Peter Yarrow

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Peter Yarrow

Artist, activist

As an artist and activist, Peter Yarrow has produced many noteworthy songs, including. “Puff, The Magic Dragon”, “Day Is Done”, “The Great Mandala” and “Light One Candle”. His musical creativity has always gone hand in hand with his commitment to social justice and equity in society.

Yarrow has been on the front lines ever since the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960’s. Over the years, many issues have moved Peter to commit his time and talent: equal rights, peace, the environment, gender equality, homelessness, hospice care and education. All have utilized his skills as both a performer and an organizer. Along with his singing partners, Noel “Paul” Stookey and Mary Travers, Peter participated in the Civil Rights Movement, which brought them to Washington in 1963 to sing for the historic march led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as the equally historic Selma-Montgomery march in 1965. He went on to produce and coordinate numerous events for the Peace/anti-Vietnam War movement, including festivals at Madison Square Garden and Shea Stadium. These efforts culminated in his co-organizing the 1969 Celebration of Life, the famous march on Washington, in which some half-million people participated.

Yarrow’s most recent efforts are focused on a non-profit he founded in 1999 called Operation Respect, which disseminates a free program utilizing music and video along with curricular materials designed to establish a safe, compassionate and nurturing environment in schools and summer camps across America. Some of his other recent work involves advocacy and fund-raising for Mercy Corps.

Yarrow gave a moving tribute to Congressman John Lewis at The American Spirit Awards 2015 and spoke at The Common Good in 2015: Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary.

Twitter: @PeterYarrowPPM

Admiral William Fallon

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Admiral William Fallon

Four-star Admiral, Chairman of Cyber security Company CounterTack

Four-star Admiral and Chairman of cybersecurity company CounterTack, William “Fox” Fallon was the first Navy officer to head US Central Command. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called him “one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform.”

Adm. Fallon led U.S. and Allied forces in eight separate commands at the highest levels of American government before retiring after 41 years of leadership. As Commander of US Central Command from 2007 to 2008, Adm. Fallon led U.S. military forces in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa and was instrumental in the turnaround of the ground situation in Iraq. He promoted active communication between governments while in command of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. During his tenure as Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, he promoted stronger military-to-military relations between the U.S. and China.

He applies his experience in international security, political, and commercial affairs to his current role as chairman of CounterTack, Inc., a cybersecurity company. His years in the military helped shape his understanding of the rising need for cybersecurity to protect sensitive communications and critical assets and reinforced his commitment to an  active response to cyber threats.

Adm. Fallon was hosted by The Common Good in 2015: Meet & Greet: Admiral William Fallon on U.S. Security.

Jeremy Ben-Ami

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Jeremy Ben-Ami

Founder and President of J Street

Jeremy Ben-Ami is the founder and President of J Street, bringing to the role both deep experience in American politics and government and a passionate commitment to the state of Israel.

For nearly three years in the late 90s, Jeremy lived in Israel, where he started a consulting firm working with Israeli non-profit organizations and politicians. In the mid-1990s he moved back to the U.S. and served as the Deputy Domestic Policy Advisor in the White House to President Bill Clinton. Ben-Ami also worked on seven Presidential and numerous state and local campaigns. He was Howard Dean’s National Policy Director in 2004 and helped manage a Mayoral campaign in New York City in 2001.

He was chosen by America’s weekly Jewish newspaper, the Forward, for three years as part of the Forward 50, their compilation of the most influential Jewish Americans.  He was one of 50 “People of the Decade” selected by Ha’aretz, the influential Israeli daily newspaper, and the Jerusalem Post included him in its list of the 50 Most Influential Jews in the world.

The Common Good hosted J Street’s President and Founder, Jeremy Ben-Ami, in 2014, to discuss his analysis of their poll of Jewish Americans and what their findings mean for the President’s Middle East policies going forward: Jeremy Ben-Ami of J Street on Israel post U.S. MidTerm Elections - November 17, 2014.

Twitter: @JeremyBenAmi

Patrick Caddell ✝

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Patrick Caddell ✝

Democratic pollster, Fox News contributor

Patrick Caddell was a Democratic pollster and Fox News contributor. He served as pollster for President Jimmy Carter, Gary Hart, Joe Biden and others. He is a Fox News political analyst and co-host of Political Insiders Sundays on Fox News Channel and Mondays at 10:30 am ET on FoxNews.com Live. He acted as an informal adviser to Donald Trump during the 2016 election.

