Governor Jay Inslee
Governor Jay Inslee
Governor of Washington State, 2020 presidential candidate
Governor Jay Inslee has led the State of Washington since 2013 and has made fighting climate change his number one priority in his presidential campaign. As governor, he has enacted policies that make Washington a national leader in clean energy, clean air and clean water. He created a new Clean Energy Fund that has invested over $100 million in developing innovative energy techniques and growing clean energy jobs, as well as the Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington, which is pioneering research into next-generation renewable energy technologies like solar and battery storage. Prior to his governorship, Inslee represented Washington’s 1st and 4th Districts in the House, where he voted against the Iraq War and championed investments to grow America’s clean energy industries.
Inslee was hosted by The Common Good on May 20th, 2019: Presidential Candidates Series: Governor Jay Inslee.
Twitter: @JayInslee
Lesley Stahl
Lesley Stahl
American Television Journalist
Lesley Stahl is one of America’s most honored and experienced broadcast journalists. Her rich career has been marked by political scoops, surprising features and award-winning foreign reporting. She has been a 60 Minutes correspondent since March 1991.
Prior to joining 60 Minutes, Stahl served as CBS News White House correspondent – the first woman to hold that job – during the Carter and Reagan presidencies and part of the term of George H. W. Bush. Her reports appeared frequently on the CBS Evening News, first with Walter Cronkite, then with Dan Rather, and on other CBS News broadcasts. During much of that time, she also served as moderator of Face The Nation, CBS News’ Sunday public-affairs broadcast (September 1983–May 1991).
Stahl was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in September 2003 and her first Emmy for reporting on a bombing in Beirut for the CBS Evening News in 1983. Her Face The Nation interview with Sen. John Tower won Stahl her second statuette. Her 60 Minutes reports “How He Won the War,” about former FDA Commissioner David Kessler’s battle with the tobacco industry, and “Punishing Saddam,” which exposed the plight of Iraqi citizens, mostly children, suffering the effects of the United Nations sanctions against Iraq, were both Emmy winners. “Punishing Saddam” also won Stahl electronic journalism’s highest honor, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton.
Lesley Stahl was hosted by The Common Good in 2013: Assessing the Presidency with Lesley Stahl, Douglas Brinkley, Jonathan Alter and Ed Rollins – April 11th, 2013. As part of The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards - May 10, 2019, she spoke on the panel “Journalism and Democracy” alongside Sir Harry Evans and Tom Brokaw, and was presented with the American Spirit Award for Courage in Journalism.
Twitter: @LesleyRStahl
Ari Melber
Ari Melber
MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent, anchor, host of The Beat with Ari Melber
Ari Melber is an American Emmy-winning reporter, lawyer, and writer. He serves as a Chief Legal Correspondent for MSNBC where he covers the Justice Department, Supreme Court, FBI and legal issues. He serves as journalist for NBC News and also host of MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber.
The Detroit Free Press named The Beat with Ari Melber one of the “best” TV shows of 2017. Vanity Fair reported that the show established itself as an influential and “vocal critic” of Facebook’s impact on democracy, while The Hollywood Reporter stated that Melber’s show is proving to be a “success,” and “there are few cable news hosts more perfectly suited” to breaking down legal issues in the news. In a 2014 profile, the Columbia Journalism Review dubbed Melber a “rising star” who “wants to solve problems.”
Before joining MSNBC, Melber spent four years practicing First Amendment law, and served as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate. He is a former columnist for Politico and Reuters, and his writing has been published in several books and a variety of news outlets, including the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Nation and the New York Daily News, among other publications.
The Common Good has hosted Melber numerous times, including on the panel for Social Media, Politics and Change on July 26th, 2011 and at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017. Recently, he participated in the The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards on May 10, 2019, as the moderator for the “Renewing Democracy” panel featuring Cohen Curtis, Max Boot, Nicole Austin-Hillery, and Michael Waldman. He will host a discussion with political consultant Frank Luntz in August 2019 [RSVP here].
Max Boot
Max Boot
American author, consultant, editorialist, lecturer, military historian
Max Boot is a historian, best-selling author, columnist, and national-security analyst who has been called one of the “world’s leading authorities on armed conflict” by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He is the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a Global Affairs Analyst for CNN.
Max Boot was a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2007–08, Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2011–12, and Marco Rubio’s campaign in 2015-2016. He also served as an adviser to U.S. commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has lectured on behalf of the U.S. State Department and at many military institutions, including the Army, Navy, and Air War Colleges, the Australian Defense College, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School, West Point, and the Naval Academy.
