Omeed Malik

omeed-malik__52314.jpg

Omeed Malik

Executive, founder &CEO of Farvahar Partners

Omeed Malik is the Founder and CEO of Farvahar Partners, a boutique merchant bank which invests partner capital into growth businesses and acts as a liquidity provider of private placements on behalf of companies and institutional investors.

Prior to starting his own firm, Omeed was a Managing Director and the Global Head of the Hedge Fund Advisory Business at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Omeed was also the founder and head of the Emerging Manager Program within the Global Equities business. In this capacity, Omeed was charged with selecting both established and new hedge funds for the firm to partner with and oversaw the allocation of financing/prime brokerage, capital strategy, business consulting and talent introduction resources. Omeed has also worked in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, and he has appeared on Showtime's TV series Billions in a cameo role.

Omeed moderated Anthony Scaramucci’s conversation on “Growing the Economy and Jobs – Comments on the Trump Agenda” at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017 and hosted a Summer Cocktail Party with Manhattan Magazine at The Common Good in 2011. He also moderated a panel discussion on “Investing the People’s Money” at The Common Good Forum 2015.

J.M. Berger

J.M.+Berger.jpg

J.M. Berger

Author, Non-resident Fellow with the Brookings Institution Project

With roots in newspaper journalism, J.M. Berger is an author and analyst studying online extremism, homegrown terrorism, advanced social media analysis, and countering violent extremism. His book Jihad Joe: Americans Who Go to War in the Name of Islam (Potomac Books, 2011), is the only definitive history of American involvement in jihadist movements. He is also co-author of ISIS: The State of Terror (Ecco, 2015) with Jessica Stern, a book that “should be required reading for every politician and policymaker,” according to The Washington Post.

Berger has written extensively on the evolution of al-Qaeda and the rise of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). He interviewed American al-Shabab member Omar Hammami at length and published a widely read account of their interactions after the jihadist was killed by his former allies in 2013. Berger is especially known for his research into the tactics of extremists on social media. In addition to important articles on the subject for The Atlantic and Foreign Policy, he co-authored the 2013 study “Who Matters Online: Measuring influence, evaluating content and countering violent extremism in online social networks,” which introduced new analytical techniques for understanding extremist social networks. He expanded on these techniques in 2015 with “The ISIS Twitter Census”, published by the Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World. In 2004, Berger founded Intelwire.com, a website publishing investigative journalism, analysis, and primary source documents on terrorism and international security, including exclusive declassified documents on the September 11 attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing.

Berger has written for Politico, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Daily Beast Nature, and the CTC Sentinel, and previously worked as a producer for National Public Radio and Public Radio International. He also trains and consults for law enforcement and government agencies on issues related to countering violent extremism and advanced social media analysis.

Twitter: @intelwire

Thomas DiNapoli

Thomas+DiNapoli.jpg

Thomas DiNapoli

54th Comptroller of the State of New York

Thomas P. DiNapoli is the 54th Comptroller of the State of New York. He is known for his integrity, independence and steadfast leadership. Since taking office in 2007, Tom DiNapoli has aggressively fought misuse of public resources, strengthened one of the nation’s top public pension funds, and consistently spoken out against fiscal gimmicks and government inefficiency.

Comptroller DiNapoli has changed the way the $176.8 billion state pension fund operates to increase transparency and establish strong internal controls, ensuring the strongest investment performance and ethical operations. He barred investment firms contributing to his campaign from doing business with the state pension fund. He was also a leading voice in getting the Securities and Exchange Commission to impose tough new rules on “pay to play” to prevent improper influence on investment decisions.

Protecting public funds from waste, fraud and abuse is part of Comptroller DiNapoli’s core responsiblities. His audits and efforts have identified billions in misuse, waste and savings. He has also been relied on to examine public finances and provide an independent, credible analysis of government finances. In January 2013, his office launched a Fiscal Monitoring System to score localities on their fiscal condition, sending an early warning to those in trouble.

DiNapoli spoke at The Common Good Forum 2015 on the panel “Investing the People’s Money” alongside Jane Buchan, Janet Cowell, moderated by Omeed Malik.

Twitter: @NYSComptroller

Dana Bash

gh.jpg

Dana Bash

CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent in Washington D.C.

