Anthony Scaramucci
Anthony Scaramucci
Journalist, businessman
Anthony Scaramucci is the founder of SkyBridge Capital. Mr. Scaramucci was the co-host of Wall Street Week, the iconic financial television show revived in 2015 and currently airing on the Fox Business Network. He is the author of three books: The Little Book of Hedge Funds, Goodbye Gordon Gekko and Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole, a 2016 Wall Street Journal best-seller in the business category. Prior to founding SkyBridge in 2005, Scaramucci co-founded investment partnership Oscar Capital Management, which was sold to Neuberger Berman, LLC in 2001. Earlier, Mr. Scaramucci was a vice president in Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs & Co.
In 2016, Scaramucci was ranked #85 in Worth Magazine’s Power 100: The 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. In 2011, he received Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® – New York Award in the Financial Services category. Mr. Scaramucci is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), vice chair of the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Board, and a board member of the Business Executives for National Security (BENS). He was a member of the New York City Financial Services Advisory Committee from 2007 to 2012. In November 2016 he was named to President-elect Trump’s 16-person Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee.
Scaramucci briefly served as the White House Director of Communications in July, 2017. Trump fired him ten days after he began the job at the advice of his Chief of Staff, possibly in response to controversial statements made by Scaramucci within the first week of his work.
Scaramucci was spoke on “Growing the Economy and Jobs – Comments on the Trump Agenda”, moderated by Omeed Malik, at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017.
Twitter: @Scaramucci
Jed Rakoff
Jed Rakoff
U.S. Judge
Jed Rakoff served as law clerk to the late Honorable Abraham Freedman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He then spent two years in private practice at Debevoise & Plimpton before spending seven years as a federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. For the last two of those years, he was Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Prosecutions Unit. He then returned to private practice where he was a partner first with Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon, and then with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. He headed both firms’ criminal defense and civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) sections.
On October 11, 1995, Rakoff was nominated by President Bill Clinton to fill a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He was confirmed by the Senate on December 29, 1995, appointed on January 4, 1996, and entered on duty on March 1, 1996. On December 31, 2010, he assumed senior status.
On April 13, 2013, Rakoff was on a list released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) of Americans banned from entering the Russian Federation over their alleged human rights violations. The list was a direct response to the so-called Magnitsky list revealed by the United States the day before. On March 20, 2014, Rakoff was listed by Fortune Magazine as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.
Rakoff received the American Spirit Award for Public Service from Richard Farley at The Common Good’s American Spirit Awards 2015.
Kori Schake
Kori Schake
Foreign policy expert
Kori Schake has held several high positions in the U.S. Defense and State Departments and on the National Security Council, and was a foreign-policy adviser to the McCain-Palin 2008 presidential campaign. Schake is currently the Deputy-Director General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Schake's first government job was with the U.S. Department of Defense as a NATO Desk Officer in the Joint Staff's Strategic Plans and Policy Division from 1990 to 1994. She also spent 2 years (1994–1996) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as the special assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Strategy and Requirements.
During President George W. Bush's first term, she was the director for Defense Strategy and Requirements on the National Security Council. Projects she contributed to include conceptualizing and budgeting for continued transformation of defense practices, the most significant realignment of U.S. military forces and bases around the world since 1950, creating NATO's Allied Command Transformation and the NATO Response Force, and recruiting and retaining coalition partners for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Schake spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2018.
Twitter: @KoriSchake
Emily Rafferty
Emily Rafferty
President of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Emily Rafferty is president of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive art museum, which she has served since 1976. Ms. Rafferty has also served since 2008 as chairwoman of NYC & Company, the City’s official tourism and marketing agency. In addition, Ms. Rafferty is a member of the board of directors of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. In 2012, she received the New York University Lewis Rudin Award for Exemplary Service to New York City, and was named one of New York’s 100 most influential women by Crain’s New York Business between 2009 and 2013.
Rafferty provided an update on the Smithsonian Women’s Museum in Washington D.C. at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 and spoke about constructing the Women’s History Museum at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017.
Amir Peretz
Amir Peretz
Israeli Politician
Amir Peretz was the former defense minister of Israel and former leader of the Labor Party. He left both posts in 2007 after failing to win reelection as Chairman of the Labor Party. Peretz also served as Defense Minister when the second Lebanon War broke out between Israel and Lebanon.
