Fridays with Frank
Fridays with Frank
How Do Democracies Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century?
Join us for live virtual events hosted by Boise State’s OSHER Institute for Lifelong Learning.
Events are always held on Fridays.
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Crown, Cloak and Dagger: A Conversation with Richard Aldrich and Rory Cormac
March 1, 10:00 a.m. MT
Richard J. Aldrich is an award-winning spy writer, historian, and presenter of documentaries for PBS, Channel 4, and ZDF. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick, and the author of many books including Crown, Cloak and Dagger (2023) and The Black Door (2016), both written with Rory Cormac. His articles have appeared in International Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy.
Rory Cormac is a professor of International Relations specializing in the study of covert action and secret statecraft. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is the author of How to Stage a Coup and 10 Other Lessons from the World of Secret Statecraft (2022) and, with Richard J. Aldrich, Crown, Cloak and Dagger (2023). He regularly appears on television and radio, and as a columnist for the Spectator magazine.
This conversation will be moderated by Chase Johnson, PhD candidate at the University of Warwick researching intelligence oversight and accountability. He is a graduate of Boise State University where he was the Frank Church scholar of public affairs. He also has a degree in Russian Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Chase is a member of the Board of Directors of the Frank Church Insititute.
The U.S. Senate Then and Now: A Historical Perspective
Don Ritchie, former Historian of the Senate
This semester’s seven-part Discussion Group series, “Giants of the Senate,” will be led by author and political consultant Robert Blaemire.
The series will discuss former Democratic and Republican Senators, their accomplishments, and their challenges. Featuring former campaign staffers and notable politicos as his guests, Blaemire will lead conversations about times when the Senate and Congress worked together and when many bipartisan acts were passed.
*The Dole Discussion Groups are made possible by a grant from Newman’s Own Foundation and are presented in partnership with the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University and the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University.
Giants of the Senate - Howard Baker of Tennessee
Giants of the Senate – Howard Baker of Tennessee. Senate leader, White House Chief of Staff, Ambassador to Japan.
Tom Griscom, staff of Senator Howard Baker (R-TN)
This semester’s seven-part Discussion Group series, “Giants of the Senate,” will be led by author and political consultant Robert Blaemire.
The series will discuss former Democratic and Republican Senators, their accomplishments, and their challenges. Featuring former campaign staffers and notable politicos as his guests, Blaemire will lead conversations about times when the Senate and Congress worked together and when many bipartisan acts were passed.
The Dole Discussion Groups are made possible by a grant from Newman’s Own Foundation and are presented in partnership with the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University and the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University.
Birch Bayh and Frank Church: Two Democratic Giants of the Senate in the ‘60s and ‘70s
This semester’s seven-part Discussion Group series, “Giants of the Senate,” will be led by author and political consultant Robert Blaemire.
The series will discuss former Democratic and Republican Senators, their accomplishments, and their challenges. Featuring former campaign staffers and notable politicos as his guests, Blaemire will lead conversations about times when the Senate and Congress worked together and when many bipartisan acts were passed.
*The Dole Discussion Groups are made possible by a grant from Newman’s Own Foundation and are presented in partnership with the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University and the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University.
Why Congress Matters
Watch “Why Congress Matters” on YouTube.
Sponsored by Congress to Campus, the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, and Community Development, Inc.
Dr. Marlene Tromp is the 7th president of Boise State University. She is committed to supporting students and faculty, serving and advancing the state of Idaho, and helping the university foster research excellence to increase discovery for its students and the world.
Before joining Boise State in July 2019, Dr. Tromp was the campus provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the 26th best public university in the country. Before joining the University of California system – broadly recognized as the premier public university system in the country – Dr. Tromp was the dean of Arizona State University’s New Interdisciplinary College of Arts and Sciences and the vice provost of the university’s West Campus.
Former Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA) served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District from 1999-2011. He served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure; Science; and Budget Committees; as well as the Democratic Steering Committee and Senior Regional Whip. He is the former chairman of the Department of Psychology, Pacific Lutheran University. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Wyoming and is a licensed clinical psychologist.
Former Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District from 1993-2019. He served on the House Agriculture and Judiciary Committees, where he was Chairman; as well as Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Congressional Internet Caucus. He currently represents the Project for Privacy & Surveillance Accountability. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Former Congressman Larry LaRocco served two terms as U.S. Representative from Idaho’s First District, where he was on the House Banking and the Interior Committees. Previously he was North Idaho Field Director for Senator Church. Subsequent to Congress, he was a managing director of the American Bankers Association and founder of LaRocco and Associates. He serves on the boards of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress where he was president; and the Frank Church Institute.
Dafydd Townley
Watch Fridays with Frank live on Sept. 24 at 12:00 pm MT
Dr. Dafydd Townley is a Teaching Fellow at Royal Air Force College Cranwell in the UK. As part of the University of Portsmouth’s Military Education Team, he provides an academic education to the officer cadets before their specialist deployment. Prior to this, he was a lecturer in American political history at the University of Reading in England where he was awarded his PhD in 2018. His doctoral research formed the basis of his first monograph, The Year of Intelligence in the United States: Public Opinion, National Security and the 1975 Church Committee. He has also works published in the Journal of Intelligence History, History, the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of American History and has contributed to a forthcoming collection on the history of the FBI due to be published by Praeger in 2022. His current research, which has been supported by Columbia University and Oxford University’s Rothermere American Institute, examines the role of public-private partnerships in the development of US cybersecurity policy, congressional oversight of cyber and the role of the National Laboratories in the implementation of federal cyber policy, with a particular focus on the Idaho National Laboratory.
