Ray Dalio

RAY DALIO

Investor and Hedge Fund Manager

American famed investor, hedge fund manager and philanthropist Ray Dalio is the Co-Chief Investment Officer and Co-Chairman of Bridgewater Associates, the world's largest hedge fund, He started his company in 1975 out of his New York apartment. He's also author to #1 New York Times Bestseller Principles: Life and Work.

Ray Dalio participated in The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards, on March 4, 2021. Mr. Dalio will receive the American Spirit Ward for Business Leadership.

Robert Blakey

G. ROBERT BLAKEY

Attorney and Law Professor

Professor G. Robert Blakey, the nation's foremost authority on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), has served on the Notre Dame Law School faculty for more than 30 years. He teaches in the areas of criminal law and procedure, federal criminal law and procedure, terrorism, and jurisprudence. Blakey's extensive legislative drafting experience resulted in the passage of the Crime Control Act of 1973, the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970 and the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, Title IX of which is known as RICO. He has been personally involved in drafting and implementing RICO-type legislation in 22 of the more than 30 states that have enacted racketeering laws. He frequently argues in or consults on cases involving RICO statutes at both the federal and state levels, including several cases before the United States Supreme Court.

Blakey has considerable expertise in federal and state wiretapping statutes as well. He helped draft and secure passage of Title III on wiretapping of the federal 1968 Crime Control Act, and has been personally involved in drafting and implementing wiretapping legislation in 39 of the 43 states that have enacted such laws. Blakey has extensively investigated the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He served as chief counsel and staff director to the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations from 1977 to 1979, and helped to draft the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. Blakey gave remarks at the 2012 Law School Hooding/Diploma Commencement Ceremony on May 19, 2012. Blakey received Emeritus status in December 2012.

G. Robert Blakey will participate in Revisiting The MLK Assassination with G. Robert Blakey, on April 8, 2021. Books of his include: The Development of the Law of Gambling, Rackets Bureaus: Investigation and Prosecution of Organized Crime, The plot to kill the President, Fatal Hour: The Assassination of President Kennedy by Organized Crime.

Eric Adams

ERIC ADAMS

18th Borough President of Brooklyn

Eric Adams is a politician serving as the 18th and current Borough President of Brooklyn, New York City since 2014. He is a candidate in the 2021 New York City mayoral election in the democratic primary.

Adams served as an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York City Police Department for over two decades, retiring at the rank of captain. In November 2013, Adams was elected Brooklyn Borough President, the first African American to hold the position. 

Eric is a lifelong New Yorker. He received his master’s degree in public administration from Marist College, and is a graduate of New York City Technical College and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is also a proud product of New York City public schools, including Bayside High School in Queens. Today he lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where he has resided for over 20 years.

Eric Adams will participate in The Common Good New York City Mayoral Series with Eric Adams, on April 15 2021. He has one book, Healthy at Last: A Plant-Based Approach to Preventing and Reversing Diabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses.

Clint Watts

CLINT WATTS

Senior Research Fellow

Clint Watts is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and Non-Resident Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy. He is also a national security contributor for NBC News and MSNBC. He recently examined the rise of social media influence by publishing his first book entitled Messing With The Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians and Fake News.

His research and writing focuses on terrorism, counterterrorism, social media influence and Russian disinformation. Clint’s tracking of terrorist foreign fighters allowed him to predict the rise of the Islamic State over al Qaeda in 2014. From 2014 – 2016, Clint worked with a team to track and model the rise of Russian influence operations via social media leading up to the U.S. Presidential election of 2016. This research led Clint to testify before four different Senate committees in 2017 and 2018 regarding Russia’s information warfare campaign against the U.S. and the West.

Clint’s writing has appeared in a range of publications to include the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Daily Beast, Politico, Lawfare, War On The Rocks and the Huffington Post.

Before becoming a consultant, Clint served as a U.S. Army infantry officer, a FBI Special Agent, as the Executive Officer of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point (CTC), as a consultant to the FBI’s Counter Terrorism Division (CTD) and National Security Branch (NSB), and as an analyst supporting the U.S. Intelligence Community and U.S. Special Operations Command.