Caddell passed away on February 16th, 2019, at age 68.

He was hosted by The Common Good as part of the Midterm Elections Panel - October 23, 2014 alongside Anna Greenberg, Carol E. Lee, Steve Kornacki, Jim McLaughlin, and Jefrey Pollock, moderated by John Harwood.

Twitter: @patrick_caddell

Anna Greenberg

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Anna Greenberg

Pollster

Anna Greenberg has over 15 years of experience polling in the political, non-profit and academic sectors. She joined GQRR in 2001, after teaching public opinion and survey research methodology at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She was the lead pollster in many successful campaigns including for Mayor Bill de Blasio, Governor Tom Wolf, Governor Mark Dayton, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Congressman Ron Barber and Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham.

In 2014, Greenberg won the “Pollster of the Year” award from the AAPC for her work with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign for Mayor of New York City.

A sought after commentator, Greenberg has appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation, NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition, and BBC’s World News America. She regularly provides commentary on politics to publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico.

Greenberg spoke on the Midterm Elections Panel alongside Patrick Caddell, Carol E. Lee, Steve Kornacki, Jim McLaughlin, and Jefrey Pollock, moderated by John Harwood, at The Common Good in 2014.

Twitter: @Anna_Greenberg

John Micklethwait

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John Micklethwait

Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg

John Micklethwait is the Editor-in-Chief of Bloomberg where he oversees editorial content across all Bloomberg platforms, including its news, newsletters, magazines, opinion, television, radio and digital properties, as well as its research services including Bloomberg Intelligence.

Prior to joining Bloomberg in February 2015, Micklethwait was Editor-in-Chief of The Economist where he led the newspaper into the digital age while expanding its readership and enhancing its reputation.

He is the co-author of six books, most recently The Fourth Revolution: The Global Race to Reinvent the State. In 2010, Micklethwait was named Editors’ Editor by the British Society of Magazine Editors.

Micklethwait was hosted by The Common Good in 2014: John Micklethwait on Political Revolution - September 10, 2014.

Evan Osnos

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Evan Osnos

Journalist, author

Evan Osnos is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a fellow at the Brookings Institution. Based in Washington D.C., he writes about foreign affairs and politics.

He is the author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China, which won the 2014 National Book award. Based on eight years of living in Beijing, the book traces the rise of the individual in China, and the clash between aspiration and authoritarianism. He was the China Correspondent at The New Yorker magazine from 2008 to 2013. He is a contributor to This American Life on public radio, and Frontline, the PBS series.

Prior to The New Yorker, he worked as the Beijing bureau chief of the Chicago Tribune, where he contributed to a series that won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. He has received the Asia Society’s Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia, the Livingston Award for Young Journalists, and a Mirror Award for profile-writing. Before his appointment in China, he worked in the Middle East, reporting mostly from Iraq.

The Common Good hosted Osnos on August 27th, 2014, as part of the TCG Leadership series: Evan Osnos On The New China. He discussed China’s 35-year political and cultural transformation, drawing on ideas authored in his book Age of Ambition.

Twitter: @eosnos

Michelle Nunn

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Michelle Nunn

Philanthropic executive, politician

Michelle Nunn is president and CEO of CARE USA, a leading humanitarian organization that fights global poverty and provides lifesaving assistance in emergencies. Last year, CARE worked in 93 countries and directly reached 63 million people in the fiscal year of 2017.

Nunn took the helm of CARE in 2015 and has spearheaded an ambitious strategy to reach 200 million of the world’s most vulnerable people by 2020. Under Nunn’s leadership, CARE has invested in innovative new programs and partnerships with private corporations and other nonprofits to increase its impact. Since assuming leadership of CARE, Nunn has set a goal of increasing CARE’s micro-savings program from 7 million participants to 60 million participants by 2028.