Before joining the Council in 2002, Boot spent eight years as a writer and editor at the Wall Street Journal, and the last five as op-ed editor. From 1992 to 1994 he was an editor and writer at the Christian Science Monitor. In more recent years, Boot has been a columnist for Foreign Policy, a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times, a member of the USA Today board of contributors, and a regular contributor to many other publications including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He serves on the boards of Intelligence Squared U.S. and the Renew Democracy Initiative. In 2018 Max Boot was named one of America’s “Great Immigrants” by the Carnegie Corporation and one of the 50 most influential Jewish Americans by the Forward newspaper. In 2007, he won the Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Opinion Journalism. In 2004, he was named by the World Affairs Councils of America as one of “the 500 most influential people in the United States in the field of foreign policy.”
Boot participated in the The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 on May 10, 2019, speaking on the “Renewing Democracy” panel with Cohen Curtis, Nicole Austin-Hillery, and Michael Waldman, moderated by Ari Melber.
Twitter: @MaxBoot
Nicole Austin-Hillery
Nicole Austin-Hillery
Human rights advocate, lawyer, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch US Program
Nicole Austin-Hillery is Human Rights Watch's inaugural U.S. Program Executive Director. In this newly created role, Ms. Austin-Hillery leads Human Rights Watch’s efforts to end violations in abusive systems within the United States. Her work focuses on improving the U.S. immigration system, tackling race discrimination, rights problems within the domestic criminal justice system, and advocating for national security policies informed by international human rights standards.
Previously, Austin-Hillery was the first Director and Counsel of The Brennan Center’s Washington, D.C. office which she opened in March 2008. At the Brennan Center, she oversaw the growth and development of the Center’s advocacy and policy development work in Washington and served as its chief representative before Congress and the Executive Branch.
Austin-Hillery has testified before state and local legislative bodies as well as Congress. She has published numerous pieces for major news outlets including Time Magazine, The Hill, CNN.com and a host of others. She is a frequent speaker on a host of progressive issues.
Austin-Hillery participated in the The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards - May 10, 2019, speaking on the “Renewing Democracy” panel with Cohen Curtis, Max Boot, and Michael Waldman, moderated by Ari Melber.
Twitter: @NicoleAustinHil
Rick Tyler
Rick Tyler
Political analyst
Rick Tyler is a conservative Political Analyst for the MSNBC Cable News Network. His firm, Foundry Strategies, specializes in helping political and corporate clients reach their leadership potential by honing their communications skills. Tyler served as spokesperson for Newt Gingrich and presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
As former lead trainer for GOPAC and current international and media trainer for the Leadership Institute, Tyler has prepared hundreds of candidates for the rigors of campaigning for public office. Rick has trained candidates in the United States and in countries around the world including Canada, Italy, Greece, Japan and Israel to lead successful campaigns for elected office.
Tyler has been invited to speak about his political and policy insights by many Conservative, non-partisan and professional associations, and state legislative caucuses. He has been a guest lecturer at the Institute for Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, the Robert J. Dole Institute for Politics at the University of Kansas and is currently a guest lecturer at the Global Center for Political Engagement at The George Washington University. He been heard on numerous national radio shows and has appeared hundreds of times on national television programs including NBC News; ABC News; CBS News; PBS; MSNBC; CNBC; the Fox News Channel; Fox Business Channel; CNN; HBO; CBN; Bloomberg News; BBC; CBC; RTE and Al Jazeera.
Tyler participated at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards on May 10th, 2019. He spoke on “The Road to 2020: Leaders & Ideas” panel alongside former Senator Claire McCaskill, former Congressman Steve Israel, Matt Bennett, and Margaret Hoover moderated by Errol Louis.
Twitter: @rickwtyler
Preet Bharara
Preet Bharara
American lawyer, former United States Attorney
Preet Bharara served as a US Attorney for the Southern District of New York between 2009 and 2017, and led investigations into corruption and insider trading, earning him a “hardliner” reputation. His notable cases include the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme, the investigation into Galleon Group, and imposed the largest criminal penalty against a car company. He also gained notoriety in putting away Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law and Faisal Shahzad, the attempted Times Square bomber. In 2011, he was awarded Columbia Law School’s Lawrence A. Wien Prize for Social Responsibility. Bharara was dismissed in March 2017 in light of the election of Donald Trump.
