Stanley Greenberg
Stanley Greenberg
Political Strategist
Stanley Greenberg is a New York Times best-selling author and polling adviser to presidents, prime ministers and CEOs globally and right now, is conducting deep research in multiple countries. He was the senior pollster for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and President Nelson Mandela. Greenberg's corporate clients include Boeing, BP, Microsoft, and other global companies.
He has been described as "the father of modern polling techniques," "the De Niro of all political consultants," and "an unrivaled international 'guru.'" Esquire Magazine named him one of the most important people of the 21st century. Republican pollster Frank Luntz says, "Stan Greenberg scares the hell out of me. He doesn't just have a finger on the people's pulse; he's got an IV injected into it. He's the best."
Greenger participated in the Post Vice Presidential Debate Panel on October 8, 2020. Greenberg was joined by Setmayer, Rosen and Percio to have an incredible conversation and to analyze the historic evening.
Ret. Colonel Christopher Kolenda
Christopher Kolenda
Retired Army Colonel
Ret. Colonel Christopher Kolenda recently served as the Senior Advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan to Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy, and three 4* Generals in Afghanistan. He was decorated with the Department of Defense’s highest civilian award for his work on strategy. In 2007-08, he commanded an 800-soldier task force in Kunar and Nuristan provinces where he pioneered an innovative approach to counterinsurgency in one of the most violent areas of the country. His unit is the only one in the history of the war to have motivated a large insurgent group to stop fighting and join the government. His advice has been adopted by three Secretaries of Defense and the President of the United States. He was selected to be the Secretary of Defense’s representative in exploratory talks with the Taliban from 2010-2013. He is the only American to have fought the Taliban in combat and engaged them in high-level diplomacy.
He is the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, which helps nonprofits and small businesses maximize their impact by developing their Leadership, Culture, and Strategy. He is the editor and coauthor of Leadership: The Warrior's Art, which has appeared on the professional reading lists of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. His most recent book, The Counterinsurgency Challenge, maps the journey of a leader in a difficult and dangerous conflict.
On September 16, 2020 Ret. Colonel Christopher Koldenda participated in “Longest War - How Do We End It? Koldenda and Johnson discuss the impact of the war, how it can be ended, and recent events with our military that have made headlines.
Honorary Advisory Board Member: Jeh Johnson
Secretary Jen Johnson
Jeh Johnson’s distinguished career has included both private corporate law practice and top-level public service for two Presidents.
In his public career, he has served in President Obama’s Cabinet as Secretary of Homeland Security, and in senior positions in the Department of Defense, the Air Force, and the US Attorney’s office. Johnson was drawn to public service by his belief in government as a source of good, by his faith in the character and people of the nation, and by his family’s strong history of community leadership.
In the private sector, Johnson is a trial lawyer who has tried some of the highest stakes commercial cases of recent decades. He is a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.
“A straightforward, plain-speaking man of great integrity” - Robert Gates
President Barack Obama and Secretary Jeh Johnson
Johnson was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by President Obama in 2013 and served through 2017. In this role, he led one of the largest and most complex agencies in the U.S. government with a workforce of over 200,000 employees and responsibilities including counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, border, aviation, port, and maritime security, the protection of national leaders and critical infrastructure, national response to disasters, and the detection of chemical, biological and nuclear threats to the United States.
Johnson speaks at his Alma Mater, Morehouse College
He is credited with management reform of the Department which brought a centralized approach to decision making, and for raising employee morale across the agency. During his tenure Johnson oversaw the DHS response to such challenges as the Ebola crisis in West Africa; the huge influx of immigrants and asylum seekers from Central America; and the Obama Administration's executive actions affecting undocumented individuals living in the U.S.
When Johnson testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security in 2014, he did so in the same room on Capitol Hill where his grandfather was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1949. Accused of being a member of the Communist party, the prominent black sociologist Dr. Charles Johnson told Congress “wanting the elimination of inequalities and racial discrimination is not wanting to subvert the government.”