Dana Bash is CNN’s chief political correspondent based in Washington, D.C. and serves as the network’s lead reporter covering both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. She was the primary reporter covering the 2016 Republican field of presidential candidates and also continues to regularly serve as a moderator for CNN’s political town hall specials.

Additionally, as the network’s chief political correspondent, Bash played a key role in CNN’s 2016 presidential primary debates, serving as a questioner in six of the network’s seven primetime primary debates on both sides of the aisle. Bash also serves as a co-anchor on set in the CNN Election Center for all election night specials and is the primary fill-in anchor for Jake Tapper on CNN’s premier political show, State of the Union.

Bash attended The Common Good Forum - May 14, 2015 as a moderator for the panel Lead Up to 2016 and Beyond: US Politics Now, with Margaret Hoover, Jim McLaughlin, and Robert Zimmerman.

Twitter: @DanaBashCNN

Janet Cowell

Janet+Cowell.jpg

Janet Cowell

Former Treasurer of North Carolina

Janet Cowell is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Girls Who Invest, and is the former Treasurer of North Carolina, the first woman to hold the office. She was first elected to the post in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. Cowell oversees more than $90 billion in pension investments for the more than 900,000 teachers, firefighters, and public employees in North Carolina. As Treasurer, she manages the 32nd largest public pension in the world and the third most solid in the nation. 

Under Cowell’s executive leadership, North Carolina is one of only ten states in the country to earn a AAA bond rating by all three rating agencies. Treasurer Cowell was recently named one of the top 25 public pension executives in the world by Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute.

Cowell spoke at The Common Good Forum 2015 on the panel “Investing the People’s Money” alongside Jane Buchan, Thomas DiNapoli, moderated by Omeed Malik.

Twitter: @JanetCowell

Everett Cook

gg.jpg

Everett Cook

Pouschine Cook Co-founder

Prior to co-founding Pouschine Cook, Everett was a managing director of Ampton Investments, Inc., where he focused on private middle market recapitalizations and acquisitions and was Chairman and CEO of Bake Rite Foods, Inc. Prior to Ampton, Everett served as an operating executive and director at several companies owned and controlled by his family. He was a vice president and director of Cook International, Inc., a vice president and director of Terminix International, Inc., a director of PBCM, Inc., and chairman of Cook Flexner & Co., Inc. Previously, he was a mortgage securities and corporate finance professional with First Pennco Securities, Inc.

Annie E. Clark

hy.jpg

Annie Clark

Co-founder of EROC

Annie E. Clark is a co-founder of EROC, and a lead complainant in the Title IX and Clery complaints against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Political Science. She has a certificate in business, and is a former administrator at the University of Oregon. She is a contributing writer to The Huffington Post, MSNBC, and The Chronicle Vitae. After directly working with New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, she helped write the Bi-Partisan Campus Safety and Accountability Act. In 2013, she was listed alongside President Barack Obama as one of the most influential forces in higher education, and she is featured in the campus sexual assault documentary The Hunting Ground.

Clark was honored with the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism alongside Andrea Pino at The American Spirit Awards - May 14, 2015.

Twitter: @aelizabethclark

Secretary Michael Chertoff

Honorable+Michael+Chertoff.jpg

secretary Michael Chertoff

Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Michael Chertoff was Secretary of the U.S. Departement of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009. He co-authored the USA Patriot Act and also transformed FEMA into an effective organization following Hurricane Katrina.

Before his role as Secretary, Mr. Chertoff served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Earlier, during more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, he dealt with cases of political corruption, organized crime, corporate fraud and terrorism – including the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Mr. Chertoff currently works at the Chertoff Group and provides high-level strategic counsel to corporate and government leaders on a broad range of security issues, from risk identification and prevention to preparedness, response and recovery.

He is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College (1975) and Harvard Law School (1978). From 1979-1980 he served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Jr.

Mr. Chertoff spoke at The Common Good Forum - May 14, 2015.

Mr. Chertoff returned to speak at the National Security Threats event alongside Jane Harman.