Bharara serves as a CNN Senior Legal Analyst, as well as the host of a podcast called “Stay Tuned with Preet” about the justice system. He is the author of Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law, and is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University.
Bharara spoke on the panel “Rule of Law, Corruption, and Abuse of Power” alongside Bill Browder, moderated by John Avlon, and was presented with the American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019.
Twitter: @PreetBharara
Michael Waldman
Michael waldman
Constitutional lawyer, writer, President of the Brennan Center for Justice
Michael Waldman is President of the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. He is a constitutional lawyer and writer, and is an expert on the presidency and American democracy. The Brennan Center is a leading national voice on voting rights, money in politics, criminal justice reform and constitutional law. Waldman has led the Center since 2005.
Waldman was Director of Speechwriting for President Bill Clinton from 1995-99, serving as Assistant to the President. He was responsible for writing or editing nearly 2,000 speeches, including four State of the Union and two Inaugural Addresses. He was Special Assistant to the President for Policy Coordination from 1993-95.
His books include The Fight to Vote (2016), The Second Amendment: A Biography (2014). My Fellow Americans: The Most Important Speeches of America’s Presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama (2003, 2010); A Return to Common Sense (2007); POTUS Speaks (2000); and Who Robbed America? A Citizens' Guide to the S&L Scandal (1990).
He appearances on television and radio include Good Morning America; The Colbert Report; Morning Joe; PBS Newshour, CBS Evening News; Meet the Press Daily; All In with Chris Hayes; the O'Reilly Factor; Nightline; 60 Minutes; Tavis Smiley; Hardball with Chris Matthews; The Rachel Maddow Show; NPR’s Morning Edition; All Things Considered; Fresh Air; and Diane Rehm. He writes for publications including The New York Times, Politico, The Washington Post, Daily Beast, Slate, Democracy, Reuters.com and Bloomberg.com.
On May 26 2021, Michael Waldman participated in Voting Rights and American Democracy with Michael Waldman.
Twitter: @mawaldman
Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw
American television journalist, author
Tom Brokaw served as Managing Editor and Anchor of NBC Nightly News from 1983 to 2004. Mr. Brokaw remained at NBC, where he continued to report and provide expertise as well as produce documentaries. He has covered every presidential election since 1968 and was NBC’s White House correspondent during Watergate. He began his journalism career in 1962 at KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska. He anchored the late evening news on Atlanta’s WSB-TV in 1965 before being hired by NBC News in 1966. Mr. Brokaw currently serves as Vice Chair of the Robin Hood Foundation and as Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, Inc.
Brokaw spoke on the panel “Journalism and Democracy” alongside Lesley Stahl and Sir Harry Evans at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019.
Twitter: @tombrokaw
Stephanie Ruhle
Stephanie Ruhle
Correspondent
Stephanie Ruhle anchors MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle at 9 a.m. ET and MSNBC Live with Velshi & Ruhle at 1 p.m. ET on weekdays. Ruhle also appears across all NBC News and MSNBC platforms, including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, TODAY, and NBCNews.com. Since joining MSNBC, Ruhle has interviewed numerous high-profile newsmakers and influential politicians.
Previously, Ruhle served as anchor and managing editor for Bloomberg Television and editor-at-large for Bloomberg News, where she co-hosted Bloomberg , Bloomberg TV’s flagship morning show featuring global thought leaders across business, tech and media.
In 2015, Ruhle produced and hosted the documentary Haiti: Open For Business?, which sheds light on the country five years after it was hit by a devastating earthquake and explores its viability as the next emerging market. Ruhle also participated in a short-form documentary, Sharkland: A Mission Blue & Fusion Expedition, which brings attention to the plight of sharks and the urgent needs to conserve our oceans.
Ruhle plays an active role in women’s leadership development, having founded the Corporate Investment Bank Women’s Network and co-chaired Women on Wall Street. Ruhle is a member of the board of trustees for Girls Inc. NYC and in 2016 was honored as one of their Women of the Year. Ruhle currently sits on the board and advises for React To Film, an issue-based documentary film series, and formerly served on the corporate councils of iMentor and The White House Project.
Ruhle was hosted by The Common Good in 2019: Screening and Discussion of The Panama Papers. She also spoke alongside Alan Schwartz in “Growing a Fair Economy” at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 on May 10th, 2019.