Prior to his appointment to the DHS, Johnson served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 to 2012, where he was the legal architect for the military’s counterterrorism efforts in the Obama Administration and was responsible for the legal approval for every military operation authorized by the President and the Secretary of Defense. He was also heavily involved in the reform of military commissions, and shaped the administration’s polices on the detention of terrorism suspects.
In 2010, he co-authored a 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law which had prevented members of the LGBT+ community from serving openly in the military. In 2012, he delivered an internationally acclaimed address at the Oxford Union, entitled “How Will the War Against al Qaeda End?”, in which he looked ahead to a moment when the terrorist organization was so diminished that the United States could relax its military posture.
Johnson speaking at the Islamic Society of North America convention in Chicago in September 2016
Johnson began his public career as the Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted public corruption cases. He tried 12 cases and argued 11 appeals in three years. President Clinton appointed Johnson to be General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force in 1998, where his tenure coincided with Operation Allied Force, NATO’s air strikes during the Kosovo War. He was awarded the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service for his efforts, one of three medals awarded to him by the Department of Defense.
Johnson with two members of the TSA
In private practice, Johnson is a partner in the Litigation Department of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, having become the firm’s first African American partner in 1994. Johnson previously chaired the Judiciary Committee of the New York City Bar Association, which rates and approves federal, state, and local judges in New York City. In 2020, New York State’s Chief Judge appointed Johnson to assess equal justice in the state court system; Johnson issued a 100-page public report on the issue, with the Chief Judge adopting all of his proposed changes.
Johnson received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College, and his law degree from Columbia Law School. He has received eleven honorary degrees.
He is a member of the board of directors of Lockheed Martin and U.S. Steel, a trustee of Columbia University, member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Law Institute.
Johnson is a regular commentator on national issues on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, PBS, FOX, and numerous other outlets. His op-eds have been published in op-eds the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Hill. Since leaving government, he has also been called to testify before Congress five times on the subjects of cybersecurity, homeland security and national security
Johnson in his high school yearbook
TCG is thrilled to have been able to show Johnson’s terrific campaign bumper sticker collection on our Zooms. We’re hoping to catch a glimpse of his extensive train set collection.
Johnson, John Kerry, and TCG’s Patricia Duff at The Common Good Forum 2017
Johnson participated at The Common Good Forum 2017 on May 12, 2017, speaking on “Homeland Security in the Trump Years”. He also spoke alongside Representative Adam Schiff in The Russia Investigation with Congressman Adam Schiff and Secretary Jeh Johnson, and moderated a conversation at The Common Good with Michael Morell in 2018: Special Discussion with Michael Morell - March 1, 2018.
On September 16, 2020 Secretary Jeh Johnson participated in “Longest War - How Do We End It? Chris Kolenda and Johnson discuss the impact of the war, how it can be ended, and recent events with our military that have made headlines.
Johnson currently serves as a member ofThe Common Good Honorary Advisory Board.
Selected Media:
Johnson for The Hill Stop the political blame game, so we can solve our crisis first
Johnson for The Hill Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was one of many warnings — but are we listening now?
New York Times on Johnson’s 2020 report: ‘Vile, Racist Postings’ by N.Y. Court Officers Included Obama in a Noose
Johnson for The Washington Post: Trump-era politics are drowning out consensus on immigration. It’s time for some straight talk.
Johnson for The Washington Post: Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ border policy is immoral, un-American — and ineffective
A Conversation with Jeh Johnson (2019 NPR interview)
The Frontline Interview: Jeh Johnson 2018 interview on Frontline
Future of Risk: Jeh Johnson - Podcast on the Future of Risk with Johnson
Johnson with Representative Adam Schiff and Patricia Duff at The Common Good,
Johnson with former Deputy Director of the CIA, Michael J. Morell at The Common Good
Tom Frieden
Tom Frieden
Infectious Disease Expert & Public Health Physician
Dr. Tom Frieden, MD, MPH served as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Commissioner of the New York City Health Department.
As Director, he led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) work that ended the Ebola epidemic, launched initiative that will prevent 500,000 heart attacks and strokes, sounded the alarm and accelerated progress addressing the epidemic of opioid use, and increased effective action on the front lines to find and fight winnable battles and protect and improve health in the United States and around the world.
