Read more:

Leah Graham & Amara Shaikh, ‘Ronan Farrow and Ken Auletta talk #MeToo’, value of investigative journalism’, The Michigan Daily, 19 March 2019

Michael Bernick, ‘Ken Auletta, The Underclass: “A Firebell In The Night”’, Forbes, 11 December 2018

Ken Auletta, ‘The Rise, Reign, and Fall of W.P.P.’s Martin Sorrell’, The New Yorker, 17 April 2018

Zachary Karabell

dr. Zachary Karabell

Head of Global Strategy at Envestnet

Zachary Karabell is Head of Global Strategy at Envestnet, a publicly traded financial services firm, and is President of River Twice Research. Previously, he was Executive Vice President, Chief Economist, and Head of Marketing at Fred Alger Management, a New York-based investment firm that manages approximately $22 billion. He was also President of Fred Alger & Company, Portfolio Manager of the China-U.S. Growth Fund (CHUSX), and Executive Vice President of Alger’s Spectra Funds. At Alger, he oversaw the creation, launch and marketing of several funds, led corporate strategy for strategic acquisitions, and represented the firm at public forums and in the media. He also ran the River Twice Fund from 2011-2013, an alternative investment fund which used sustainable business as its primary investment theme.

Dr. Karabell has taught at several leading universities, including Harvard and Dartmouth, and has written widely on economics, investing, history and international relations. His most recent book, The Leading Indicators: A Short History of the Numbers That Rule Our World, was published by Simon & Schuster in February 2014. He is the author of eleven previous books. He sits on the board of the New America Foundation and the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, and in 2003, the World Economic Forum designated him a “Global Leader for Tomorrow.” He is a Senior Advisor for BSR, a membership organization that works with global corporations on issues of sustainability.

As a commentator, Karabell is a Contributing Editor for Politico and writes the Wealth of Nations column. Previously he wrote “The Edgy Optimist” column for Slate, Reuters, and The Atlantic. He is a regular commentator on MSNBC and was a Contributing Editor for The Daily Beast. He also contributes to such publications as The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times,The Financial Times, and Foreign Affairs.

Karabell also sits on the board of New America and PEN America. In 2003, the World Economic Forum designated him a "Global Leader for Tomorrow." As a commentator, Karabell is a Contributing Editor for Wired and for Politico, and the host of the podcast “What Could Go Right?”

On July 21, 2021 Zachary Karabell participated in The Story of American Capitalism with Zachary Karabell & Douglas Brinkley

Twitter: @zacharykarabell

---

Read more:

Zachary Karabell, ‘A Laptop Ban Leaves Everyone Scared and No One Safer’, Wired, 5 June 2017

Zachary Karabell, ‘Even If Apple Breaks $1 Trillion, It Won’t Stay On Top Forever’, Wired, 14 May 2017

Congresswoman Katie Porter

Congresswoman Katie Porter represents the 45th Congressional District in Orange County, California.

In Washington, Congresswoman Porter has remained committed to putting Orange County families first. As a member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee and Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, she’s asked tough questions of bank CEOs and administration officials to hold them accountable to the American people. She’s also a proud member of the House Natural Resources Committee, where she works tirelessly to protect our beaches and public lands, elevate science-based solutions to the climate crisis, and keep Orange County families safe from wildfires. She chairs the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, where she leads efforts to hold polluters accountable.

Eager to invite families into the conversations happening in the halls of Congress, Rep. Porter has developed a reputation for her use of visual aids during Congressional hearings. She wielded a whiteboard while grilling the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, over how an entry-level employee at his bank couldn’t make ends meet. She also used her signature whiteboard to break down potential cost barriers to COVID-19 tests, which helped her secure a commitment from the Trump Administration to make testing free for every American.

Rep. Porter has also published several reports that break down issues and identify solutions on behalf of Orange County families. She’s exposed how Big Pharma’s mergers and acquisitions destroy innovation and harm patients, shined a spotlight on how the coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately burdening working women, blasted the Trump Administration for mismanaging medical supplies during a pandemic, and detailed how the Trump tax law hurts Orange County homeowners.

On June 30 2021, Katie Porter participated in Rising Leaders Series: Meet Representative Katie Porter

Honorary Advisory Board Member: Kay Koplovitz

Kay Koplovitz is a groundbreaking leader in the television and media industry. She is the founder of USA Network and the first woman in history to head a television network. She is also the visionary who created the business model for cable networks by introducing the dual revenue streams of licensing and advertising. She was the Chairperson and CEO of USA Network until the company was sold for $4.5 billion in 1998. In 1992, she launched the Syfy Channel, which became a top ten rated cable network known for innovative drama and mini-series.

