Introduction by Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John. F. Kennedy

David Gergen (moderator), Public Service Professor of Public Leadership; Co-director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School
Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Joe Kennedy III, Member, U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts (4th District)
Maria Shriver, Journalist, Author, and Founder of Shriver Media
Elise Stefanik, Member, U.S. House of Representatives, New York (21st District)

2017 Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award

A Conversation with
Congressman John Lewis
Member, U.S. House of Representatives, Georgia's 5th district
Nancy F. Koehn (Co-moderator)
Historian and James B. Robison Chair of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
ImeIme Umana (Co-moderator)
Editor, Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School '18
Sheila C. Johnson Fellow, Center for Public Leadership
President, Student Advisory Committee, Institute of Politics 2013

***THIS EVENT WILL BE TICKETED***
To enter the lottery, go HERE before Wednesday, April 12th at midnight.  Winners will be notified by email Thursday, April 13th.  Winners must pick up their tickets at the Institute of Politics on Friday, April 14th between 9:00 and 5:00 PM or Monday, April 17th, between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM; a valid ID must be presented to pick up a ticket.  No Exceptions.

Congressman John Lewis was presented the Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award, which serves "to honor exceptional leaders and innovators who have sparked positive social change and inspired others to do the same." After Dean of the Kennedy School Douglas Elmendorf presented the award to Congressman Lewis, the Congressman was joined onstage by co-moderators Nancy F. Koehn, Historian and James B. Robison Chair of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, and ImeIme Umana, Editor, Harvard Law Review, Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School '18. Congressman Lewis discussed his struggle for Civil Rights in a personal sense, and took questions from the audience regarding the current state of Civil Rights activism, his experiences in the U.S. Congress, and the future of social activism and reform.  

Join the Harvard Political Union for a dinner discussion with Delegate Saira Blair of West Virginia!

Saira Blair was elected as the youngest person to win a state or national office in 2014. At the age of 17, she won the Republican nomination for 59th District race and eventually won the general election for the seat at age 18. During her election, Blair became a media sensation appearing on outlets such as Fox News and the Washington Post. 

She currently studies Spanish and Economics at West Virginia University. She balances life as an elected official with her life as a college student by deferring her Spring semesters in order to serve in the state legislature. In the 2016 session, Blair cosponsored a bill allowing people in the state to carry a concealed firearm without a permit, and hopes to address the drug epidemic and improve education in rural Appalachia. As a conservative West Virginian, she represents an area of the United States that was integral in President Trump's voting base. 

She will be discussing her experience as a young conservative running for office, the future for Millennial Republicans, and the relationship between Appalachia and Donald Trump's election to president. We will then open the floor to questions from the listeners.

For more about Delegate Blair, visit her website at sairablair.com.

All Harvard students (regardless of IOP affiliation) are invited.
Pizza will be served.

All Pizza and Politics events are strictly off-the-record.

Kelly Ayotte
Spring 2017 Joint Visiting Fellow, Institute of Politics and Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
United States Senator from New Hampshire (2011-2017)
Attorney General of New Hampshire (2004-2009)
Trey Grayson (Moderator)
President and CEO, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Director, Institute of Politics (2011-2014)
74th Secretary of State of Kentucky (2004-2011)
Harvard College '94

Moderator Trey Grayson, President and CEO, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, former Director of the Institute of Politics, former Secretary of State of Kentucky (2004-2011), and Harvard College graduate Class of '94, and Kelly Ayotte, former senator, former attorney general of New Hampshire, and Spring 2017 Joint Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Politics and Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School discuss Senator Ayotte’s time as attorney general of New Hampshire, running her first campaign, her experience working with Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham as a member of the “Three Amigos,” her endorsement of Mitt Romney, the community of women in the senate, and the usage of data in campaigns. During the Q&A session, Sen. Ayotte discussed her views on bipartisanship in the Senate, the US’s security policy in Afghanistan, and the recent elimination of the filibuster in the Senate.

Members of the Internships and Career Services team are happy to help direct you to public serivce opportunites as well as answer any questions you may have about our summer programming! SIgn up here for a time to swing by Internships and Career Services on the second floor of the IOP (L- 278) to talk with our team. 

Join the Harvard Political Union for a dinner discussion with former Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH).

Kelly Ayotte is a former United States Senator from the State of New Hampshire, serving from 2011 to 2017. Born and raised in Nashua, NH, Senator Ayotte graduated from Penn State University and Villanova Law School before becoming a law clerk for the New Hampshire Supreme Court. After stints at the Justice Department and as legal counsel to New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson, she was appointed Attorney General of New Hampshire in 2004 and served until 2009. Ms. Ayotte ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010 and won with 60% of the vote. She served on the Armed Services, Budget, and Homeland Security committees, among others. The Lugar Center at Georgetown University rated her the 11th most bipartisan member of the Senate during the 113th Congress. After leaving office, Ms. Ayotte led the team assisting Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch in his confirmation process, and is also a visiting fellow at the IOP.

Pizza will be served.

All Pizza and Politics events are strictly off-the-record.

Sarah Hurwitz
Senior Speechwriter for President Barack Obama and Chief Speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama
Cody Keenan
Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama
John McConnell
Senior Speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney
Ann Compton (Moderator)
Fall 2016 Resident Fellow, Institute of Politics
White House Correspondent, ABC News (1973-2014)

Moderator Ann Compton, ABC New White House Correspondent and Fall 2016 Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics; Cody Keenan, Director of Speechwriting for President Barack Obama; Sarah Hurwitz, Senior Speechwriter for President Barack Obama and Chief Speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama; and John McConnel, Senior Speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney discuss how they got started in speechwriting and the stories behind some of the prominent speeches they wrote, including President George W. Bush’s address to Congress following the September 11 terrorist attacks and President Barack Obama’s farewell speech. During the Q&A session, they discussed the mistakes they made and the lessons they learned, how they worked with their speakers to make them better speakers, Donald Trump’s speaking style, and much more.