In 1988, Peretz was elected a member of the Knesset, where he continues to be a member. In 1994, he was the head of the powerful Histadrut union federation. During this time, Peretz was cooperative with the government in a series of structural and financial reforms that moved Israel towards a more market-oriented economy. In 1999, Peretz resigned from the Labor Party and formed his own party, One Nation. The party was successful, winning two seats in the Knesset in the 1999 elections and three in 2003. As Israel’s social programs became dismantled by market-oriented reforms, Peretz became popular with Israel’s working class, leading to the merger of One Nation and Labor.
Peretz was hosted by The Common Good in 2011: Middle East Briefing with Amir Peretz.
Twitter: @amirperetz
Chemi Peres
Chemi Peres
Managing General Partner and Co-Founder of Pitango
Chemi Peres is a Managing General Partner and Co-Founder of Pitango. In 1992, he founded the Mofet Israel Technology Fund, an Israeli venture capital fund publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Prior to Mofet, Chemi held managerial positions at Decision Systems Israel (DSI). Chemi also served as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force for 10 years.
He currently serves on the boards of numerous Pitango portfolio companies. Chemi also serves as a board member in several non-for-profit organizations. He is chairman of the Peres center for Peace, board member at Social Finance Israel and serves on the board of Governors of The Jewish Diaspora Museum.
Peres spoke at The Common Good in 2017: "No Room for Small Dreams: Courage, Imagination and the Making of Modern Israel".
Twitter: @chemiperes
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
TCG OPINION - From the Desk of the CEO
We will miss a remarkable—indeed, singular—leader in Congress. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that she will not seek reelection for her seat representing San Francisco.
The first woman to rise to the position of Speaker of the House, Pelosi is considered by many to be one of the most effective Speakers in U.S. history. (Just ask opponents like Newt Gingrich).. With boundless energy, careful strategic maneuvering, a deep understanding of her caucus, her constituents, her foes, and the pulse of the nation, Nancy Pelosi was a commanding leader like no other in recent history - who could rule with deep wells of civility and grace, despite often vicious and unrelenting attacks from opponents.
Pelosi never shied away from wearing lipstick, feminine power suits, or high heels, and, even after she entered her 80’s, she showed women that they, too, have an important place at the table, as she brought her empowerment message to women in her books and in her consequential tenure as the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House.
The Common Good was proud to recognize her achievements with our American Spirit Award—and they were legion. Over her 39 years in Congress, she helped to bring the landmark Affordable Care Act across the finish line, allowing millions of Americans access to health care too long denied them, weighed in with humanity on the HIV/AIDS crisis and the legalization of gay marriage, and was instrumental in climate change legislation and infrastructure programs. Her major votes included opposing President George W. Bush’s Iraq war and also presiding over historic battles—such as the bipartisan House Committee that investigated the January 6 storming of the House, intent on stopping the certification of the 2020 election, and the rare impeachment of the President.
These events were all set against growing polarization and now political violence caused by an increase in divisive and threatening rhetoric, phony conspiracy theories, and misinformation. Yet Pelosi persisted even after her husband was brutally attacked in their home in the Bay Area.
We trust that Pelosi will continue to be a voice of decency, needed change, and hope for a better America. We need her now more than ever.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
U.S. Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 1987, winning a special election of California’s 8th district. As a member of the House of Representatives, she has served on the Appropriations Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In 2002, Pelosi was selected to be the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, making her the first woman in history earn the honor. Four years later, she again broke new ground for women in U.S. politics. After the Democrats won majorities in both the House and the Senate in the 2006 midterm elections, Pelosi was chosen to become the first woman to take the post of speaker of the House.
As the leader of the Democratic Party in the House under a Republican president, Pelosi was a vocal critic of President George W. Bush’s stance on the war in Iraq and advocated for the withdrawal of troops from the region. Pelosi remained House speaker until November 2010, when Republicans gained control of the House and elected John Boehner to the role, relegating Pelosi to minority leader. After Democrats reclaimed control of the House in the 2018 midterms, Pelosi was once again elected House speaker at the beginning of 2019, placing her on the front line in the battle with President Donald Trump over his demand for $5.7 billion for a wall spanning the U.S.-Mexico border. The stalemate turned into a contentious 35-day government shutdown, with the speaker drawing most of the president’s ire for her control over congressional funding. However, shortly after Pelosi effectively canceled the traditional State of the Union address, scheduled for January 29, President Trump agreed to temporarily reopen the government.