Twitter: @SRuhle
Sir Harold Evans
Sir Harold Evans
Editor, award-winning journalist
Sir Harold Evans was the editor of The Sunday Times and The Times (and earlier of The Northern Echo and assistant editor of The Manchester Evening News) and has written a number of best selling books. During his 14-year career with The Sunday Times, Evans helped bring public attention to many stories and scandals that were officially denied or ignored, including: the British Thalidomide children who were never compensated for severe birth defects; the exposure of Kim Philby as a Soviet spy; and the publication of the diaries of former Labour Minister Richard Crossman. In 1984 he moved to the United States, where he had leading positions in journalism with U.S. News & World Report, The Atlantic Monthly, and the New York Daily News, and founded Condé Nast Traveler in 1986. He holds the British Press Awards’ Gold Award for Lifetime Achievement of Journalists. In 2001, British journalists voted him the all-time greatest British newspaper editor. and he was knighted in 2004. In 2011, Evans was appointed editor-at-large of Reuters news agency.
Evans was presented with the American Spirit Award for Courage in Journalism at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019, followed by a panel discussion titled “Journalism and Democracy” alongside Tom Brokaw and Lesley Stahl.
Twitter: @sirharryevans
Matt Bennett
Matt Bennett
Third Way political activist
Matt Bennett is a Third Way political activist whose pursuit of center-left politics has taken him from the campaign trail to the White House, and from the pages of the New York Times to appearances on Meet the Press and 60 Minutes.
He worked on both of the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton and served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs in the Clinton White House, where he was the principal White House liaison to governors and covered issues ranging from disaster response to Medicaid to immigration. Prior to that, Matt traveled with Vice President Al Gore on his White House staff. He was Director of Communications for Wesley Clark's presidential campaign in 2004, and from 2001-2004 he was Director of Public Affairs for Americans for Gun Safety.
In 2005, Matt joined his three fellow co-founders in establishing Third Way, believing that there is a tremendous need for fresh thinking and moderate ideas in a time of extreme political immoderation. He considers helping to extend marriage equality to gays and lesbians one of Third Way's proudest achievements so far.
Bennett participated at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards on May 10th, 2019. He spoke on “The Road to 2020: Leaders & Ideas” panel alongside former Senator Claire McCaskill, former Congressman Steve Israel, Margaret Hoover and Rick Tyler, moderated by Errol Louis.
Twitter: @ThirdWayMattB
Alessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley
Journalist, editor
Alessandra Stanley is the co-editor of Air Mail, a digital weekly publication created by Graydon Carter. Previously, Alessandra was a foreign correspondent and television critic at The New York Times. In 1993, she received the Matrix Award from Women in Communications, and in 1998, she received the Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting.
Stanley 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, Sally Quinn, and Kay Koplovitz, moderated by Juju Chang.
Cohen Curtis
Cohen Curtis
Advocate for criminal justice reform
Ellis Cohen Curtis was incarcerated for 25 years for involvement in the murder of Richard Harper. Having grown up in Sacramento with exposure to violence and crime from a young age, Curtis became embroiled in gangs as a young teenager. He was sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile - aged 17. Initially resentful, he found a path to reform while incarcerated. The Human Rights Watch took up his case and ultimately helped him to be released on parole.
Today, Curtis speaks out in favor of criminal justice reform and draws from his own personal experiences to evaluate the ways the system needs to change, and how we can prevent cases from his like occurring - both to prevent young individuals from joining gangs, and to allow them a chance to change. Curtis designs programs and processes for through networking in the south Los Angeles area to create dynamic resources for returning citizens.
Curtis detailed his experiences at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 on May 10, 2019, on the “Renewing Democracy” panel with Nicole Austin-Hillery, Max Boot, and Michael Waldman, moderated by Ari Melber.
Honorable Mia Love
the Honorable Mia Love
Former U.S. House Representative for the 4th Congressional District of Utah
Ludmya "Mia" Love served as House Representative for the 4th congressional district of Utah from 2015 to early 2019. Prior to her election as House Representative, she was the Mayor of Saratoga Springs from 2010 to 2014. She graduated college with a degree in musical theater but became a community spokesperson due to her desire to make a change in the neighborhood she lived in. Love went on to continue her political career by winning a seat in the Saratoga Springs council and then went on to become mayor. She is the first black female Republican elected to Congress, and is currently a contributor at CNN.
Love participated in The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 on May 10, 2019. She spoke on the “Women & Power” panel alongside former Alessandra Stanley, Sally Quinn, and Kay Koplovitz, moderated by Juju Chang.