Before joining CARE, Nunn had built an illustrious career of civic and public service as a social entrepreneur, a nonprofit CEO, and a candidate for the U.S. Senate. She co-founded the volunteer-mobilization organization Hands On Atlanta, and expanded it from a single entity to a national network of more than 50 affiliates. Nunn oversaw that group’s merger with Points of Light, creating the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, with affiliates across the globe engaging more than 70,000 corporations and nonprofit organizations. Nunn served as Points of Light CEO from 2007 to 2013.

The Common Good hosted Michelle Nunn in 2014.

Twitter: @MichelleNunn

Jill Abramson

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Jill Abramson

American author, journalist

Jill  Abramson is an American author and journalist. She is best known as the former executive editor of The New York Times; Abramson held that position from September 2011 to May 2014. She was the first female executive editor in the paper’s 160-year history. Abramson joined the New York Times in 1997, working as the Washington bureau chief and managing editor before being named as executive editor. She previously worked for The Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter and a deputy bureau chief.

In 2012, she was ranked number five on Forbes list of most powerful women. She was also named as one of the 500 most powerful people in the world by Foreign Policy.

In March 2016, she was hired as a political columnist for Guardian US.

In addition to her current position as a senior lecturer in Harvard’s English Department, Ms. Abramson has taught at both Princeton and Yale, where she led undergraduate writing seminars for five years. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Abramson was hosted by The Common Good in 2014: Political Journalism with Jill Abramson - July 15, 2014.

Twitter: @JillAbramson

Arnon Milchan

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Arnon Milchan

Film producer

Arnon Milchan is a film producer who has produced over 130 full-length motion pictures. Milchan, the owner of New Regency Films, was also a former key Israeli intelligence operative from the mid-1960’s to the mid-1980’s.

He is known for his work on Noah, 12 Years a Slave, Once Upon a Time in America, Brazil, Pretty Woman, Under Siege, Natural Born Killers, Boys on the Side, L.A. Confidential, Unfaithful, and Knight and Day.

The Common Good hosted Milchan at The Common Good Forum & The American Spirit Awards 2014. He was awarded the American Spirit Award for Activism In The Arts for his legacy as respected and prolific film producer, and for his part in bringing the critically acclaimed 12 Years a Slave to the screen. The film provided an honest and unflinching portrayal of the ugly truth about slavery in America and has helped reinvigorate discussion of human dignity and equality in our country.

Darren Aronofsky

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Darren Aronofsky

American filmmaker, screenwriter

Aronofsky is a screenwriter, director and producer of many critically acclaimed films. Aronofsky grew up in Brooklyn, New York with two parents as school teachers. Before attending Harvard in 1987 where he studied anthropology, film and animation, he trained with The School of Field Studies as a research biologist in Kenya and Alaska. He graduated from Harvard with honors in 1991 and went on to accrue similar high esteem from AFI Conservatory, as he was not only awarded his M.F.A. in directing, but the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal.

His films include the sports drama The Wrestler, which received Academy Award nominations, The Fighter, Black Swan, and the biblically inspired epic Noah. Aronofsky himself received nominations for Best Director at the Golden Globes, and a Directors Guild of America Award nomination.

Aronofsky spoke at The Common Good Forum & The American Spirit Awards - June 2, 2014.

Twitter: @DarrenAronofsky

Ido Aharoni

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Ido Aharoni

Ambassador, professor, veteran of Israel’s Foreign Service

Ido Aharoni serves as a Globally Distinguished Professor for International Relations at New York University’s Faculty of Arts and Science. He is a co-founder of Emerson Rigby Ltd., a member of the International Advisory Council of APCO Worldwide, a Global Ambassador for Maccabi World Union and the Chairman of the Charney Forum on New Diplomacy.

​Aharoni has been Israel’s longest serving Consul-General in New York and the tri-state area to date. He held that position with the rank of Ambassador for six years, overseeing the operations of Israel’s largest diplomatic mission worldwide.

Ido Aharoni spoke at The Common Good in 2015; The Information Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities for Israel - June 24, 2015.

Twitter: @IdoAharoni

Soledad O’Brien

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Soledad O’Brien

Broadcast journalist

Soledad O’Brien is an award winning journalist, executive producer, and philanthropist. She is the CEO of Starfish Media Group, which is a multi-platform media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on range of social issues. O’Brien continues to be a television anchor and correspondent, and the Starfish Media Group lists CNN, HBO, Real Sports and America Tonight, among a growing list of networks she is working with.

