Jill Dougherty
Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Distinguished Visiting Professional, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington
Former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief
Molly McKew
Foreign Policy and Strategy Consultant, Information Warfare Expert and Writer
Kevin Ryan
Director, Defense and Intelligence Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Member, The US-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism
R. Nicholas Burns (Moderator)
Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations,
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Panelists Jill Dougherty, former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief, Molly McKew, Foreign Policy and Strategy Consultant, and Kevin Ryan, Director of the Belfer Center Defense and Intelligence Project, were joined by moderator R. Nicholas Burns, Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, for a discussion on the intersection of U.S. politics and Russia. The panelists addressed the possibility of Russian involvement in the 2016 election and speculated on the future of the U.S.-Russian relationship.

A public address by
Dr. Moncef Marzouki
Former President of Tunisia (2011-2014)

Moderated by
Tarek Masoud
Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations
Middle East Initiative Faculty Affiliate
Harvard Kennedy School

Former President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki was joined onstage by Professor of International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School Tarek Masoud to discuss the success and challenges of the Arab Spring uprisings in his home country of Tunisia. President Marzouki discussed the future of Arab democracy and prosperity, the role of Western Democracy in influencing the future path of Arab Democracy, and the relative causes of successful revolution within Tunisia. President Marzouki also answered questions from the audience regarding the coexistence of religion and democracy and the resiliency of future democracies in the Arab World.

A Public Address by African Development Conference Forum Keynote By
Folorunso Alakija
Nigerian Businesswoman and Entrepreneur
 

Nigerian businesswoman and entrepreneur Folorunso Alakija joined Moderator Farai Gundan onstage to deliver the keynote address for the African Policy Conference at the Harvard Kennedy School. Ms. Alakija spoke on both her personal experience as a businesswoman in Nigeria as well as the success and challenges faced by the African continent in advancing ideals of democracy and prosperity. Ms. Alakija also took questions from the audience relating to the political and economic relationship between African countries, the role of African citizens living abroad to help their home nations in Africa, and the immediate economic and political challenges and obstacles faced by the continent of Africa. 

David Armstrong
Senior Enterprise Reporter, STAT
Peter Shumlin
81st Governor, State of Vermont
Visiting Fellow, Institute of Politics, Spring 2017
Gil Kerlikowske
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (2014-2017)
Institute of Politics Resident Fellow, Spring 2017
Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy (2009-2014)
Sheila Burke (Moderator)
Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS
Faculty Research Fellow, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, HKS

Peter Shumlin, former Governor of Vermont, Gil Kerlikowske, former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and David Armstrong, Senior Enterprise Reporter for STAT, joined moderator Sheila Burke, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, for a discussion on the growing opioid epidemic affecting the United States. The Panelists discussed many facets of the problem, including its origins, the nature of the population affected most deeply by the crisis, and a myriad of public and private efforts to deliver assistance and help to those communities and people most affected by opioid addiction. Additionally, the panelists took questions from the audience regarding the changing demographics of addiction, the role of physicians and doctors in stemming addiction, and other solutions to a growing crisis. 

A Public Address by
Ashton B. Carter
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense

Graham Allison (Moderator)
Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School

Welcome by
Douglas Elmendorf
Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter joined Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Graham Allison for a conversation on Technology and Global Affairs. After a welcome from Dean of the Kennedy School Douglas Elmendorf, who announced the new appointment of Secretary Carter to replace Graham Allison as the new Director of the Belfer Center, Secretary Carter discussed his varied and changing roles within the D.o.D and his vision for the future of American Defense. The panelists also took questions from the audience regarding the integration of AI into the U.S. military, the changing composition of servicemen and women within the US military, and the future of cyber warfare and cyber defense.  

Arlie Hochschild
Author, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley
Archon Fung
Academic Dean and Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship, Harvard Kennedy School

Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley and author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right Arlie Hochschild joined Academic Dean and Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship at the Harvard Kennedy School Archon Fung in conversation at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. Professor Hochschild engaged in a truly fascinating conversation on the conservative, blue-collar experience in the South. In a spirit of empathy, Hochschild encouraged engagement and understanding in a larger attempt to find common ground between the majority of those at Harvard in the "liberal elite" and her new-found acquaintances in the Louisiana bayou region.