Bob Woodruff

gettyimages-456491520_wide-c53f2c806aae36de55e918ebe877132d61aa4d11-s900-c85-600x337.jpg

Bob Woodruff

Reporter

While reporting on U.S. and Iraqi security forces for ABC’s World News Tonight, in 2006, Bob was seriously injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle near Taji, Iraq. In a miraculous recovery, just 13 months later, Bob returned to ABC News with To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports. Since then, he has reported from around the globe on a variety of subjects for the network. He was honored with a Peabody Award for his reporting on traumatic brain injury. In his best selling memoir, In an Instant, co-authored with his wife, he shares stories about the fragility of life, the strength of family, and the bravery of those who helped save him. Woodruff is also a co-founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which coordinates 46,000 nonprofits to find, fund and shape forward-thinking programs in communities where veterans and their families and caregivers live and work.

Woodruff received an American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism from J.R. Martinez at The American Spirit Awards 2015.

Twitter: @BobWoodruff

Willem Hendrik Buiter

Willem+Hendrik+Buiter.jpg

Willem Hendrik Buiter

Chief Economist of Citigroup

Willem Buiter is Chief Economist of Citigroup. Prior to his appointment at Citigroup, he was professor of European Political Economy at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England (1997-2000) and Chief Economist and Special Adviser to the President at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) (2000-2005). He has held academic appointments at Princeton University, the University of Bristol, Yale University and the University of Cambridge and has been a consultant and advisor to the International Monetary Fund, The World Bank, The Inter-American Development Bank, the EBRD, the European Communities and a number of national governments and government agencies. Since 2005, he is an Advisor to Goldman Sachs International. He has published widely on subjects such as open economy macroeconomics, monetary and exchange rate theory, fiscal policy, social security, economic development and transition economies. He obtained his PhD in Economics from Yale in 1975. He is a CEPR Research Fellow.

Website: http://www.willembuiter.com/

Jane Buchan

sd.jpg

Jane Buchan

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of PAAMCO

Jane Buchan is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of PAAMCO, a global institutional investment firm based in Irvine, California, with offices in London and Singapore.

Since its founding in 2000, PAAMCO has focused on investing in hedge funds on behalf of institutional investors, and currently manages $9.5 billion on behalf of public and private pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, endowments and financial institutions.

Buchan is actively involved in initiatives to increase research and knowledge, and further the careers of women in the hedge fund industry. She currently serves as Chairwoman of the Board for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA), where she launched a CAIA Scholars Program for women interested in hedge fund portfolio management. Buchan is a founding Angel for 100 Women in Hedge Funds and also serves as a trustee for the Hedge Fund Standards Board. She also serves as a trustee and member of the investment committees for Reed College and the University of California Irvine Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board for the Master of Financial Engineering Program at University of California Los Angeles Anderson School of Management, and an Associate Editor for The Journal of Alternative Investments.

Buchan spoke at The Common Good Forum 2015 on the panel “Investing the People’s Money” alongside Janet Cowell, Thomas DiNapoli, moderated by Omeed Malik.

Bernard Kerik

102628952-452531784.1910x1000.jpg

Bernard Kerik

40th Police Commissioner of the City of New York

Bernard B. Kerik is one of the most controversial and accomplished leaders in law enforcement, correction, and national security in the United States. He served as the 40th Police Commissioner of the City of New York.

A high school dropout, he later volunteered for the U.S. Army, earned his GED, and served in the Military Police Corps in Korea and at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There he taught defensive tactics at the John F. Kennedy Unconventional Warfare Center to U.S. Special Forces and special operations personnel. After his military service, he spent four years in various security assignments in Saudi Arabia. In 1981, he joined the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department in New Jersey, where he served as the Commander of Special Weapons and Operations and as Warden of the Passaic County Jail. He then became the Police Commissioner of the City of New York. His term was marked by dramatic reductions in crime, enhanced community relations, and his unflinching leadership and oversight, as he led New York City through the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11, overseeing the rescue, recovery and investigation. In 2001, he was one of the founding members of the Board of Trustees of the Twin Towers Fund, which raised and distributed $216 million to over 600 families related the emergency service workers killed on 9/11.

In March 2014, Kerik published his second book, From Jailer to Jailed: My Journey from Correction and Police Commissioner to Inmate 84888-054, documenting the 13 prior years of his life including his incarceration and personal observations of the U.S. criminal justice system. He has spoken adamantly about prison reform since his release.