O’Brien has received numerous awards, including an Emmy, the NAACP’s President's Award, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Alfred I. du Pont Award, and the Gracie Allen Award. In 2008, she was the first recipient of the Soledad O’Brien Freedom’s Voice Award from the Morehouse School of Medicine, and was the first recipient of The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Goodermote Humanitarian Award. O’Brien received the 2009 Medallion of Excellence for Leadership and Community Service Award from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. In 2010, she was named Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists.

In 2011 O’Brien and her husband Brad Raymond created the PowHERful Foundation, which helps get young women get to and through college. This year, their conference series will visit 8 cities across the country.

She spoke at The Common Good Forum & The American Spirit Awards 2014 on June 2nd, 2014.

Twitter: @soledadobrien

Senator John Walsh

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Senator John Walsh

American Politician

John Walsh enlisted in the National Guard as a private, working hard and rising through the ranks to become adjutant general, leading the Montana National Guard.

As a battalion commander, John led more than 700 men and women overseas to Iraq in the largest deployment of Montana National Guard soldiers and airmen since WWII. During his time as adjutant general, John championed the Yellow Ribbon program, an initiative that provides valuable resources to National Guard members and their families at all stages of their deployment and ensures Guard members get their well-earned services and benefits when they return home.

After 33 years of distinguished service, John retired from the National Guard and was elected by the people of Montana to the office of Lieutenant Governor, serving with Governor Steve Bullock. As Montana’s 30th Lieutenant Governor, John Walsh fought to balance the budget, enact tax cuts for small businesses, invest in Montana’s schools, and toughen laws against child abuse.

Walsh served as junior Senator for Montana from 2014 to 2015. He is running for the Senate in the 2020 elections.

Senator Walsh was hosted by The Common Good in 2014: Meet & Greet: Senator John Walsh - May 9, 2014.

Twitter: @JohnWalsh

Todd S. Purdum

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Todd S. Purdum

Editor, political correspondent

Todd S. Purdum is a senior writer at Politico, a staff writer at The Atlantic and a national editor and political correspondent at Vanity Fair. He was previously with The New York Times, where he worked for 23 years as a political writer, also serving as diplomatic correspondent and Los Angeles bureau chief.

He is the author of the books Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution, An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Two Presidents, Two Parties and the Battle for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and A Time of Our Choosing: America's War in Iraq.

Purdum spoke at The Common Good in 2014: The Civil Rights Act with Todd Purdum - April 2, 2014.

Jonathan Capehart

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Jonathan Capehart

Journalist, television personality

Jonathan Capehart is a member of The Washington Post editorial board and writes about politics and social issues for the PostPartisan blog. He is also an MSNBC contributor, appearing regularly on Hardball and other dayside programs. Prior to joining The Washington Post in 2007, Capehart was the deputy editor of New York Daily News’s editorial page from 2002 to 2005. He worked as a policy adviser to Michael Bloomberg in his successful campaign for mayor of New York City, and was a national affairs columnist for Bloomberg News from 2000 to 2001. He was also a member of The Daily News editorial board from 1993 to 2000. Capehart and The Daily News editorial board won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for their series on the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Capehart was a researcher for NBC's The Today Show. Subsequently, he worked for the New York Daily News (NYDN), serving as a member of its editorial board from 1993 to 2000. At the time of his hiring, Capehart was the youngest ever member of that newspaper's editorial board. In 2000, he left the NYDN to work at Bloomberg News. Afterward, he advised and wrote speeches for Michael Bloomberg, during Bloomberg's 2001 run for the mayoralty of New York City.

He joined the staff of The Washington Post as a journalist and member of the editorial board in 2007.  He continues in that capacity and is a contributing commentator for MSNBC. He also hosts the Cape Up podcast, in which he talks to newsmakers about race, religion, age, gender, and cultural identity in politics.

Capeheart presented speakers at The American Spirit Awards - November 13, 2013 and The Common Good Forum & The American Spirit Awards - June 2, 2014, and spoke at the event Election Insurrection: The Mid-Term Elections 2010.