Graham Allison
Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School
Niall Ferguson
Senior Facutly Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Senior Fellow, Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Samantha Power
United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2013-2017)
Founding Executive Director, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
2003 Pulitzer Prize for “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide
Arne Westad (Moderator)
S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School

Moderator Arne Westad, S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, was joined onstage Wednesday night by Graham Allison, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Niall Ferguson, Senior Faculty Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the United Nations (2013-2017), to discuss the future of U.S-Chinese relations.

The panelists began by providing historical context for U.S-Chinese relations. referencing the theories of Thucydides as well as recent economic and military evolutions of the two countries. Finally, the panelists took questions from the audience regarding the changing dynamics of the two superpowers, the future of diplomatic negotiations, and the ramifications of Thucydides Trap and a potential security dilemma.

Jill Abramson
Former Executive Editor, The New York Times
Noah Oppenheim
President, NBC News   
Sacha Pfeiffer
Journalist, The Boston Globe
Pulitzer Prize-winning Investigative Journalist and Radio Host  
James Steyer
Founder & CEO, CommonSense.org 
Adjunct Professor, Stanford University
Richard Weissbourd
Senior Lecturer on Education and Faculty Director, Human Development and Psychology, Harvard Graduate of School of Education
Nicco Mele (moderator)
Director, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics & Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Moderator Nicco Mele, Director, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics & Public Policy, was joined onstage Thursday night with Jill Abramson, Former Executive Editor, The New York Times, Noah Oppenheim, President, NBC News, Sacha Pfeiffer, Journalist, The Boston Globe Pulitzer Prize-winning Investigative Journalist and Radio Host, James Steyer Founder & CEO, CommonSense.org Adjunct Professor, Stanford University, and Richard Weissbourd, Senior Lecturer on Education and Faculty Director, Human Development and Psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education. The discussion revolved around the impact of the news on children, especially how kids are impacted psychologically and the changing role of the media in presenting news and stories with a new, younger demographic. The panelists also took questions from the audience regarding credibility of the media and its newfound impact in shaping public perception.

A conversation with
Dr. Steven H. Walker
Acting Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Michael Sulmeyer (Moderator)
Director, Cyber Security Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Moderator Michael Sulmeyer, Director of the Cyber Security Project at the Belfer Center, was joined onstage Wednesday night by Steven H. Walker, Acting Director of DARPA, to discuss the future of cyber warfare, technological advancements in the D.o.D., and new defense systems in the U.S. military. The panelists also discussed Artificial Intelligence, cyber security, and medical advancements in technology and prosthetics for The Wounded Warrior Project. The panelists also took questions from the audience regarding the current nature of war, balancing private and public advancements in technology, and the intersectionality of defense and social projects.

Josh Earnest
White House Press Secretary (2014-2017)
Jessica Yellin (via Skype)
Senior Fellow, USC Annenberg School of Journalism
Chief White House Correspondent for CNN in Washington, D.C.(2011 to 2013)
Harvard College ‘93
David Gergen (moderator)
Public Service Professor of Public Leadership and
Co-Director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School

Josh Earnest, former White House Press Secretary and Jessica Yellin, '93, a Senior Fellow at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism and former Chief White House Correspondent for CNN in Washington, D.C., were joined onstage by moderator David Gergen, Public Service Professor of Public Leadership and Co-Director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School, to discuss the evolving relationship between the Press and the Presidency. The panelists primarily focused on the nature of the White House Press Briefing and its evolution over the previous three Presidents, as well as the changing nature of the media to maintain transparency in an increasingly connected and technological country.

Keynote Address
Jorge Ramos
Journalist and Author
Television Anchor for Univision and Fusion  

Sponsored by
Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy

Following the presentation of the Goldsmith Awards to Shane Bauer of MotherJones, Jorge Ramos, a journalist, author, and Television anchor for Univision, delivered the keynote address to the audience. Discussing both his personal path from Mexico to the United States as an investigative journalist as well as his professional career in U.S. media, Mr. Ramos delivered an address centered on the changing nature of the media, the importance of investigative journalism, and his reflections on the Trump Administration. 

The Honorable Lael Brainard
Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Douglas Elmendorf (moderator)
Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, Lael Brainard presented the Malcolm Wiener Lecture in International Political Economy. She spoke on the falling rate of unemployment, foreign exchange rates, and rising inflation expectations. She noted that as the federal funds rate continues to move higher, a transition in balance sheet policy will also be necessary. Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, Douglas Elmendorf moderated the event.