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.

Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary under President Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017

Harvard Kennedy School 
Littauer 166

Institute of Politics and Center for Public Leadership

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.

A panel discussion with
Debra Cleaver
Founder & CEO, Vote.org
Leah Greenberg
Co-Founder, Indivisible
Andrea Hailey
Founder, Civic Engagement Fund
Amanda Litman
Founder, Run for Something
Jess Morales Rocketto
Digital Community Organizer, OccupyAirports
Meighan Stone (moderator)
Entrepreneurship Fellow, Spring 2017, The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, HKS
President, Malala Fund

Panelists Debra Cleaver, Founder & CEO of Vote.org; Leah Greenberg, Co-Founder of Indivisible; Andrea Hailey, Founder of Civic Engagement Fund; Amanda Litman, Founder of Run for Something; and Jess Morales Rocketto, Digital Community Organizer for OccupyAirports joined moderator Meighan Stone, a Spring 2017 Entrepreneurship Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and President of Malala Fund for a panel discussion on the women-led “Resistance” against the current White House. The panelists discussed recent events in voter and candidate outreach, especially on the local level, in achieving their efforts to advance Democratic causes in the upcoming 2018 and 2020 elections. The event was co-sponsored by The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy; the Women and Public Policy Program; and the Women’s Initiative in Leadership.