Koplovitz during the early years at USA Network

Koplovitz has also figured as a major pioneer in sports television.  She launched major professional and collegiate sports on cable television by negotiating the first contracts for cable coverage of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and the US Tennis Open. Under her leadership, the USA Network reached first place in cable prime time ratings, where it remained for 14 years. 

A very significant focus now for Koplovitz is helping advance the companies and careers of women entrepreneurs. She is the Chair of Springboard Enterprises, the premier platform for women entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts dedicated to building scalable, sustainable women-led companies.
In 1998, President Clinton appointed Koplovitz to chair the bipartisan National Women’s Business Council. She used this platform to launch Springboard Enterprises, in a move to get women entrepreneurs to “think big” about their growth companies and to raise venture capital to fund them.

As one of today’s leading women in business, Koplovitz has penned, Bold Women, Big Ideas: Learning to Play the High-Risk Entrepreneurial Game, which she wrote to inform and inspire women entrepreneurs to create wealth through equity. In February 2015 she introduced and edited, Been There, Run That, an anthology of best practices from Springboard entrepreneurs who have “been there, run that.” She is a sought after speaker and commentator on subjects ranging from women’s leadership, women’s entrepreneurship, capital formation, creating a human capital ecosystem, to emerging media and management, and corporate board governance.

UBS conference, “Revitalizing America, The Road to Sustainable Growth” (in picture L to R) Jacqueline Novogratz,  President Bill Clinton, Kay Koplovitz, David Gergen, President George W. Bush.

Koplovitz currently serves on the Boards of Ion Media Networks and Veniam; she previously chaired Liz Claiborne (later Kate Spade); and served on several major company boards, including the boards of CA Technologies, Time Inc, Oracle, Nabisco, Instinet, and General RE. She also has been a long-term trustee for The International Tennis Hall of Fame and trustee (currently emeritus) of The Paley Center for Media. In 2017, she was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.

Koplovitz participated in The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 on May 10, 2019. She spoke on the “Women & Power” panel alongside former Congresswoman Mia Love, Alessandra Stanley, and Sally Quinn, moderated by Juju Chang. She also serves as a member of The Common Good Honorary Advisory Board.

Selected Media:

• Build a Ninja Network and Stop Apologizing - How to Be a Master DealmakHER, Forbes article highlighting Koplovitz, 2021

• Female Dealmakers Share Advice on the Art of Negotiation Women’s Wear Daily, 2021

• Female Founders Reap Life-Long Benefits from Springboard programs Forbes, 2020

• Cable Vision: Kay Koplovitz Sports Business Daily, 2018 

• USA Network's founder brings video to Third World, CNBC, 2014

• Netflix is 'way ahead' of competition, says USA Network founder,interview with CNBC, 2019

• Potential to Powerhouse: Success Secrets for Women Entrepreneurs, podcast interview 2021

• Kay Koplovitz: TV Pioneer and Game Change‪r‬, Seneca's 100 Women to Hear, podcast interview 2021

• My American Story - Kay Koplovitz

Books:

• Been There, Run That,  edited and introduced by Koplovitz, 2014

Bold Women, Big Ideas, Learning to Play the High-Risk Entrepreneurial Game 2011

Efraim Halevy

Joining us from Israel, we will have Efraim Halevy. A lawyer and an Israeli intelligence expert, Halevy was the ninth director of Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations, and counter-terrorism He also served as the 4th head of the Israeli National Security Council. Above all, Halevy may be remembered for his part in bringing about the Israel–Jordan peace treaty.

Halevy served as the envoy and confidant of five Prime Ministers: Yitzhak Shamir, Yitzhak Rabin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon. He took an active part in a special mission by Rabin in forging the Israel–Jordan Treaty of Peace. After the failure of the Mossad operation to assassinate Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in 1997, he took an active part in Benjamin Netanyahu's mission to return the Mossad men captured in Jordan, and to settle the crisis with the King of Jordan.

In December 2014 Halevy was interviewed by The Times of Israel. He claimed that Israel would never have peace unless Palestinians were treated with dignity as equals. He was critical of Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett and their policies, especially regarding Jerusalem. He underscored the importance of the upcoming 17 March 2015 elections, which from his perspective "constitute an unprecedented opportunity to determine Israel's policy vis-à-vis the peace process.