Jonathan Capehart returned to participate in the 2020 Post-Election Roundup with Charlie Cook, Al Franken and Rick Wilson. After approximately two years, $14 billion and countless hours of attention, the 2020 campaign has finally come to a close. Al Franken was a part of the historic panel to discuss Joe Biden winning the presidency and President Trump is still contesting the results.

Twitter: @CapehartJ

Michelle Paige Paterson

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Michelle Paige Paterson

Former First Lady of New York State

Michelle Paige Paterson was the First Lady of New York state. Paige Paterson was the first African American First Lady in New York's history. (1)

Paige Paterson is director of the integrated-wellness program at the Health Insurance Plan of New York HMO, a program that assists individuals with chronic health problems to better manage their conditions by helping them to improve their life skills. She previously worked as a lobbyist for North General Hospital in Manhattan. (1)

Paige Paterson introduced Nicole Hockley at The American Spirit Awards 2013 and co-hosted The American Spirit Awards 2011.

(1) Material from Wikipedia.

David Gergen

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David Gergen

Senior political analyst for CNN

David Gergen is a senior political analyst for CNN and has served as an adviser to four U.S. presidents. He graduated with honors from both Yale College (1963) and Harvard Law School (1967), and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for nearly three and a half years. He is a public service professor of public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and the director of its Center for Public Leadership. In 2000, he published the best-selling book, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.

Gergen joined the Harvard faculty in 1999. He is active as a speaker and sits on many boards, including Teach for America, the Aspen Institute, and Duke University, where he taught from 1995-1999. He is a member of the Washington D.C. Bar and the Council on Foreign Relations, and holds 19 honorary degrees.

Gergen was hosted by The Common Good in 2018, "On the Fault Lines: Decision 2018" Midterm Elections Power Panel, alongside Gerald Seib, Governor Haley Barbour, Nate Silver, and Ann Lewis, moderated by Gloria Borger. He also received the American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service at The American Spirit Awards 2013.

Twitter: @David_Gergen

Edie Windsor ✝

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Edie Windsor ✝

Marriage equality activist

Edie Windsor was a member of countless LGBT organizations in the past 30 years, including East End Gay Organizations, the LGBT Community Center, and Team New York at the Gay Games in NYC in 1994. She was also one of the first Marriage Ambassadors for Empire State Pride Agenda. The Edie Windsor Fund for Old Lesbians, gifted to Windsor on her 70th birthday and maintained and administered by Open Meadows Foundation, provides meaningful grants to projects by and for lesbian older adults.

Windsor served on the Board of Directors of SAGE from 1986-1988 and 2005-2007. She was a founding member of the Improv acting group, “Old Queers Acting Up”, whose rallying cry was, “Out of the closest, onto the stage.” For several years, this group performed skits around ageism, racism, and homophobia at various venues.

The case of United States v. Windsor is arguably the most influential legal precedent in the struggle for LGBT marriage equality. In its landmark 2013 ruling, the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which by its terms had excluded gay couples from all the benefits and protections of marriage under federal law. Since Windsor, more than forty federal district court opinions and four circuit courts have held that the U.S. Constitution requires that gay people be allowed to marry.

Windsor passed away on September 12, 2017.

The Common Good was extremely proud to have honored Windsor as a marriage equality citizen activist, presenting her with the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism at The American Spirit Awards 2013 on November 13, 2013.

Nicole Hockley

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Nicole Hockley

Sandy Hook Promise Co-Founder, Activist

Nicole Hockley is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Sandy Hook Promise. Her six-year-old son Dylan Hockley, was was one of 20 children killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012. After his death, she dedicated herself to fighting for children to be safe in their own schools, and so others could be spared the pain of losing loved ones to gun violence.

Hockley co-founded Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit who’s mission is to “honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation by providing programs and practices that protect children from gun violence. By uniting people of all beliefs and backgrounds who value the protection of children to take meaningful actions in their homes and communities, we will prevent gun violence and stop the tragic loss of life.” Hockley is their managing director and continues to fight to prevent gun violence before it occurs, with Sandy Hook Promise releasing powerful PSA’s including their recent “Back-To-School Essentials” video.

She received the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism at The Common Good American Spirit Awards, 2013.

Twitter: @NicoleHockley