Clint Watts is participating in Combating Misinformation with Clint Watts and Cong. Jane Harman, on April 22 2021. He has one book, Messing with the Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians, and Fake News.

Ray McGuire

RAY MCGUIRE

Businessman

Ray McGuire is a former Citigroup executive and a current candidate for Mayor of New York City. In this crowded race, McGuire has raised over $2.5 million for his campaign since January, and is on pace to outraise every Democratic candidate for mayor in the past 32 years ahead of the June primary. 

Raised by a single mother in Dayton, Ohio, Ray McGuire graduated from Harvard University’s joint JD/MBA program, before coming to New York to work on Wall Street.

Ray aims to help New York City recover from the pandemic with his Comeback Job Accelerator Plan, create new oversight of policing practices, and find a path to permanent housing for the city’s homeless population.

Ray McGuire participated in The Common Good New York City Mayoral Series With Ray McGuire, on April 23 2021.

Adam Grant

ADAM GRANT

Psychologist

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. He is one of TED's most popular speakers, his books have sold millions of copies, his talks have been viewed more than 25 million times, and his podcast WorkLife with Adam Grant has topped the charts.  His best-selling books include Originals, Give and Take, and Think Again.

His pioneering research has inspired people to rethink fundamental assumptions about motivation, generosity, and creativity. He has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune's 40 under 40, and has received distinguished scientific achievement awards from the American Psychological Association and the National Science Foundation.

Adam received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, and he is a former Junior Olympic springboard diver. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and their three children.

Adam Grant participated in "How to Lead" with David M. Rubenstein and Adam Grant, on February 20 2021. Rubenstein and Grant explored the hallmarks of good leadership from our best political leaders, CEOs, founders and other giants, including the understanding of good - and bad - leadership in the U.S. Presidency and the political arena.

David Rubenstein

DAVID M. RUBENSTEIN

Businessman and Philanthropist

David M. Rubenstein is a Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest private investment firms. He is a 1970 graduate of Duke University and a 1973 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School. He served as Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments before becoming the Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy during the Carter Administration. He also practiced law in both New York City and Washington, D.C.

Mr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Council on Foreign Relations; a Fellow of the Harvard Corporation; a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution; a Trustee of the National Gallery of Art, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Institute for Advanced Study, the Brookings Institution, and the World Economic Forum; a Director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and President of the Economic Club of Washington, among other board seats.

Mr. Rubenstein is an original signer of The Giving Pledge; the host of The David Rubenstein Show; and the author of The American Story and How to Lead.

David M. Rubenstein participated in "How to Lead" with David M. Rubenstein and Adam Grant, on February 20 2021. Rubenstein and Grant explored the hallmarks of good leadership from our best political leaders, CEOs, founders and other giants, including the understanding of good - and bad - leadership in the U.S. Presidency and the political arena.

Byron Wien

BYRON WIEN

Investment Strategist

Byron Wien is Vice Chairman of Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions group where he acts as a senior adviser to both the Firm and its clients in analyzing economic, social and political trends to assess the direction of financial markets and thus help guide investment and strategic decisions. 

He has been known for being "the most widely read analyst on Wall Street," "the No. 1 strategist by SmartMoney.com based on his market calls." and was named to the Smart Money Power 30 list of Wall Street’s most influential investors, thinkers, enforcers, policy makers, players and market movers. He was also named by New York Magazine as one of the sixteen most influential people in Wall Street.

He previously served as Chief Investment Strategist for Pequot Capital and before that served for 21 years as Chief (later Senior) U.S. Investment Strategist at Morgan Stanley. In 1995, Mr. Wien co-authored a book with George Soros on the legendary investor’s life and philosophy, Soros on Soros – Staying Ahead of the Curve.

Byron Wien participated in the Economic Forecast for 2021 with Byron Wien and Joe Zidle, on February 15 2021. Wien and Zidle provided a special forecast on the economy and the markets given the many unusual factors - Covid, a new Administration and the continued political divide, raging unemployment, etc. What are we likely to see in the next few months and what can we hope for?