As Health Commissioner, he led health transformation in New York City which increased life expectancy by 3 years. He created plans to combat HIV and increased tobacco control resulting in the saving of countless lives.
He currently serves as President and CEO of Resolve To Save Lives which aims to prevent epidemics and save 100 million people from cardiovascular disease.
Frieden participated in the event COVID-19: Then, Now and What’s To Come moderated by HHS Deputy Asst Secretary for Health Rear Admiral (ret) Susan Blumenthal, MD on Oct. 14, 2020.
Articles by Frieden:
How to Defeat Trump's Plan to Overturn the Election
Amid Trump's Post-Election Chaos, Hold Lawyers to Account
How Trump Could Lose the Election — And Still Remain President
Daniel Lucey
Daniel Lucey
American physician & researcher
Daniel Lucey MD, MPH graduated from Dartmouth College and Medical School, completed Internal Medicine Residency at UC San Francisco 1982-1985, and an Infectious Disease Fellowship and Masters in Public Health (MPH) in 1988 at Harvard.
He worked in the US Public Health Service for five years at the NIH and FDA. Since 2003 he has travelled overseas every year, mostly to Asia and Africa, to meet with colleagues involved with outbreaks of infectious diseases e.g., SARS, H5N1 avian flu, pandemic H1N1 human flu, Nipah virus, anthrax, MERS, H7N9 avian flu, and Ebola (in Sierra Leone and Liberia).
In 2014 he joined the O’Neill Institute as a Senior Scholar. Since 2004 he has taught a course on Global Emerging Infectious Diseases at GUMC and organized cross-campus symposia on infectious diseases at the Medical Center and School of Foreign Service. His proposal to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History was recently approved for development of an exhibition on Global Zoonotic Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Lucey participated in the event COVID-19: Then, Now and What’s To Comemoderated by HHS Deputy Asst Secretary for Health Rear Admiral (ret) Susan Blumenthal, MD on Oct. 14, 2020.
Doug Sosnik
Doug Sosnik
Policy & Political Expert
Doug Sosnick served as a senior advisor to President Clinton from 1994 to 2000, playing a key role in policy, strategy, political and communications decisions in the White House; his titles included Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy, White House Political Director and Deputy Legislative Director. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Sosnik was the chief of staff for Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, and later worked with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Mr. Sosnik currently advises elected officials, corporations, foundations, universities, nonprofits and philanthropists on strategic planning and crisis management. Clients include the National Basketball Association, the Motion Picture Association of America and CNBC, as well as advised over 50 U.S. Senators and governors.
Doug co-authored a New York Times bestseller, Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community.
Sosnick joined TCG on September 30 for The First Presidential Debate Panel alongside John Avlon and Ed Rollins.
Clyde Haberman
Clyde Haberman
American Journalist
Clyde Haberman has served as a journalist with The New York Times since 1977. His assignments included staff editor of The Week in Review; Metro reporter; City Hall bureau chief; and foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Rome, and bureau chief in Jerusalem. He is known and received tremendous praise for his coverage of the Attica prison rebellion, the fall of Ferdinand Marcos, the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the 1993 Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinians, the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the rise of Islamic terrorism in the Middle East.
He was part of a Times team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News, awarded for coverage of the prostitution scandal that led to Eliot Spitzer's resignation as New York governor. He continues to be a NYT columnist and writes the Retro Report essays for The New York Times.
Clyde Haberman moderated our event, The White Working-Class Political Revolution with David Kuhn, Charlie Cook, and Jim Webb on January 7, 2021. Kuhn, Webb, Cook, and Haberman discussed how the white working-class was driven away from the Democratic party and towards Republicans and how that schism continues to drive class conflict and political polarization today. The discussion also broached the Democrats inability to make inroads with this demographic and if white working-class voters support Republicans in spite of their own policy preferences.
Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook
Political Analyst and Election Forecastor
Charlie Cook is considered one of the nation’s leading authorities on American politics and U.S. elections. He is the editor and publisher of the Cook Political Report which serves as one of the leading sites and informational platforms for election predictions and results in the United States. He is also a political analyst for NBC News and National Journal.