Kerik was hosted by The Common Good in 2015: Law Enforcement, Corrections and Prison Reform with Former NYC Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik.

Twitter: @BernardKerik

Danny Glover

Danny+Glover.jpg

Danny Glover

American actor, film director, political activist

Daniel Lebern “Danny” Glover is an American actor, film director and political activist. Glover is well known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series, Mr. Albert Johnson in The Color Purple, cowboy Mal Johnson in Silverado, Michael Harrigan in Predator 2, corrupt cop James McFee in Witness, Colonel Isaac Johnson in Shooter, Detective David Tapp in Saw, and George Knox in Angels in the Outfield. He has also appeared in many other movies, television shows, and theatrical productions. He is an active supporter of various humanitarian and political causes.

While attending San Francisco State University (SFSU), Glover was a member of the Black Students Union, which, along with the Third World Liberation Front and the American Federation of Teachers, collaborated in a five-month student-led strike to establish a Department of Black Studies. It helped create not only the first Department of Black Studies but also the first School of Ethnic Studies in the United States. Glover was charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly after being arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington during a protest over Sudan’s humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Glover’s long history of union activism includes support for the United Farm Workers, UNITE HERE, and numerous service unions. In January 2006, Harry Belafonte led a delegation of activists, including Glover and activist/professor Cornel West, in a meeting with President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez.

Glover is a board member of The Algebra Project, The Black AIDS Institute, Walden House, Cheryl Byron’s Something Positive Dance Group, and is a member of the board of directors of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank led by economist Dean Baker. Glover is also an active board member of the TransAfrica Forum.

The Common Good hosted Glover in March of 2015; The Common Good Trip to Selma, Alabama.

Twitter: @mrdannyglover

Jesse Jackson

55th-anniversary-of-bens-chili-bowl.jpg

Jesse Jackson

American Civil Rights Activist

Jesse Jackson is a civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and politician who ran for U.S. president twice. In 1965, he went to Selma, Alabama to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 1980’s, he became a leading national spokesman for African-Americans. After being appointed special envoy to Africa, he was awarded the 2000 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Reverend Jackson began his activism as a student in the summer of 1960 seeking to desegregate the local public library in Greenville, and then as a leader in the sit-in movement. In 1965, he became a full-time organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He was soon appointed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to direct the Operation Breadbasket program. In December of 1971, Reverend Jackson founded Operation PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) in Chicago, IL. The goals of Operation PUSH were economic empowerment and expanding educational, business and employment opportunities for the disadvantaged and people of color. In 1991, Reverend Jesse Jackson was elected Senator of Washington, D.C., advocating for statehood for the nation’s capital, and advancing the “rainbow” agenda at the national and international levels. Since then, he has continued to promote voter registration and lead get-out-the-vote campaigns, believing that everyone should be encouraged to be a responsible, informed and active voter.

From 1992 to 2000, Reverend Jackson hosted Both Sides With Jesse Jackson on CNN. He continues to write a weekly column of analysis which is syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/Los Angles Times. He is the author of two books: Keep Hope Alive and Straight From the Heart. In 1996, Reverend Jackson co-authored the books Legal Lynching: Racism, Injustice, and the Death Penalty and It’s About The Money with his son, U.S. Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. The U.S. Post Office put his likeness on a pictorial postal cancellation, only the second living person to receive such an honor. He has been on the Gallup List of the Ten Most Respected Americans for more than a dozen years. He has received the prestigious NAACP Spingarn Award in addition to honors from hundreds of grassroots, civic and community organizations from coast to coast.

Jackson was honored by The Common Good in Selma, Alabama in 2015: The Common Good Trip to Selma, Alabama.

Twitter: @RevJJackson

President Barack Obama

_93339875_obamalaughing.jpg

President Barack Obama

44th President of the United States of America

In February 2007, Obama made headlines when he announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He was locked in a tight battle with former first lady and then-U.S. senator from New York Hillary Rodham Clinton. On June 3, 2008, Obama became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee after winning a sufficient number of pledged delegates during the primaries, and Clinton delivered her full support to Obama for the duration of his campaign. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama defeated Republican presidential nominee John McCain, 52.9 percent to 45.7 percent, to win election as the 44th president of the United States—and the first African-American to hold this office. His running mate, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, became vice president.

