Every two years, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government holds an “orientation” for new members of Congress. Several of our new members of Congress, including MA-9’s new star Ayanna Pressley and MA-4’s Lori Trahan, protested outside. I skeptically read a few descriptions of the event as “corporate”, “centrist”, and so forth. Well, look at the list of speakers, and decide for yourself:
Hon. Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, former Secretary of Labor and Director of the Peace Corps
Hon. Ash Carter, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and Belfer Professor of Technology and Global Affairs
Hon. Mitch Landrieu, former Mayor of New Orleans, IOP Visiting Fellow
Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, and Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.
Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors
Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute, Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School
Gary Cohn, former Director of the National Economic Council
Douglas Elmendorf, former Director of the Congressional Budget Office, Dean of Harvard Kennedy School
David Gergen, former Presidential adviser, Public Service Professor of Public Leadership, Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School
Alex Gorsky, Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson
I suppose if you squint hard, based on her areas of publication, you could call Danielle Allen a liberal; she’s an ethicist with an antiquarian bent, decidedly not a partisan. Other than that, there’s two Trump appointees; center-right professionals Gergen, Elmendorf, and Carter; the head of the right-to-hard-right American Enterprise Institute; and moderate Landrieu.
Can I ask what the CEO’s of Johnson and Johnson and GM are doing here? Beyond the obvious, of course: The expectation that it’s corporations that actually run this game. Ya gotta know the territory, incoming Congressfolk …
They couldn’t get Marshall Ganz to talk labor (say)? John McDonough to talk health care? Robert Stavins on climate? etc? These are just resources around Harvard, off the top of my head.
Was it really that bad? Yes it was. Better to be out in the cold with Pressley, Trahan, and Ocasio-Cortez.
johntmay says
Mrs. Mitch McConnell…..say no more.
Charley on the MTA says
I’m going to say that I”m not going to define women by their spouses. She’s got her own career to answer for.
Christopher says
So what exactly is the purpose of this event? I could definitely see the Kennedy School offering a crash course in governance, but I would also assume official orientation events take place in DC.
alwaysdad says
Sometimes it’s a little crazy-making reading posts like this. And really, if anyone wants to know about the New Members program design… just ask. We get pilloried by the left and the right – though, seriously – we’re happy to share why and how the program is structured.
For example, on climate change, Rob Stavins was indeed on the program. As was Phil Sharp, the long-time member of Congress and recent head of Resources for the Future.
Raj Chetty led a lively conversation about poverty and opportunity. The New Members heard from – and were moved by – Bryan Stevenson.
It seems odd to me folks have downplayed the presence of Danielle Allen in the program, and have glossed over Samantha Power’s presence. Richard Frank and Sheila Burke led conversations on healthcare and prescription drugs. The whole group was transfixed by Malala Yousafzai.
Yes, Gary Cohn was at our gathering. He was on a panel to talk about economic policy – since he was a recent Director of the National Economic Council, which is a position he had *after* he was at Goldman Sachs. Another big “corporate type” was Mary Barra, and her perspective on the future of manufacturing is crucial for all to hear.
By the way, the New Members of Congress program takes no money – zero – from any outside interests. The program used to get some Non-Profit grants to help, though that all stopped in 1996, when we decided that we didn’t want any possibility of feeling outside pressures linked to dollars.
– David King (at HKS)