Since the 1984 US presidential election, Cook has provided election night commentary for various television networks. The Wall Street Journal has referred to Cook as “the Picasso of election analysis” and the Washington Post has called him "perhaps the best non-partisan tracker of Congressional races.”
In 2010, Charlie was the co-recipient of the American Political Science Association’s prestigious Carey McWilliams award to honor “a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics."
Charlie Cook has participated in The 2020 Post Election Round Up with Al Franken, Rick Wilson, and Jonathan Capehart on November 10, 2020. He also participated in The White Working-Class Political Revolution with David Kuhn, Jim Webb, and moderator Clyde Haberman on January 7, 2021. Kuhn, Webb, Cook, and Haberman discussed how the white working-class was driven away from the Democratic party and towards Republicans and how that schism continues to drive class conflict and political polarization today. The discussion also broached the Democrats inability to make inroads with this demographic and if white working-class voters support Republicans in spite of their own policy preferences.
Anita Dunn
Anita Dunn
Anita Dunn is one of the nation’s most highly regarded communications strategists, bringing decades of experience to bear for political, corporate, nonprofit and advocacy clients. Her sharp messaging and innovative approach to navigating complex issues and crises have won campaigns for a wide range of clients. A leading expert on message delivery, Anita has managed presidential debate preparations and has media- and message-trained dozens of political candidates and Fortune 100 executives.
As White House communications director and senior adviser to President Obama’s presidential campaigns, Anita directed conventional and new media communications strategies, as well as research, speechwriting, television booking, presidential events and cabinet affairs press.
Anita is Managing Director at SKDKnickerbocker. The influential Holmes Report named SKDK as the North America Public Affairs Agency of the Year in 2019, following wins in 2018, 2015 and 2016, as well as Global Public Affairs Agency of the year in 2016. SKDK also won the 2017 Sabre Award for Crisis Management and PR Agency Elite award for work with Nonprofits and Associations from PR News in 2016.
Michael Schmidt
Michael Schmidt
Michael S. Schmidt is an American journalist, author, and correspondent for The New York Times in Washington, D.C. and national security contributor for MSNBC and NBC News. He covers national security and federal law enforcement and has broken several high-profile stories. The Pulitzer-winning reporter broke news of Hillary Clinton’s use of personal email while secretary of state, and of James Comey authoring a memo that detailed the president ordering him to end the FBI investigation of Gen Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser.
All of these are detailed in his most recent book Donald Trump V. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President. Schmidt dives in to his experiences having that he describes as a “front row seat” as these pinnacle events came to fruition. This New York Time Bestseller offers one more startling dissections of the Trump presidency.
Schmitt discussed his impromptu interview with President Donald Trump on the Late Night Show with Seth Meyers. Describing his interview with President Trump like “unzipping fog” as he unpacks with Meyers the experience. He details the extent of the work and how quickly he had to maneuver to keep up with the constant stream of news coming out day by day.
Michael Schmidt’s vast knowledge of the Trump presidency makes him an ideal panelist to discuss the highs and lows of the Final Presidential Debate. Join The Common Good Friday, October 23rd, 12:00pm EST to for a recap and discussion on the debate. Get your questions answered by Schmidt and our other expert panelists. Click the button to RSVP!
Rachel Bitecofer, PhD.
Rachel Bitecofer
Rachel Bitecofer is an ace election forecaster and the founder of The Cycle a digital platform for news and politics. Forecaster, election analyst, pollster, and all-around data girl, Dr. Bitecofer is one of the most accurate, and exciting, experts in today's political arena. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, and other major media outlets.
Bitecofer was nationally recognized for predicting the results of the 2018 United States midterm elections more closely than most other forecasters. She first predicted that Democrats would pick up 42 seats in the House of Representatives in September 2018, revising her forecast to 45 seats in November, just days before the election even as others were revising their estimates downwards. Democrats ultimately gained 41 seats in the House election, making her prediction one of the most accurate of that cycle. However, there were some errors in her Senate election forecast, where she incorrectly predicted that Democrat Bill Nelson would win reelection in Florida.