In the 2012 election, Obama faced Republican opponent Mitt Romney and Romney's vice-presidential running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan. On November 6, 2012, Obama won a second four-year term as president by receiving nearly five million more votes than Romney and capturing more than 60 percent of the Electoral College. Barack Obama officially began his second term on January 21, 2013, when U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office.

Some of his major accomplishments after being elected consisted of ending the 2008 recession, reforming healthcare, and negotiating the world’s largest trade agreement also known as the “Trans-Pacific Partnership.”

The Common Good was proud to send a delegation to Selma, Alabama, from March 6th-8th, 2015, for the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Selma. Our delegation was proud to walk with the group led by President Obama and hear him speak.

Twitter: @BarackObama

John Lewis

ii.jpg

representative john lewis

U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district

John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls "The Beloved Community” in America. (1)

During the height of the Movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. SNCC was largely responsible for organizing student activism in the Movement, including sit-ins and other activities. By 1963, he was dubbed one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. At the age of 23, he was an architect of and a keynote speaker at the historic March on Washington in August 1963. Lewis went on to become the Director of the Voter Education Project (VEP). In 1977, John Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency. (1)

He was elected to Congress in November 1986 and has served as U.S. Representative of Georgia's Fifth Congressional District since then. He is Senior Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party in leadership in the House, a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, a member of its Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, and Ranking Member of its Subcommittee on Oversight. (1)

John Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards from eminent national and international institutions. (1)

Lewis attended The Common Good Trip to Selma, Alabama and is a recipient of the American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service, awarded by The Common Good in 2016.

Twitter: @repjohnlewis

(1) Material from Congressman John Lewis’s website.

Rep. Steny Hoyer

Screen+Shot+2019-06-25+at+12.27.42+PM.jpg

Rep. Steny Hoyer

U.S. Representative for Maryland's 5th congressional district

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland is a strong advocate of Democrats’ policies to strengthen America’s middle class, its economy, and its national security.

In response to the recession, Congressman Hoyer helped lead House passage of investments and tax cuts that non-partisan experts say are responsible for 3 million jobs. He is also spearheading the Make It In America agenda, a plan to rebuild American manufacturing and its well-paying jobs. Representative Hoyer made crucial contributions to the passage of legislation to expand access to affordable health care to all Americans.

As an advocate of equal opportunity, Congressman Hoyer guided the historic Americans with Disabilities Act to passage in 1990, as well as the ADA Amendments Act in 2008 which strengthened the law. He was a lead sponsor of the Help America Vote Act in 2002, which was hailed as the most important voting rights legislation since the 1960’s. And in 2010, he was a leader in successfully ending the outdated and discriminatory policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Congressman Hoyer also served as Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, fighting for political and religious freedom during the last years of the Soviet Union. He led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Darfur in 2007 to call greater attention to the recent genocide and has continued to support a strong American role in defense of human rights.

Congressman Hoyer spoke at a Breakfast and Discussion with: Majority Leader Steny Hoyer at The Common Good in 2009 and at The Common Good Trip to Selma, Alabama in 2015.

Twitter: @leaderhoyer

Joshua Zeman

cv.jpg

Joshua Zeman

Film producer

Joshua Zeman is a producer and writer, known for Cropsey (2009), The Station Agent (2003) and Mysterious Skin (2004). (1)

Zeman spoke at The Common Good in 2015 about his movie 52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale.

Twitter: @joshzeman

(1) Material from IMDb.

Adrian Grenier

dsd.jpg

Adrian Grenier

Actor, producer, director, musician, environmentalist

Adrian Grenier is an American actor. He has played Vincent Chase in the TV series Entourage (2004–2011) and the 2015 film, and has starred in Drive Me Crazy, The Devil Wears Prada, and Trash Fire. On World Environment Day 2017, Grenier was appointed as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme. (1)

Grenier was hosted by The Common Good in 2015 to discuss his documentary: 52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale - February 5, 2015.

Twitter: @adriangrenier

(1) Material from Wikipedia.