Rick Hertzberg

RICK HERTZBERG

Award-winning journalist

Rick Hertzberg is an award-winning journalist, best known as the principal political commentator for The New Yorker magazine. He is credited with helping to redesign and revitalize the magazine. He is an accomplished writer and believes that America’s system of winner-take-all elections, federalism, and separation of powers is out of date and damaging to political responsibility and democratic accountability.

He previously served as the editor of The New Republic where under his editorship the magazine twice won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, the magazine world’s highest honor. He went on to serve as the chief speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter where he wrote speeches that at one point increased the president's approval rating by 11 points. Forbes credited Hertzberg as " one of the "25 Most Influential Liberals in the U.S. Media." 

Rick Hertzberg participated in Should the People Pick Our President? With Jesse Wegman and Rick Hertzberg, on January 25, 2021.

Jesse Wegman

JESSE WEGMAN

Journalist and Member of the New York Times Editorial Board

Jesse Wegman serves on the editorial board for The New York Times where he has written about the Supreme Court and legal affairs since 2013. He was previously a senior editor at The Daily Beast and Newsweek, a legal news editor at Reuters, and the managing editor of The New York Observer.

His recent book has been heavily praised with Publishers Weekly saying "Wegman combines in-depth historical analysis and insight into contemporary politics to present a cogent argument that the Electoral College violates America’s ‘core democratic principles’ and should be done away with…" The New York Times wrote, "People have been arguing against the Electoral College from the beginning. But no one… has laid out the case as comprehensively and as readably as Jesse Wegman does.”

Jesse Wegman participated in Should the People Pick Our President? With Jesse Wegman and Rick Hertzberg, on January 25, 2021.

Jeanni Gersen

JEANNIE SUK GERSEN

Professor at Harvard Law School

Jeannie Suk Gersen is a professor at Harvard Law School and is known for her specialty in a large range of topics (including constitutional law, criminal law and procedure). She has written countless articles and three books, one of which, At Home in the Law, was awarded the Law and Society Association's Herbert Jacob Prize for the best law and society book of the year. 

In 2010, she became the first Asian American woman to receive tenure at Harvard Law School.

She is a longtime contributor to The New Yorker, focusing on legal and policy issues. She served as a law clerk to Justice David Souter on the United States Supreme Court, and to Judge Harry Edwards on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Jeanni Suk Gersen participated in The Presidential Pardon with Joyce Vance and Jeanni Suk Gersen, on January 16, 2021.

Joyce Vance

JOYCE VANCE

Former United States Attorney for Alabama

Joyce Vance served as the U.S. Attorney for North Alabama and was one of the first women nominated to the role of U.S. Attorney under President Obama. Her career has made her name be credited with pursuing public corruption prosecutions with integrity. Vance adopted a "smart on crime" approach to violent and recidivist crime, intending to prosecute the most significant cases facing the district so that communities would be safer. As U.S. Attorney, she was responsible for overseeing all federal criminal investigations and prosecutions in north Alabama, including matters involving civil rights, national security, cybercrime, public corruption, health care and corporate fraud, violent crime and drug trafficking. 

She has gone on to join MSNBC as a contributor and frequently provides on-air commentary regarding developments in legal issues that involve the Trump administration, including the ability to self-pardon.  Administration.

Joyce Vance participated in The Presidential Pardon with Joyce Vance and Jeanni Suk Gersen, on January 16, 2021.

Steve Hawkins

STEVE HAWKINS

Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project

Steve Hawkins has been at the forefront of the movement to advance criminal justice reform, working to advance civil and human rights as an advocate, policy strategist, nonprofit leader, and foundation executive.

Steve began his career as an attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund challenging racial disparities in the criminal justice system, particularly where the prosecution sought to impose the death penalty on indigent African Americans. He then served as executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, where he led a bipartisan campaign to end capital punishment for juveniles, leading to repeal in several conservative states and ultimately a historic victory in the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2008, Steve was named executive vice president of the NAACP, where he spearheaded efforts to end the New York City police practice of “stop and frisk,” worked with leading corporations to remove obstacles to employment for formerly incarcerated persons, and engaged elected officials to restore voting rights to former felons. He also successfully encouraged the NAACP board of directors to adopt its policy in support of marijuana decriminalization. Steve continued working to address civil and human rights abuses in the United States as executive director of the American section of Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organization. Under his leadership, the organization confronted police abuse in Ferguson, Baltimore, and other cities, and it spotlighted prolonged solitary confinement and other human rights violations occurring in U.S. prisons and jails.