Dubbed the Election Whisperer, Bitecofer’s expertise in analysis and prediction has everyone coming to her for the inside scoop on what to expect before the election. Check out her interview on Real Time with Bill Maher where they discuss how she is able to make such accurate predictions and doing so in a hyper-polarized climate.
Bitecofer is also an author of The Unprecedented 2016 Presidential Election. This book explains the 2016 presidential election through a strategic focus. In the primaries both parties faced challenges from insurgent outsiders riding waves of populist fervor in the electorate, but only the Democrats were able to steer the nomination into the hands of their establishment favorite.
Dr. Bitecofer is famous for her main thesis that modern elections are not decided by the swing vote, but rather negative partisanship, which prioritizes defeating the other side over any specific policy objective. Under her theory, shifts in voter turnout decide everything, and the "swing" mainly comes from whether voters decide to vote at all rather than deciding who to vote for.
Rachel Bitecofer participated in Recap: Final Presidential Debate Panel on October 23, 2020. Bitecofer, Schoen and McFadden help unpacked what happened during the final Presidential debate.
Ambassador Jane Hartley
Ambassador Jane Hartley
Former U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco
Jane Hartley served as Ambassador to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco from 2014 – 2017 during some of the most difficult times for France. She was confirmed to both posts by the U.S. Senate in September 2014.
Previously, Jane Hartley was Chief Executive Officer and a Founding Principal of Observatory Group, an international economic and political advisory firm providing analysis of key government policies affecting the global capital markets. Before founding the Observatory Group, Ms. Hartley was Chief Executive Officer of the G7 Group. As CEO, Ms. Hartley built G7 Group into a premier research firm providing macroeconomic and political analysis to investors in the global market. The G7 Group put together a network of global policymakers and distributed analysis to most of the major central bankers and finance ministers as well as major financial institutions.
Jane currently serves as a member of the Visiting Committee at the Kennedy School at Harvard University as well as the Executive Committee and the Dean’s Council. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Jane is a member of the Board of Overseers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sesame Workshop (Sesame Street) and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Center for American Progress.
Jane Hartley participated in U.S. - French Relations, on March 10 2021.
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson
Author, Politician & Spiritual Leader
Marianne Williamson is an accomplished author, activist and spiritual leader who formerly pursued the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States. Her campaign focused on the search for higher wisdom where she wanted to create a new political possibility in America — one where citizens awaken, and democracy could once more become a thing about which we can all feel proud.
Ms. Williamson has published 12 books throughout her career. Of these 12 books, 7 have made the New York Times bestseller list while four have reached #1 bestselling status. Some of her works include A Return to Love, A Year of Miracles, The Law of Divine Compensation and Politics of Love.
On top of her successful writing, Ms. Williamson has a long career in activism. In 1989, she founded Project Angel Food which has served over 11 million meals to homebound individuals affected by the AIDS disease in the Los Angeles area. Project Angel Food now serves 1,200 meals a day to people. Ms.Williamson was honored at this year’s Angel Awards and had celebrated its 25th anniversary by honoring their founding team.
Ms. Williamson headlined a Meet & Greet on October 18, 2019.
Twitter: @marwilliamson
Ambassador Robert Ford
Ambassador Robert Ford
Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria
Robert Ford finished a thirty year career with the U.S. Department of State in April 2014. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Syria from 2011-2014, receiving the Profile in Courage award in 2012 from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston for his human rights work, and a Presidential Honor award in 2012 for his stewardship of the American Embassy in Damascus during a crisis period. He was also presented with the Distinguished Service award, the State Department’s highest award, by Secretary of State John Kerry in March 2014. Ford was the U.S. Ambassador in Algeria 2006-2008 and also served five years in Iraq helping the Iraqis establish their permanent government through three rounds of elections.
He is now a scholar at the Middle East Institute where he writes and speaks about Iraq, Syria and North Africa. He is also a fellow at Yale University Jackson Institute where he teaches about Arab politics and diplomacy.
