MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jason Shevrin: [email protected], 202-994-5631
John Brandt: [email protected], 202-994-3199
WASHINGTON – The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) on Wednesday announced the inaugural “Reimagining Disruption: Emerging Opportunities to Reboot our Public Discourse” conference. The event, Feb. 28-March 2, will bring together current and former elected officials, tech industry experts, senior public affairs professionals and academics to discuss ways in which interested parties can disrupt today’s partisan rancor and reimagine political communications in a way that elevates civic discourse and restores sportsmanship to politics.
“It’s time we reimagine what it means to be a professional in politics and communications,” said GSPM Director Lara Brown. “We need to humanize the people that work in politics and demystify the jobs that they do, so there is a broader understanding that politics is public service. The goal of this summit is to uplift practitioners and reinforce the enduring principle that politics is a process, not a partisan outcome. We hope through these conversations to develop innovative approaches to infuse our civic discourse with greater positivity.”
Three marquee events occur within the conference program:
Paul O’Dwyer Lecture Series for Political Ethics:
Former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, D-Md.
Former Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fla.
Frank J. Fahrenkopf and Charles T. Manatt Lecture:
Former Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
Former Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.
Former Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine
Richard W. Blackburn Endowed Lecture on Civility and Integrity, in partnership with the GW School of Business:
Mark Penn, president and founder, The Stagwell Group
Mitch Semel, founder, Semel Media
Charlotte Blank, chief behavioral officer, Maritz
Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP
In addition to these lectures, a daylong series of breakout panels will discuss the ways in which technology, communications and advocacy platforms can be used to improve the tone of public discourse, elevate civility and foster bipartisan solutions. A full list of panels and participants is available on the Reimagining Disruption website.
GSPM is joined in this endeavor by a host of sponsors and partners for this event that range from multinational corporations, to labor unions, to leading public affairs firms, political consultancies and professional societies. A full list of sponsors and partners is available on the Reimagining Disruption website.
To gain media access to the Reimagining Disruption conference, contact Jason Shevrin at [email protected] or John Brandt at [email protected].
-GW-