Most recently, Steve was the president of the Coalition for Public Safety, the largest national bipartisan effort to reform the justice system at the state and federal levels. In this role, he oversaw campaigns to advance policy change through public education, engagement with government officials, and mobilizing stakeholders. He also fostered development of strategic alliances involving business leaders, law enforcement officials, scholars, faith leaders, victims’ advocates and other key voices.

Steve Hawkins participated in Marijuana Legalization with Dr. Mitch Rosenthal and Steve Hawkins, on April 1st 2021.

Mitch Rosenthal

MITCH ROSENTHAL

President of the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies

Mitchell S. “Mitch” Rosenthal, M.D. is president of the Rosenthal Center for Addiction Studies a nonprofit institution designed to meet the informational needs of healthcare professionals, policy makers, and members of the public confronting issues of drug use and addiction.

A pioneer in the treatment of substance abuse, Dr. Rosenthal was founder of Phoenix House, the nation's leading private, non-profit provider of substance abuse services. He began work in the field in 1965 as a psychiatrist at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Oakland, California (1965-1967), where he established the first service-sponsored therapeutic community, successfully treating both alcoholics and drug addicts.  

As a leading advocate for the treatment community, Dr. Rosenthal chaired the New York State Advisory Council on Substance Abuse from 1985 to 1997. He has been a White House advisor on drug abuse and a special consultant to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. A graduate of Lafayette College, Dr. Rosenthal earned his medical degree at the State University of New York's (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center. He served his residencies - in adult, child, and community psychiatry at Kings County Psychiatric Hospital, and the Staten Island Mental Health Society. He is a lecturer in psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Humane Letters) by SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 2002.

Mitchell S. Rosenthal participated in Marijuana Legalization with Dr. Mitch Rosenthal and Steve Hawkins, on April 1st 2021. He has one book from 1972, Drugs, Parents, and Children: The Three-way Connection.

Tom Rogers

TOM ROGERS

Founder of CNBC and MSNBC

Tom Rogers, a true innovator and leader in the field of television, news and entertainment, Tom Rogers is the founder of CNBC and a CNBC contributor, as well as the founder of MSNBC. He also served as the first President of NBC cable. He is the former CEO of TiVo and is currently Chairman of Engine Media, a broad based sports, esports, and news content & distribution company. He can also be credited for bringing Netflix and Amazon to the TV screen. He is the former Senior Counsel to the House Telecommunications Committee where he oversaw the FCC and media industry. He is also an Editor-at-Large for Newsweek.

He has been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame and has won an Emmy Award for contributions to the development of advanced television and advanced advertising.

Tom Rogers was the moderator in The Common Good New York City Mayoral Candidate Speaker Series With Maya Wiley on March 25 2021.

Maya Wiley

MAYA WILEY

American lawyer, professor, and civil rights activist

Maya Wiley is a nationally recognized racial justice and equity advocate. She is a leader in city government and in spurring democratic change. As Counsel to the Mayor, she delivered for New York City on civil and immigrant rights, women and minority owned business contracts, universal broadband access and more. After leaving City Hall, she held police accountable as Chair of the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and worked to improve public education as a Co-Chair of the School Diversity Task Force. At the New School, where she served as a University Professor, she founded the Digital Equity Laboratory on universal and inclusive broadband.

Maya is a veteran of both the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the ACLU, was a former Legal Analyst for NBC News and MSNBC — where she argued against Trump’s attacks on our civil liberties and democratic norms — and was the founder and president of the Center for Social Inclusion. Maya was also Senior Advisor on Race and Poverty at the Open Society Foundations, the largest funder of human rights work the world over.

Maya Wiley participated in The Common Good New York City Mayoral Candidate Speaker Series With Maya Wiley, on March 25 2021.

Al Sharpton

AL SHARPTON

American Civil Rights Activist

Reverend Al Sharpton, is an internationally renowned civil rights leader, Baptist minister, politician, talk show host, and founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), which has more than 100 chapters across the country. Reverend Sharpton is also the host of “PoliticsNation” on MSNBC; a nationally syndicated daily radio show “Keepin’ It Real”; and a nationally broadcast radio show on Sunday titled, “The Hour of Power.”