On June 8 2021, Efraim Halevy participated in the Tracing his father’s escape during the Holocaust, Rick Salomon found himself drawn into the histories of lesser-known heroes of WWII, a Japanese diplomat who signed thousands of visas that rescued Jews from certain death.

Rick Salomon, spent six years working with the Consulate General of Japan to obtain access to the original visa documents where copies are on display at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center.

On June 9 2021, Rick Salomon participated in the Hamas & Gaza: Where Does Israel Go From Here? Event

Rick Salomon

Rick Salomon is a CEO, Harvard-trained lawyer who has organized and moderated a diverse set of programs, including on the Middle East, for a host of organizations, including the 92Y, Temple Emanu-El's Streicker Center, and the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, which he co-founded and sits on the Board.

Tracing his father’s escape during the Holocaust, Rick Salomon found himself drawn into the histories of lesser-known heroes of WWII, a Japanese diplomat who signed thousands of visas that rescued Jews from certain death.

Rick Salomon, spent six years working with the Consulate General of Japan to obtain access to the original visa documents where copies are on display at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center.

On June 8 2021, Rick Salomon participated in the Hamas & Gaza: Where Does Israel Go From Here? Event

Honorary Advisory Board Member: Bob Corker

Senator Bob Corker has had an exemplary career in public service and private business.  He represented Tennesseans in the Senate from 2007 to 2018, and became a national and global thought leader on fiscal, financial, and foreign policy issues during his tenure, leading to recognition as one of the 100 most influential people in the world according to TIME Magazine.  Corker has always advocated for a strong, compassionate America - one that doesn’t close its borders, look inwards, or waver in the face of injustice. Throughout his career as a businessman and in politics, he has been willing to speak his mind to express his principled positions or to get things done for the people.  As the Mayor of Chattanooga and then as a Senator, he displayed an admirable commitment to civility, bipartisanship, and integrity. 

Corker was first elected to the Senate in 2006, and was overwhelmingly reelected to the seat in 2012. He quickly rose to prominence on the Banking Committee where he became known for his tough, no-nonsense questioning of witnesses during the auto industry bailout and 2008 financial crisis. Corker was also a key voice in Congress on housing finance reform: a bipartisan bill he co-authored in 2013 has been called the “blueprint” for our nation’s housing finance system. A key leader on our nation’s fiscal challenges, Corker is one of the few members of Congress to produce a bill that would set our country on a path to fiscal solvency. 

Recognizing the important impact US leadership and diplomacy abroad can have on our economy and national security, Corker was also an active leader on the Foreign Relations Committee. After taking office in 2007, he visited more than 60 countries to gain a deeper understanding of the strategic relationships between the United States and other nations. In 2015, his colleagues elected him chairman. As the lead Republican on the committee, Corker proved his shrewd leadership as he worked with his colleagues to set the committee agenda and help carry out legislative and oversight responsibilities.

He was Tennessee’s commissioner of finance and mayor of Chattanooga before being elected to the Senate, but he spent most of his life in business. At the age of 25, Corker started his own general contracting firm with $8,000 in savings and a pickup truck. He quickly expanded operations to 18 states around the country. eventually expanding operations to 18 states. Soon after, he founded the Corker Group, which acquired, developed, built, managed, and leased projects. He ultimately purchased two of the largest and oldest real estate holding companies in Chattanooga.

After an extensive public service career, in January of 2019, Corker returned to business. He currently serves as chairman of Rise Ventures, a joint venture between the Corker Group and Rise Partners; is chairman of One-to-One Health; and is a special advisor to Jefferies Financial Group, a global investment banking firm. He also serves on the advisory board for several philanthropic and policy-focused organizations. 

During his twenties, Corker participated in a mission trip to Haiti which he credits as his inspiration to become an active member in his community. After his mission trip, Corker helped establish the Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, a non-profit organization that provides low-interest home loans and home maintenance education to thousands of residents living in Tennessee.

Corker was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the son of Jean J. Hutto and Robert Phillips “Phil” Corker. His great-great-grandfather was U.S. Congressman Stephen A. Corker. After attending public school in Chattanooga, Corker graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1974 with a degree in Industrial Management. He and his wife of 28 years, Elizabeth, live in Chattanooga. They have two daughters, Emily Corker, Julia and her husband Justin Spickard, and one grandchild.

The Common Good was pleased to host Senator Corker at The Common Good Forum and American Spirit Awards in 2021. He currently serves as a member of The Common Good Honorary Advisory Board.

