Past Speakers

Mary Boies

Mary Boies

Lawyer

Mary Boies is Counsel to Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP where she specializes in antitrust and corporate commercial litigation. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and chairs its Committee on Nominations and Governance. She has served on the Board of MIT’s Center for International Studies and the Board of Visitors that oversees the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies; the Air Force Research Institute, the Air War College, the National Security Space Institute and the Air Force Institute of Technology. She is Vice Chairman of Business Executives for National Security, a private sector group that connects best business practices to government agencies in the national security space. She is on the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee and has served on the Board of the International Center for Journalists.

Previously, she was founder and managing partner at Boies & McInnis LLP. She has served as Vice President at CBS Inc., General Counsel of the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board, Assistant Director of the Domestic Policy Staff at the White House, and Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce.

Mrs. Boies was hosted by The Common Good in 2017: The Common Good Forum - May 12, 2017.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

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Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

US. Senator for New York

Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States Senator from New York since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2009. On March 17th, 2019 Senator Gillibrand announced her candidacy for the 2020 Presidential race. She withdrew her candidacy in August of 2019 after failing to qualify for the third presidential debate.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand became the first member of Congress to post her official public schedule, personal financial disclosure, and federal earmark requests online. Senator Gillibrand’s number one priority in the U.S. Senate is to rebuild the American economy by creating good-paying jobs, helping small businesses get loans, and partnering with the private sector to foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

Throughout her time in the Senate, Senator Gillibrand has championed a range of issues, from the fight to repeal the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” that prevented homosexuals from serving openly in the military; to the passage of the STOCK Act, which made it illegal for members of Congress to financially benefit from inside information; to providing permanent health care and compensation to the 9/11 first responders and community survivors who are sick with diseases caused by toxins at Ground Zero. Senator Gillibrand worked to bring Democrats and Republicans together to win these legislative victories.

Senator Gillibrand spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017, and co-hosted The American Spirit Awards 2011.

Twitter:  @SenGillibrand

Secretary John Kerry

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John Kerry

Former U.S. Secretary of State

On February 1, 2013, John Forbes Kerry was sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States, becoming the first sitting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman to become Secretary in over a century. Secretary Kerry joined the State Department after 28 years in the United States Senate, the last four as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He retired in 2017 after President Obama left office.

Shortly before he graduated from Yale University, Secretary Kerry enlisted to serve in the United States Navy, and went on to serve two tours of duty. He returned home from Vietnam with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. Back in the United States, Secretary Kerry began lifelong fight for his fellow veterans as a co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and later as a United States Senator who fought to secure veterans’ benefits, the extension of the G.I. Bill for Higher Education, and improved treatment for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Kerry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in 1982, and 2 years later, he was elected to the United States Senate where he served for 28 years. In 2009, Secretary Kerry became Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs. In 2010, as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary Kerry was instrumental in the ratification of the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) Treaty, a vital nuclear arms reduction agreement with Russia that helps steer both countries away from dangerous nuclear confrontations. He also held senior positions on the Finance, Commerce, and Small Business committees, as well as served as a member of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction, where he worked across party lines to try and reduce the country’s debt and strengthen our economy.

Kerry was awarded the American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017.

Twitter: @JohnKerry

John McCain ✝

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John McCain ✝

Former U.S. Senator from Arizona

John Sidney McCain III was a senator, soldier, and 2008 presidential nominee. As a young man in his twenties, he enlisted in the US Navy to follow in the footsteps of his father. He was deployed in Vietnam and ended his military service with the rank of Captain. During his tour in Vietnam, he was captured and was a prisoner of war for five and a half years.

McCain went on to become a House Representative for Arizona’s 1st congressional district in 1982 and was re-elected in 1984. McCain began his first term in the Senate in 1987. He went on to win five more terms all the way until 2018. McCain was the Republican nominee for the 2008 election running against Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

Senator McCain was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017 and passed away on August 25th, 2018.

Senator John McCain was awarded the American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service by Chele Chiavacci Farley at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017.

Chele Chiavacci Farley

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Chele chiavacci farley

Investment banker, private sector adviser

Chele Farley is Managing Director of Mistral Capital International, which has invested over $1.6 billion in equity since inception in 1991. Her past Mistral transactions include deals with Goldman, Sachs (GSEMREF), Starwood Capital (Star Resorts), and Royal Dutch Shell. Farley sits on the Management Committee and Board of Palmilla San Jose Inmobiliaria (a real estate resort development in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico). She formerly was with UBS Capital and Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Investment Banking Division).