A disciple of the teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Reverend Sharpton has been at the forefront of the modern civil rights movement for nearly half of a century. He has championed police reform and accountability, calling for the elimination of unjust policies like “Stop-and-Frisk.” Reverend Sharpton also has a brief history of advocating for voting rights, equity in education and healthcare, LGBTQ rights. Sharpton’s advocacy efforts and “tell it like it is” personality led to him being hailed as a “champion for the downtrodden" by former and first African American President Barack Obama.

Reverend Al Sharpton participated in The Civil Rights Movement with Reverend Al Sharpton, on March 18 2021.

Moderated by past speaker Jill Iscol and, new to The Common Good, Ralph Dawson.

Philippe Etienne

PHILIPPE ETIENNE

French Ambassador to the United States

Philippe Etienne is the Ambassador of France to the United States. He previously held numerous posts within the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, notably including Ambassador of France to Romania (2002-2005), Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs (2007-2009), Permanent Representative of France to the European Union (2009-2014), Ambassador of France to Germany (2014-2017) and most recently, Diplomatic Adviser to the President (2017-2019).

Philippe Etienne is an expert on the European Union and continental Europe. He has held posts in Moscow, Belgrade, Bucharest, Bonn, Berlin and Brussels. He has also served as an adviser in the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs on several occasions.

A graduate of the École Normale Supérieure and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (“Voltaire” Class, 1980), Philippe Etienne also holds the Agrégation (teaching diploma) in Mathematics, has a degree in Economics and is a graduate of the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Serbo-Croatian).

He speaks English, German, Spanish, Russian and Romanian.

He is an Officer of the Legion of Honor and a Commander of the National Order of Merit.

Philippe Etienne participated in U.S. - French Relations, on March 10 2021.

Oren Segal

OREN SEGAL

Vice President of the Center of Extremism at the Anti-Defamation League

Oren Segal is the Vice President of the Center of Extremism at the Anti-Defamation League. Oren Segal and the ADL fight against extremism, terrorism, and all other forms of hate in the real world and on social media. Recognized as the foremost authority on extremism, the Center provides resources, expertise and training which enables law enforcement, public officials and internet and technology companies to identify and counter emerging threats.

Oren joined the ADL in 1998 after working for the New York Times and the Jewish Community Federation in San Francisco. Most of Oren’s 21 years at the ADL has been directed towards evaluating the activity and tactics of extremist groups and movements from across the political spectrum, training law enforcement, and publishing reports and articles on a wide range of extremist topics. In 2006, Oren was recognized by the FBI for his exceptional service in the public interest. He was named to the Forward’s list of 50 influential, intriguing, and inspiring American Jews in 2019.

Additionally, Oren Segal is an expert on Muslim extremism overseeing the ADL’s Islamic Affairs department. In a presentation titled “Muslim Extremism: A Growing Domestic and International Threat,” Mr. Segal provides an overview of the radicalization process and criminal activity associated with those motivated by radical Islamic interpretations.

Oren Segal has been interviewed by national and international media outlets such as: ABC World News Tonight, FOX News, The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the National Geographic Channel.

Oren is a graduate from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

Oren Segal participated in The Rise and Threat of Right Wing Domestic Terrorism. Along with Jeh Johnson, Michael German and Robert Pape he discussed the rise of right wing terrorism, and what can be done to fight it.

Robert Pape

ROBERT PAPE

Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago

Robert Pape is Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs, as well as, a successful publicist. His commentary on international security policy has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, as well as on Nightline, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and National Public Radio. 

Before coming to Chicago in 1999, he taught international relations at Dartmouth College for five years and air power strategy for the USAF's School of Advanced Airpower Studies for three years.

His current work focuses on the causes of suicide terrorism and the politics of unipolarity. He is the director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats.

Robert Pape participated in The Rise and Threat of Right Wing Domestic Terrorism. Along with Jeh Johnson, Michael German and Oren Segal he discussed the rise of right wing terrorism, and what can be done to fight it.