Twitter:  @SenBobCorker

Selected media:

• GOP former Sen. Bob Corker says 'enough is enough,' Trump knows he's lost the election CNBC, 2021

• An early Republican Trump critic feels vindicated Politico, 2021

• PBS/FRONTLINE: "We Take Our Democracy for Granted," Says Bob Corker, Former GOP Senator and Trump Critic PBS FRONTLINE, 2021

• Bob Coker, the Relentless Tennessee Dealmaker TIME Magazine, 2015

Honorary Advisory Board Member: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of America’s best known scientists, an astronomer, author, and public figure who has popularized interest in and the study of science for decades. Widely known for his charisma, humor, and passion to bring the cosmos alive to millions around the globe and his highly-awarded television and radio programs, he is also renowned for his commitment to aiming for the stars while staying grounded in reality, speaking out about the greatest problems facing our nation and our world with a pragmatic, fact-first agenda.

I dream of a world where the truth is what shapes people’s politics, rather than politics shaping what people think is true.  - Tyson

Inspired to study space and the stars by a visit to the Hayden Planetarium in New York City when he was twelve years old, Tyson is now the fifth head of that same world-renowned institution, and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship. He is also a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.

In 2001, President Bush appointed Tyson to serve on a twelve-member commission that studied the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. The final report, published in 2002, contained recommendations for Congress and the major agencies of the government to promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.

Three years later, Tyson was again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission. The group charted a path to allow a new space vision to become part of the American agenda. In 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which guides NASA through its perennial need to fit ambitious visions into restricted budgets.

Chuck Nice, Brian Greene,Tyson, Heather Berlin, Sasha Cohen, and Baba Brinkman after a Startalk recording

The Cosmos  team accepts the Peabody Award 

Through his written publications and his media appearances, Tyson works to bring an understanding and appreciation of the scientific world to the general public. For five seasons, he appeared as the host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which offers an accessible look at the science which shapes the understanding of our place in the universe. In 2009, Tyson identified a cadre of professional comedians to aid him in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded StarTalk. StarTalk combines celebrity guests with informative, playful banter, and is aimed at an audience that never thought they would, or could, like science. Now also a popular podcast, it ran as a limited-run television series on the National Geographic Channel. In its first year on television and in three successive seasons, it was nominated for a Best Informational Programming Emmy. The 2014 series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, presented by Tyson, won a Peabody award in the Education category, and four Emmy Awards.

In addition to dozens of professional publications, Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine. He has also written fifteen books, including his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist. His 2004 book Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith, is the companion book to the PBS NOVA mini-series Origins, which Tyson also hosted.

Tyson’s other books include: the playful and informative Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, a New York Times bestseller, The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet, on his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status and the basis for the PBS NOVA documentary The Pluto Files, Astrophysics for People In A Hurry, a domestic and international bestseller that offers an introduction to everything that’s making news in the universe, in one place, succinctly presented for people in a hurry, and the New York Times Bestsellers Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military, coauthored with Avis Lang, and Letters from an Astrophysicist.

Tyson is the recipient of twenty-one honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union’s official naming of asteroid “13123 Tyson.” And by zoologists’ naming of Indirani Tysoni, a species of leaping frog in India. Tyson was also voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive'' by People Magazine in 2000.

Tyson receives an honorary doctorate from Yale University

Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools clear through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. He went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia. Tyson lives in New York City with his wife, a former IT project manager with Bloomberg Financial Markets.

In 2021, he was awarded The Common Good American Spirit Award for Public Integrity. He currently serves as a member of The Common Good Honorary Advisory Board.

Selected Media:

• Forbes: Provocative New Neil DeGrasse Tyson Book Highlights Little-Known Cosmic Tidbits 

• Wall Street Journal: Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Pandemic Year: Science Needs Better Marketing

• Tyson for the Wall Street Journal: Because of Science

• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Tyson On Coronavirus: Will People Listen To Science? 

• Tyson for C-SPAN, on his books to date 

• Reflections on the Color of My Skin

• Science in America 

• StarTalk Radio

• Cosmos: Possible Worlds TV Show

Books:

• Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going, 2021 

• Letters from An Astrophysicist, 2019

• Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military, with Avis Lang, 2018

• Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, 2017

• Welcome to the Universe: An Astrophysical Tour, with Michael A. Strauss and J. Richard Gott, 2016

• Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, 2012

• The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet, 2009

• Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, 2007

• The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist, 2004

• Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, with Donald Goldsmith, 2004 

• City of Stars: A New Yorker's Guide to the Cosmos, 2002

• Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge, 2000

• One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos, 2000

• Just Visiting This Planet, 1998

•  Universe Down to Earth, 1994

•  Merlin's Tour of the Universe, 1989