Farley received both a B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and sits on Stanford’s New York Alumni Board as well as the Archeology Center Advisory Board of the University. Along with former Senator Bill Bradley, she is Co-Chair of the East Coast Advisory Board of QuestBridge, the leading conduit for students with a family income below $60,000 annually to attend a university. She is also active with the Alzheimer’s Association and Co-Chaired the Association’s Rita Hayworth Gala in New York in October 2010 which raised over $1.7 million.

Farley ran as a Republican candidate against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in 2018, and has now announced her 2020 campaign against Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

She hosted events at The Common Good in 2016: Commentary on the 2016 Presidential Election with Bill Kristol - September 22, 2016 and 2017: Rethinking the Afghanistan War with Erik Prince - October 3, 2017. She also presented the American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service to Senator John McCain at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017.

Twitter: @CheleFarley

Marc Busch

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Marc Busch

Writer

Marc L. Busch is an expert on international trade policy and law. He serves as a member of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Standards and Technical Trade Barriers, a public-private group reporting to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative. He has addressed a wide variety of governments and international institutions, including the Advisory Center on WTO Law, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the World Bank and the United Nations. He has testified before the U.S. Congress on Airbus-Boeing litigation, and before the Canadian Senate on softwood lumber litigation. In 1999 he published his first and only book, Trade Warriors: States, Firms, and Strategic-Trade Policy in High-Technology Competition.

Busch spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017 on the “New Era of Global Trade”.

David Burstein

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David Burstein

CEO and Founder of Run for America

David Burstein is the CEO and Founder of Run for America, a citizen-powered movement to re-imagine politics, reinvigorate government, and restore the promise of America for the 21st century. Run for America strategically recruits, trains, and works to elect a new generation of leaders to Congress who are committed to a solutions-first, future-focused, and innovative approach to tackling our major national challenges. RFA Candidates serve their communities by ending gridlock, increasing participation and bringing citizens together, expanding the electorate to win elections and build a lasting grassroots network of supporters across the country and political spectrum. David is also the author of Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation Is Shaping Our World and the founder and former Executive Director of Generation18, a nonpartisan young voter engagement organization.

Burstein spoke at both The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017 and The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Twitter: @davidburstein

Rep. Joe Kennedy III

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Rep. Joe Kennedy III

Politician

Elected in November of 2012, Congressman Joe Kennedy III represents Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District.

Prior to seeking office, Kennedy served the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an Assistant District Attorney in both the Middlesex County, Cape and Island’s District Attorneys’ Offices. A graduate of Harvard Law, he was an active member of the school’s Legal Aid Bureau – a pro-bono law firm that provided legal services to low-income families around Boston. During that time he also co-founded an after school program for at-risk youth in the Boston area with his wife, Lauren.

Earlier in his career Joe served as a member of the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. He has also worked as an international development analyst for the United Nations’ Millennium Project and as an anti-poverty consultant abroad.

He spoke at The Common Good in 2013: Rising Leaders: Power Breakfast with Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, in 2015: Meet & Greet: Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, and in 2017: Discussion on Challenges and Opportunity in Congress.

Twitter: @RepJoeKennedy

Yusuf Ziya Irbeç

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Dr. Yusuf Ziya Irbeç ✝

Economist

Dr. Yusuf Ziya İrbeç was born in Kas, Antalya in 1959. He was an economist, foreign policy specialist and academician, and he served as a Member of the Turkish Parliament for Antalya and an Executive Board Member of the Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) in which he was the Deputy Convenor of Peace and Democracy Program. Dr. Yusuf Ziya İrbeç was also a member of Turkish Parliament, and was Clerk Member and Vice-Chairman of the European Union Harmonization Commission. He also served as a Member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the European Union.

His experiences within the private sector and international institutions include the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK), Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ankara Chamber of Commerce, and Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin.

Dr. Yusuf Ziya İrbeç passed away on June 19th, 2017.

He was hosted by The Common Good in 2013: Briefing on Turkey with Dr. Yusuf Ziya İrbeç – March 29, 2013, and in 2017: Special Meeting with Prof. Dr. Yusuf Ziya Irbec M.P. - January 30, 2017.

Carl Bernstein

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Carl Bernstein

Journalist

Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist and author.

In 1972, Bernstein was teamed up with Bob Woodward at The Washington Post, and the two did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. He shared a Pulitzer Prize with Bob Woodward as a result of this work.

Bernstein's career since Watergate has continued to focus on the theme of the use and abuse of power through books and magazine articles, and has done reporting for television and opinion commentary. He is the author or co-author of six books: All the President's Men, The Final Days, and The Secret Man with Bob Woodward, His Holiness: John Paul II and the History of Our Time, with Marco Politi, Loyalties; and A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Additionally, he is a regular political commentator on CNN. He has written for Vanity Fair, where he is a contributing editor, Time, USA Today, Rolling Stone, and The New Republic.