Ambassador Ford spoke at The Common Good in 2017: Syrian Civil War: End in Sight? : Ambassador Robert Ford. We are thrilled to announce Ambassador Ford joined The Common Good in Conference Call with Ambassador Robert Ford-- Syria, he briefed us on the withdrawal of the US troops in Syria. Twitter: @fordrs58
John Avlon
John Avlon
Author, columnist, commentator
John Avlon is an author, columnist and commentator. He is a senior political analyst and anchor at CNN, appearing on New Day every morning.
From 2013 to 2018, he was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast. He is the author of the books Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics, Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America, and Washington’s Farewell: the Founding Father’s Warning to Future Generations. He is also the co-editor of the acclaimed Deadline Artists journalism anthologies. Avlon served as chief speechwriter to New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and, in 2012, won the National Society of Newspaper Columnists award for best online column. Avlon is currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln.
John Avlon spoke at The Common Good in 2018: Defending Democracy: John Avlon, Philip Bobbitt, Ian Kahn, Garry Kasparov, and Bret Stephens - November 29th, 2018, and moderated the panel “Rule of Law, Corruption, and Abuse of Power” featuring Bill Browder and Preet Bharara at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards - May 10, 2019. Avlon was also a co-speaker at our The Rise of Lincoln & U.S. Division with author Sidney Blumenthal on September 24, 2019.
Avlon joined TCG again on September 30, 2020 for The First Presidential Debate Panel alongside Ed Rollins and Doug Sosnick. The panelists reviewed and analyzed the highs and lows of the face-off between the Democrat (Biden) and the Republican (Trump) nominees and how the debate may affect each ticket’s election fortunes.
Sidney Blumenthal
Sidney Blumenthal
Journalist, Activist, Writer & Political Aide
Sidney Stone Blumenthal is an American journalist, activist, writer, and political aide.
He is a former aide to President Bill Clinton; a long-time confidant of Hillary Clinton, formerly employed by the Clinton Foundation; and a journalist, especially on American politics and foreign policy. Blumenthal is also the author of a multivolume biography of Abraham Lincoln, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln. Two books of the planned four-volume series are available now: A Self-Made Man and Wrestling With His Angel. Subsequent volumes were planned for 2018 and 2019.
Blumenthal has written for several publications, including the Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and the New Yorker, and was Washington, D.C., bureau chief for Salon.com, for which he has written over 1800 pieces online. He is a regular contributor to openDemocracy.net and was a regular columnist for The Guardian. After 2000, he published several essays critical of the administration of President George W. Bush.
Blumenthal was a key speaker at our The Rise of Lincoln & US Divisions discussion event with co-speaker John Avlon on September 24, 2019.
George W. Bush
President George W. Bush
43rd President of the United States
George Walker Bush served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009.
Prior to being the 43rd president, George W. Bush served as the governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. During his time as the 43rd President, George Bush was noted for the Bush Doctrine, broad tax cuts, the Patriot Act, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, Medicare amendments, and an AIDS relief program.
Following his time at the White House, Bush authored Decision Points in 2010, later releasing 41: A Portrait of My Father in 2014. George W. Bush currently devotes much of his time to art. In 2017, Bush released Portraits of Courage, a collection of his art work. President Bush partnered with Bill Clinton to establish the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund for relief and recovery efforts. President Bush also partnered with President Carter, President Obama, as well as his father to found One American Appeal, to assist in recovery efforts for Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria.
The Common Good hosted President George W. Bush at The Common Good Trip to Selma, Alabama on March 6, 2015.
Jehane Noujaim
Jehane Noujaim
Director
Jehane Noujaim is an Academy Award nominated director and one of two non-fiction directors to have won the Directors Guild Award twice. Her Oscar nominated film, The Square (2013), won the Audience Award both at Sundance and Toronto. Noujaim has produced and directed other award-winning films including Rafea: Solar Mama (2013), Control Room (2004) and Startup.com (2001). In 2006, Noujaim was awarded the TED prize which she used to create Pangea Day. Noujaim’s work has been nominated by the DGA, IDA, Independent Spirit and several Critics Association Awards. Noujaim’s most recent release was an animated feature, The Breadwinner (2017) which she executive produced with Angelina Jolie and which was nominated for a 2018 Academy Award.