Speaker Pelosi was hosted by The Common Good in 2012: House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Twitter: @NancyPelosi
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Senator Gary Peters
Senator Gary Peters
Politician, businessman
Elected in 2014, Senator Gary Peters represents the State of Michigan in the U.S. Senate. In the U.S. Senate, Peters’ top priority is to continue supporting job creation and economic growth to strengthen small businesses and the middle class. Senator Peters is committed to working with members of both parties to find commonsense, practical and bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing Michigan and our nation.
Senator Peters began his public service as a Rochester Hills City Councilman in 1991. In 1994, Peters was elected to the Michigan State Senate where he represented communities in Oakland County. Peters later served as the Michigan State Lottery Commissioner where he generated a record amount of funding for our public schools. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. In Congress, Senator Peters has led efforts to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary spending, and is continually working to responsibly reduce the deficit.
In the 114th Congress, Senator Peters serves on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Homeland Security and Government Reform Committee, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Joint Economic Committee.
Twitter: @SenGaryPeters
Sharon Patrick
Sharon Patrick
Founder of McKinsey’s Media and Entertainment Practice
Sharon graduated from Stanford and Harvard Business School and founded McKinsey’s Media and Entertainment Practice. She was elected as the Firm’s third woman Partner, and then became President of Cablevision’s cable programming company, creating and leading networks like AMC, Bravo, and Sports Channels. She eventually founded her own entrepreneurial company, The Sharon Patrick Company, and then co-founded Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Sharon designed MSO’s business model, led its highly successful IPO, and went on to become the Company’s President and CEO.
Today, Sharon is deeply interested in philanthropy. She is involved in ecology and animal protection, cultural arts, inner city education, and politics.
Patrick presented the Changemaker Scholarships to Jamie Margolin and Alexandria Villaseñor at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019.
Representative Adam Schiff
representative Adam Schiff
U.S. Representative for California's 28th congressional district
Congressman Adam Schiff represents California's 28th Congressional District. Schiff currently serves as the Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
In addition to his committee work, Schiff has been fighting to enact tax relief for small businesses, to assist them with access to capital, and to remove burdensome regulations. Schiff has also been a leader on national security and foreign policy efforts in Congress, and has pushed for a broader strategy that emphasizes diplomacy, intelligence reform, and efforts to stabilize countries that are at risk of becoming future failed states.
Congressman Schiff has emerged as one of the most consequential members with leadership on many issues. He now serves on the House Select Committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol tasked with discovering facts, circumstances and causes of the attack.
Prior to serving in the House of Representatives, Schiff completed a four-year term as State Senator for California's 21st State Senate District, chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Select Committee on Juvenile Justice and the Joint Committee on the Arts. During his time in Sacramento, he led legislative efforts to guarantee up-to-date textbooks in the classroom, overhaul child support, and pass a patient's bill of rights. Before serving in the Legislature, Schiff served with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles for six years, most notably prosecuting the first FBI agent ever to be indicted for espionage.
On January 05, 2022, Adam Schiff participated in January 6th Capitol Attack: One Year Later
Twitter: @RepAdamSchiff
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David A. Paterson
Governor David A. Paterson
55th Governor of New York
David Paterson served as New York’s 55th Governor from 2008 to 2010 following the resignation of former Governor Eliot Spitzer. During his tenure as Governor, Paterson is credited for drawing attention to New York’s fiscal woes, stretching the budget-drafting powers of his office, and enacting sweeping reforms on a wide range of issues facing New Yorkers.
In 1985, at the age of 31, David A. Paterson was elected to represent Harlem in the New York State Senate, becoming the youngest Senator in Albany at the time. In 2003, he became the first non-white legislative leader in New York’s history when he was elevated to Minority Leader of the Senate. The former Governor, who is legally blind, made history again in 2004 when he became the first visually impaired person to address the Democratic National Convention, and again in 2007 when he became New York’s first African-American Lieutenant Governor. As Lieutenant Governor, he led the charge on several crucial issues for New York’s future including achieving legislation for stem cell research, working to prevent domestic violence, putting forth a statewide renewable energy strategy and championing the expansion of minority and women owned businesses in New York. The former Governor led the movement to create permanent reforms to health care in New York State, successfully negotiated an MTA bailout plan, and introduced landmark legislation to end legal discrimination against same-sex couples in New York.
Paterson was hosted by The Common Good in 2010: Leadership Series: David Paterson on New York Past and Present.