Bernstein was hosted by The Common Good in 2010: Election Insurrection: The Mid-Term Elections 2010, in 2012: Aftermath: Supreme Court & Health Care with Carl Bernstein, Jeffrey Toobin & Susan Blumenthal – July 19, 2012, in 2016: Post-Election Panel 2016 - December 7, 2016, and in 2017: History in the Making: Post-Election Panel 2016 - March 17, 2017.

Twitter: @carlbernstein

Kellyanne Conway

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Kellyanne Conway

American pollster, political consultant, pundit

Kellyanne Conway is an American pollster, political consultant, and pundit. Previously she held roles as campaign manager and strategist in the Republican Party and was former president and CEO of The Polling Company, Inc./Woman Trend. In 2016, she was appointed as Trump’s campaign manager and now serves as a counselor in his presidential administration .

Within polling, Conway is one of the most quoted and noted pollsters on the national scene, having provided commentary on over 1,200 television shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, HBO, Comedy Central, MTV and the Fox News Channel, and numerous radio shows and print stories. Throughout her two decades in market research, Conway has provided primary research and advice for clients in 46 of the 50 states and has directed hundreds of demographic and attitudinal survey projects for statewide and congressional political races, trade associations, and Fortune 100 companies. She is also co-author of What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class, and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live.

Within the Republican Party, Conway has worked for leaders such as the late Congressman Jack Kemp, former Vice President Dan Quayle, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Senator Fred Thompson and Congressman Mike Pence, Vice President in Trump’s administration.

Conway spoke at The Common Good in 2017: History in the Making: Post-Election Panel 2016 alongside Carl Bernstein and Governor William Weld, with moderator Alan Schwartz.

Twitter: @KellyannePolls

Bill Kristol

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Bill Kristol

Founder and Editor of The Weekly Standard

Bill Kristol is a political analyst and the Founder and Editor of the political magazine The Weekly Standard. He is known for his neo-conservatism and frank approach to issues.

Kristol taught political philosophy and American politics at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government before joining the Reagan administration. He eventually became Chief of Staff to the Vice President in the George H. W. Bush administration. Kristol has played a major role in the debate on American foreign policy since September 11th, and served as a foreign policy advisor for Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign.

Kristol is associated with a number of prominent conservative think tanks. He co-founded the Project for the New American Century and is a member of the board of trustees for the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, the Policy Advisory Board for the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and a director of the Foreign Policy Initiative.

Kristol was hosted by The Common Good for a Commentary on the 2016 Presidential Election with Bill Kristol.

Twitter: @BillKristol

Tammy Duckworth

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Tammy Duckworth

American politician, former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel

Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq veteran who lost both legs and partial use of her right arm in 2004. She won her Congressional seat in 2012, and her Democratic seat in the Senate began in 2017. She is also the first Asian American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand. She is fluent in Thai, Indonesian, and English.

Senator Duckworth was born in Bangkok Thailand. in 1989 she graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, and later received a Master of Arts in international affairs from George Washington University. In 1992 she joined the United States Army Reserve and chose to fly helicopters, citing it as one of the few combat positions open to women at the time. Senator Duckworth was working towards her P.H.D. in political science when she was drafted in 2004 to fight in the Iraq war. in November of that year, her UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in combat, where she sustained injuries and had to have her legs amputated. She received the Purple Heart for her injuries, and was promoted to Major.

In 2006, Senator Duckworth became the director of the Illinois Department of Veteran affairs, and held the position until 2009. While in the position, she was credited with starting a program to help veterans with PTSD and veterans with brain injuries.

Twitter: @SenDuckworth

Lindsey Graham

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Lindsey Graham

U.S. Republican Senator of South Carolina

Lindsey Graham has earned a reputation as a conservative problem-solver and one of the strongest proponents of national defense. Graham is also a leader in cutting spending, reforming entitlements, and reducing government interference in businesses.

Prior to serving in the Senate, Graham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. Before being elected to Congress, Graham compiled a distinguished record in the United States Air Force, retiring at the rank of Colonel in June 2015, having served his country in uniform for 33 years. Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008 and 2014. Since 2019, he has been the Chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Senator Graham spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Twitter: @LindsayGrahamSC

Ian Bremmer

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Ian Bremmer

President and Founder of Eurasia Group

Ian Bremmer is the President and Founder of Eurasia Group, a leading global political risk research and consulting firm as well as founder of GZERO Media tasked with public coverage for global affairs.. Bremmer is also a foreign affairs columnist and editor at large for Time Magazine as of December 2014. In 2013, he was named professor at New York University, and in 2019, Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs announced that Bremmer would teach an Applied Geopolitics course at the school. He is the author of The J Curve, Every Nation for Itself, and the New York Times bestselling Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism.