Twitter:@JehaneNoujaim
Brittany Kaiser
Brittany Kaiser
Cambridge Analytica Whistle-Blower, Data Rights Advocate,
Brittany Kaiser is a former business development director for Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica collapsed after details of its misuse of Facebook data were revealed to have potentially impacted voting in the U.K and the U.S.. Kaiser testified about her involvement in the work of Cambridge Analytica before the U.K. Parliament and the Mueller Investigation.
She graduated from Phillips Academy Andover in 2005 then went on to study at the University of Edinburgh, the City University of Hong Kong, the University of London’s Birkbeck College, and earned certificates of study at the World Bank Institute and US Institute of Peace. She later obtained her Doctor of Philosophy from Middlesex University.
While she was studying in Scotland, Kaiser took time off to work on Barack Obama's media team during his presidential campaign in 2007. She also worked for Amnesty International as a lobbyist.
Between February 2015 and January 2018, Kaiser worked full time for the SCL Group, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, as director of business development. During her time at Cambridge Analytica, Kaiser worked under senior management, including CEO Alexander Nix. Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Kaiser fled to Thailand. She later testified before the British Parliament about Cambridge Analytica and privacy threats posed by Facebook.
Kaiser is the subject of a Netflix documentary titled The Great Hack, which is about her work with Cambridge Analytica.
In April 2018, Kaiser started a Facebook campaign appealing for transparency, called #OwnYourData, and co-founded the Digital Asset Trade Association: a non-profit which works to lobby the legislature. In August 2019, she started the Own Your Data Foundation.
Kaiser's memoir, Targeted: The Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower's Inside Story of How Big Data, Trump, and Facebook Broke Democracy and How It Can Happen Again, will be published by Harper in October 2019.
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Michael Wolff
Michael Wolff
American author
Michael Wolffe is an American journalist, author, columnist and internet entrepreneur. He’s the founder of the news aggregation website ‘Newser’. His books include Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House (2018) and Burn rate: How I survived the Gold Rush Years on the Internet (1998). He’s written columns for publications like The Hollywood Reporter and USA Today. Wolf was born on August 27, 1953 in Paterson, New Jersey. His father, Lewis, worked in advertising, while his mother, Marguerite, worked as a newspaper reporter. He attended Vassar College followed by Columbia University.
Wolff started out as a copy boy for The New York Times. His first article was published in Time magazine in 1974. It was a profile of Angela Atwood, one of the founding member of the Symbioses Liberation Army. Wolff later became a contributing writer for the news magazine ‘New Times’. The company ceased publication in 1979. Wolff released his first book ‘ White Kids’ in 1979. It was a collection of essays.
Wolff joined the management team at ‘Campaigns and Elections’ in 1988. Campaigns and Elections is a trade magazine based in Arlington, Virginia. Their areas of focus include political campaigns and political consulting. During his tenure, Wolff gave advise to the start-up magazine ‘Wired’. His book-packaging company ‘Michael Wolff & Company, Inc.’ was founded in 1991. Their early projects include the books ‘Where We Stand’ and ‘Net Guide’. The company attracted a handful of venture capital investment in 1995. It venture collapsed two years later and Wolff was ejected from the company.
Wolff’s first best seller ‘Burn Rate’ was published in 1998 by Simon & Schuster. He wrote a biography of Rupert Murdoch titled ‘The Man Who Owns the News (2006). His other published works include ‘Autumn of the Moguls’ (2003), ‘Television is the New Television’ (2015) and ‘Fire and Fury’ (2018). In addition to books, Wolff us a columnist editor of ‘Adweek’. He’s also written for The Industry Standard, Vanity Fair, USA Today and GQ (UK). Wolff launched the news aggregation website ‘Newser’ in 207. Their key staff include Patrick Spain (CEO), Kate Seamons (president), and Evan Gastaldo (Managing Editor).
Twitter: @MichaelWolffNYC
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