Twitter: @NYGovPaterson55
Kevin Phillips
Kevin Phillips
Writer
Kevin Phillips is an American writer and commentator on politics, economics, and history. Formerly a Republican Party strategist, Kevin Phillips has become disaffected with his former party over the last two decades, and is now one of its most scathing critics. He is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio, and is a political analyst on PBS’ NOW with Bill Moyers.
Phillips was a strategist on voting patterns for Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign, which was the basis for his book, The Emerging Republican Majority. It predicted a conservative realignment in national politics and is widely regarded as one of the most influential recent works in political science. Phillips also was partly responsible for the design of the Republican “Southern strategy” of the 1970’s and 1980’s.
His book, Bad Money, examines America’s great shift from manufacturing to financial services. He also discusses America’s petroleum policies and the tying of the dollar to the price of oil.
Phillips was hosted by The Common Good in 2008 for a Meet & Greet.
Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt
Businessman
In his time at Google in 2001, Eric Schmidt helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology.
From 2001 to 2011, Eric served as Google’s chief executive officer, overseeing the company’s technical and business strategy alongside founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Under his leadership, Google dramatically scaled its infrastructure and diversified its product offerings while maintaining a strong culture of innovation. From 2011 to 2015, Schmidt served as Executive Chairman at Google. and then as Executive Chairman of Alphabet Inc. from 2015 to 2017.
Eric is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council in the U.K. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006 and inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as a fellow in 2007. He also chairs the board of the New America Foundation, and since 2008 has been a trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. In May 2012, Eric became a member of Khan Academy’s board of directors and the following year he joined the board of The Economist. In 2013, Eric and Jared Cohen co-authored The New York Times bestselling book, The New Digital Age: Transforming Nations, Businesses, and Our Lives. In September 2014, Eric published his second New York Times best-seller, How Google Works, which he and Jonathan Rosenberg wrote with Alan Eagle.
Schmidt was hosted by The Common Good in 2014 for a Meet & Greet.
Twitter: @ericschmidt
Wendy Pangburn
Wendy Pangburn
Seasoned Executive
Wendy S. Pangburn is an executive with over three decades of success in creating and implementing international and national programs and special projects. She also advises global clients on good governance, public relations and change management. Her particular leadership and expertise in nonprofit and association management has benefited not-for-profit organizations, as well as high profile individuals, and government, corporate and political entities.
Wendy Pangburn spoke on the progress of the Smithsonian Women’s Museum in Washington D.C. at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019.
Pete Peterson ✝
Peter Peterson ✝
Investment banker, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Peter George Peterson was the founder and chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to raising awareness of America’s long-term fiscal challenges and promoting solutions to ensure a better economic future. Prior to starting the Foundation, Peterson spent more than 50 years working in business and public service. In 1985, he co-founded The Blackstone Group, and over the next two decades he helped grow the firm into a global leader in alternative investments. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Peterson served as chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers and Lehman Brothers, Kuhn, Loeb Inc. Before working in Washington, Pete was Chairman and CEO of audio-visual equipment manufacturer Bell & Howell, and an executive at advertising firm McCann Erickson.
Peterson’s public service began in 1971, when President Richard Nixon named him Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs. One year later, he was named U.S. Secretary of Commerce. At that time, he also assumed the chairmanship of President Nixon’s National Commission on Productivity and was appointed U.S. Chairman of the U.S.-Soviet Commercial Commission. He again took on a public service role from 2000 to 2004, when he chaired the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
In addition to his work with the Foundation, Peterson was chairman emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, founding chairman of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, DC, and founding president of The Concord Coalition. Along with former U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow, he co-chaired the Conference Board Commission on Public Trust and Private Enterprise. He served as a director of numerous corporations and was the author of five books, including the best-selling Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It (2004) and his recently published memoir, The Education of an American Dreamer: How a Son of Greek Immigrants Learned His Way from a Nebraska Diner to Washington, Wall Street, and Beyond.
Peterson passed away at the age of 91 on March 20th, 2018.
He was hosted by The Common Good in 2008: The Crisis We Don't Like to Talk About.
Doug Schoen
Doug Schoen
Political analyst
Douglas Schoen is an American political analyst, pollster, author, and commentator. He is currently a political analyst for Fox News. Schoen partnered with political strategist Mark Penn and Michael Berland in the firm of Penn, Schoen & Berland.