Twitter: @MiaBLove
Errol Louis
Errol Louis
Broadcast journalist, television show host
Errol Louis is the Political Anchor of Spectrum News NY1, where he hosts Inside City Hall, a nightly primetime show about New York City politics. As part of the show, he interviews top political and cultural leaders, including an exclusive weekly one-on-one conversation with Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Louis has also conducted interviews with ex-mayors David Dinkins, Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg; Gov. Andrew Cuomo and ex-governors George Pataki, Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson; dozens of city, state and federal officials, and presidential candidates including John Kasich, Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Louis has moderated more than two dozen debates between candidates for mayor, public advocate, city and state comptroller, state Attorney General and U.S. Senate. In addition to political leaders, Louis has interviewed iconic cultural figures including filmmaker Ken Burns and activist Gloria Steinem.
Louis was recently ranked #40 on the list of the 100 most powerful people in New York City politics. He is an adjunct professor of Urban Reporting at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where he has taught political and investigative reporting to more than 100 graduate students.
Louis participated at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards on May 10th, 2019. He moderated the “The Road to 2020: Leaders & Ideas” panel featuring former Senator Claire McCaskill, former Congressman Steve Israel, Matt Bennett, Margaret Hoover and Rick Tyler.
Twitter: @errollouis
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Margaret Hoover
Margaret Hoover
Political commentator, political strategist, media personality, author
Margaret Hoover is the host of PBS’ Firing Line with Margaret Hoover a revival of the television series hosted by William F. Buckley Jr. for 33 years. A CNN political commentator, Hoover has served in The White House under President George W. Bush, in the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill and in two presidential campaigns. She is the President of American Unity Fund, a political organization focused on achieving full freedom and equality for LGBT Americans, as well as the bestselling author of American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party in 2011. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, The Daily Beast, CNN and FoxNews. Hoover serves on the boards of Stanford University's Hoover Institution, the Hoover Presidential Foundation, and the Belgian American Educational Foundation.
Hoover participated at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019, on May 10th, 2019. She spoke on “The Road to 2020: Leaders & Ideas” panel alongside former Senator Claire McCaskill, former Congressman Steve Israel, Matt Bennett and Rick Tyler, moderated by Errol Louis. She also participated at The Common Good Forum 2015, on the “Lead Up to 2016 and Beyond: US Politics Now” panel alongside Jim McLaughlin and Robert Zimmerman, moderated by Dana Bash.
Twitter: @MargaretHoover
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Major General Dr. Robert Latiff
Major General Dr. Robert Latiff
Retired Air Force Major General
Dr. Robert H. Latiff retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Major General in 2006. He is an Adjunct Faculty Member with the John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values at the University of Notre Dame, and is a Research Professor at George Mason University. Major General Latiff is also a member of the Committee on International Security and Arms Control of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Intelligence Community Studies Board.
Dr. Latiff spoke on “Artificial Intelligence & Warfare” at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019.
Ambassador Bill Burns
Ambassador Bill Burns
President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former career Foreign Service Officer
Ambassador (ret.) William “Bill” Burns is currently president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the oldest international affairs think tank in the United States, after a thirty-three-year diplomatic career. He holds the highest rank in the Foreign Service, career ambassador, and is only the second serving career diplomat in history to become Deputy Secretary of State. Prior to his tenure as Deputy Secretary, Ambassador Burns was ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs from 2001 to 2005, and ambassador to Jordan from 1998 to 2001. Ambassador Burns speaks Russian, Arabic, and French, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards. His memoir, The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal, was released in 2019.
Burns participated at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 on May 10th, 2019, on the “World View: Security Challenges & Opportunities” panel alongside Ambassador Nicholas Burns and Congresswoman Jane Harman, moderated by Edward Luce.
Senator Doug Jones
Senator Doug Jones
U.S. Senator
Senator Doug Jones served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama beginning in 1997. It was while serving in this position that Senator Jones successfully prosecuted two of the four men responsible for the 16th street church bombings. Along with taking on the Ku Klux Klan, he prosecuted terrorists like Eric Rudolph, and many others who sought to use fear, hatred, and violence to inhibit the rights of others. Since his historic election, Senator Jones has brought that lifelong passion for justice and commitment to service to his role in the Senate.
Senator Jones gave a talk at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 entitled “Can’t We All Just Get Along? How Washington Can Best Serve the Nation,” emphasizing the importance of bipartisanship and consensus building.
Twitter: @SenDougJones