He is a prolific thought leader and author, regularly expressing his views on political issues in public speeches, television appearances, and top publications. Dubbed the “rising guru” in the field of political risk by The Economist, he is a Global Research Professor at New York University and a Foreign Affairs Columnist and Editor at Large for TIME magazine. His latest book, Superpower: Three Choices for America’s Role in the World, was published in May 2015. Bremmer is credited with bringing the craft of political risk to financial markets—he created Wall Street’s first global political risk index (GPRI)—and for establishing political risk as an academic discipline.

Bremmer spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Twitter: @ianbremmer

General David Petraeus

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General David Petraeus

Former U.S. Army General and public official

General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus is one of the most prominent U.S. military figures of the post-9/11 era.  During his 37-year career in the United States Army, General Petraeus was widely recognized for his leadership of the Surge in Iraq, which reduced violence in Iraq by over 85%; for his oversight of the organization that produced the U.S. Army’s counterinsurgency manual and overhauled all aspects of preparing U.S. Army leaders and units for deployment to combat; and for his command of coalition forces in Afghanistan as they reversed the momentum of the Taliban and enabled the commencement of the transition of tasks to Afghan forces and institutions.

General Petraeus’ military career was distinguished by significant achievements during assignments in Cold War Europe, Central America, the United States, Haiti, Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the greater Middle East. His career culminated with six consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat, a record believed unmatched in the post-World War II era.  

After General Petraeus’ retirement from the military, he served as Director of the CIA. General Petraeus is now a Partner with the global investment firm KKR and the Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, a position he has held for over two years. He is also a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the City University of New York’s Macaulay Honors College, a Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California, a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Co-Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Institute’s Global Advisory Council, and a member of the boards of seven veterans service organizations and several think tanks.

General Petraeus received the American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Abby Huntsman

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Abby Huntsman

American journalist, television personality

Abby Huntsman currently serves as a co-host of ABC's The View. She was previously a general assignment reporter for Fox News Channel (FNC), providing coverage of the news of the day across the network’s daytime and primetime programming.

Prior to joining FNC, Huntsman served as co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle and was a host/producer for The Huffington Post’s streaming network HuffPost Live. Huntsman was named one of Forbes “30 under 30” in media in 2013 and received a B.A. in political science and communications from the University of Pennsylvania.

Huntsman spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Twitter: @HuntsmandAbby

Ret. General Ronald Keys

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Ronald Keys

Retired Air Force General

General Ron Keys retired from the Air Force in 2007 after completing a career of over forty years and commands of eight different organizations including operational, staff, and international units. His last assignment was as Commander of Air Combat Command, at the time the Air Force’s largest major command, consisting of more than 1,200 aircraft, 27 wings, 17 bases and 200 operating locations worldwide with 105,000 personnel.

Under his leadership, ACC organized the Air Force’s first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Wing and first Network Warfare Wing. In September of 2007, he received the Air Force Association’s most prestigious annual award, The H. H. Arnold Award. General Keys is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours in the F-4, A-10, F-16 and F-15, including more than 300 hours of combat time.

General Keys spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Seth Flaxman

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Seth Flaxman

Co-founder of Democracy Works

Seth co-founded Democracy Works (and the nonprofit’s flagship site, TurboVote.org) while receiving a Master’s in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He previously worked as a researcher on the Council on Foreign Relations and Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. In 2011, he was honored as one of Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” in the field of law and policy. Seth is also a Draper Richards Kaplan entrepreneur and Ashoka Fellow.

Flaxman spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Twitter: @Sethflaxman

Joel Benenson

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Joel Benenson

Founder and CEO of Benenson Strategy Group

Joel Benenson is the  founder and CEO of Benenson Strategy Group, and the only Democratic pollster in history to have played a leading role in three winning presidential campaigns. Joel has been the chief pollster and chief campaign strategist for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, a senior strategist for President Barack Obama beginning with his 2008 campaign, and has worked on President Bill Clinton’s polling team during the 1996 race.

Joel’s corporate clients have included top executives at the Campbell Soup Company, HBO, Toyota, the NFL, Procter & Gamble, Panera Bread Co., Hearst, Blue Star Energy, and MSNBC. In the advocacy and nonprofit sector, he has worked with leading institutions including AARP, League of Conservation Voters, SEIU, Clean Energy Works, and Grocery Manufacturers of America.

Before becoming a pollster in 1995, Joel was a political journalist for the Daily News in New York and served as communications director for Governor Mario Cuomo’s 1994 campaign. He was also previously a vice president at the New York ad agency FCB.

Benenson spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Twitter: @benesonj