Doug Schoen has been one of the most influential Democratic campaign consultants for over thirty years. A founding partner and principal strategist for Penn, Schoen & Berland, he is widely recognized as one of the co-inventors of overnight polling.
He has worked on the campaigns of many Democratic party candidates, including Ed Koch and Bill Clinton, as well as on behalf of corporate clients. He also worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and was a consultant for Jeff Greene in the 2010 Florida Senate election.
He is the author of multiple books, most recently publishing, The End of Democracy. He is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and various other newspaper and online publications. He is also a Fox News Contributor, making appearances on various news programs several times a week.
Schoen spoke at The Common Good in 2010: Election Insurrection: The Mid-Term Elections 2010.
Doug Schoen participated in Recap: Final Presidential Debate Panel on October 23, 2020. Schoen, Bitecofer and McFadden help unpacked what happened during the final Presidential debate.
Twitter: @DouglasEShoen
Alan Schwartz
Alan Schwartz
Businessman
Alan Schwartz joined Guggenheim Partners, a global, independent, and privately held financial services firm in June, 2009. Guggenheim Partners is a premier asset management and investment advisory firm with expertise in fixed income, equity, alternatives, and advisory solutions. Schwartz was previously Chief Executive Officer of The Bear Stearns Companies. During his career with Bear Stearns, he also served as President and Chief Operating Officer, and Head of Investment Banking. He previously worked in various capacities with Wertheim & Company and R.W. Pressprich & Company.
Alan Schwartz is a member of the boards of the Robin Hood Foundation, Marvin and Palmer, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, American Foundation for AIDS Research, NYU Langone Medical Center, Clinton Health Access Initiative and Madison Square Garden.
Schwartz spoke alongside Stephanie Ruhle in “Growing a Fair Economy” at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, 2019 on May 10th, 2019, and spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016. Schwartz also moderated the History in the Making: Post-Election Panel 2016 with Carl Bernstein, Kellyanne Conway, and Governor William Weld.
Brian Schweitzer
governor Brian Schweitzer
23rd Governor of Montana
Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician who was the 23rd Governor of Montana between January 2005 and 2013. Schweitzer had one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60 percent. Schweitzer also chaired the Western Governors Association, chaired the Democratic Governors Association, and served as President of the Council of State Governments in 2011.
The same year Schweitzer completed his term as Montana Governor he was named to the board of directors of Stillwater Mining Company on May 2, and was subsequently chosen as non-executive Chairman on May 17, 2013.
Schweitzer was hosted by The Common Good in 2006 for a Meet & Greet.
Twitter: @brianschweitzer
Sally Quinn
Sally Quinn
Washington Post journalist, columnist, television commentator
Sally Quinn is a longtime Washington Post journalist, columnist, television commentator, Washington insider, and founder of the religious website On Faith from the Washington Post. She writes for various publications and is the author of The Party: A Guide to Adventurous Entertaining, Regrets Only, Happy Endings, Finding Magic: A spiritual memoir and We’re Going to Make You a Star, a memoir based on her experience as the first female network anchor in the United States. She lives in Washington, DC.
Quinn 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 Kay Koplovitz, moderated by Juju Chang.
Twitter: @sallyquinndc
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Kathleen Sebelius has been a leader on health care, family and seniors issues for over 20 years. Currently, Sebelius is the CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC and engages in policy work with the Kaiser Family Fund and co-leads the Health Strategy Group for the Aspen Institute.
While leading the Department of Health and Human Services under President Barak Obama, Secretary Sebelius guided the implementation of the historic Affordable Care Act. She was also at the forefront of the Obama Administration’s efforts to build a 21st century health care system, from putting a new focus on prevention to promoting electronic health records to expanding the primary care workforce. Under her leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services has also played a leading role in meeting some of the country’s biggest challenges of the last two years, providing critical support to families during the economic downturn and coordinating the U.S. government response to the H1N1 flu. With partners across the Cabinet, she has launched new efforts to make government work better for the American people, joining with Attorney General Holder to crack down on health care fraud, working with Secretary Vilsack to build a 21st century food safety system, and collaborating with Secretary Duncan to raise the quality of early childhood education.
Before joining the Obama Administration, Secretary Sebelius served as Governor of Kansas, where she was named one of Time Magazine’s Top Five Governors, and Kansas Insurance Commissioner, where Governing Magazine selected her as their Public Official of the Year.
Secretary Sebelius was hosted by The Common Good in 2006 for a Meet & Greet.
Twitter: @SecSebelius