Interviewer Peter Fenn is the founder of Fenn Communications Group. Previously he served as Chief of Staff for Senator Frank Church; Executive Director of Democrats for the 1980s; and co-founder and first Executive Director for the Center for Responsive Politics. He has been a surrogate spokesman for several Presidential campaigns including President Obama. He serves on the boards of both the Frank Church and the Robert Dole Institutes.
Steven Feldstein
Watch “The Rise of Digital Repression”
Steven Feldstein is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where he focuses on issues of democracy, technology, human rights, U.S. foreign policy, and Africa. He previously served as the holder of the Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Affairs and an associate professor at Boise State University.
Feldstein served as a deputy assistant secretary in the Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Bureau in the U.S. Department of State, where he had responsibility for Africa policy, international labor affairs, and international religious freedom. Previously he was the director of policy at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and also served as counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where he oversaw U.S. foreign assistance programs, State Department management, and international organizations.
He has published research on how artificial intelligence is reshaping repression, the geopolitics of technology, China’s role in advancing digital authoritarianism, and COVID-19’s effect on democracies. He also released a global AI surveillance index to track the proliferation of advanced big data tools used by governments.
Feldstein’s articles and essays have appeared in American Purpose, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Journal of Democracy, Just Security, MIT Technology Review, The Conversation, the National Interest, War on the Rocks, the Washington Post, and World Politics Review. He is a frequent commentator on television and radio. He received his B.A. from Princeton and his J.D. from Berkeley Law.
He is the author of The Rise of Digital Repression: How Technology is Reshaping Power, Politics, and Resistance (Oxford University Press, 2021).
Watch Feldstein discuss his book on a recent episode of C-SPAN’s Communicators
Interviewer Chase Johnson has degrees in International Relations from Boise State and Johns Hopkins Universities. Previously he served with the U.S. Peace Corps as an Education and Youth Development volunteer in the Republic of Georgia. He also has worked on Economic Affairs for the State Department and on NATO Policy for the Department of Defense. Chase teaches classes on Global Studies and Russian Politics.
Recent Works by Chase Johnson:
- Forty years ago, Frank Church tried to end emergency government
- The Potemkin Horserace: Russia’s 2018 Presidential Election
- Time is Now to Prepare for more Cyber Attacks on U.S. Elections
- An Alliance of Silicon Valley and Washington Can Save American Democracy
Senator Jon Tester
Watch Fridays with Frank – Recorded Friday, May 14
Raymond Jon Tester (born August 21, 1956) is an American farmer and politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Montana. Tester was first elected to the Senate in 2006, defeating Republican incumbent Conrad Burns in one of the closest Senate races of that year. He narrowly won reelection in 2012 against U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg, and in 2018 against Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale. Tester was previously the president of the Montana Senate and worked as a music teacher and farmer. He became Montana’s senior senator in 2014 following Max Baucus’s departure and is the dean of Montana’s congressional delegation. Since January 4, 2021, he has been the only member of the Democratic Party to hold statewide office in Montana.
During Tester’s senior year in college, he married Sharla Bitz. Like Tester, she comes from an agricultural family and grew up in north-central Montana. They have two children: a daughter, Christine, born in 1980; and a son, Shon, born in 1985.
Before his election to the Senate, Tester had never lived more than two hours away from his north-central Montana farm In addition to his Montana farm, Tester owns a home in Washington D.C.
A January 2012 profile of Tester focused on the fact that he butchers and brings his own meat with him to Washington. He said “Taking meat with us is just something that we do… We like our own meat.”
Aaron Murphy has served as Tester’s chief of staff, communications director and press secretary. He is a former TV news producer and Yellowstone Park ranger.
Peter Fenn is the founder of Fenn Communications Group. Previously he served as Chief of Staff for Senator Frank Church; Executive Director of Democrats for the 1980s; and co-founder and first Executive Director for the Center for Responsive Politics. He has been a surrogate spokesman for several Presidential campaigns including President Obama. He serves on the boards of both the Frank Church and the Robert Dole Institutes.
Marc C. Johnson
Watch a recording of Fridays with Frank
Marc C. Johnson has worked as a broadcast journalist and communication and crisis management consultant and served as a top aide to Idaho’s longest-serving governor, Cecil D. Andrus. His latest book – Tuesday Night Massacre: Four Senate Elections and the Radicalization of the Republican Party – explores how independent expenditure campaigns helped upend American politics after 1980.
His biography of New Deal-era Montana Senator Burton K. Wheeler was named a Spur Award finalist in 2020 by the Western Writers of America. Johnson’s writing on politics and history has been published in the New York Times, California Journal of Politics and Policy, and Montana The Magazine of Western History and appears regularly on the blog Many Things Considered.
Read about Johnson’s new book Tuesday Night Massacre
Advance praise for Tuesday Night Massacre
“Politics has always been rough-and-tumble, but few would dispute that it has gotten nastier and much more polarized in recent years. In this revealing, well-written book, Marc C. Johnson skillfully traces the origin and development of this disturbing trend. The consequences have been far-reaching. The U.S. Senate no longer functions as it was intended, Americans are more deeply divided, and the old tradition of bipartisanship in the national interest has become practically obsolete.”
– Larry J. Sabato, author of A More Perfect Constitution—Why the Constitution Must Be Revised: Ideas to Inspire a New Generation and Director of the Center for Politics at University of Virginia
“Anyone who wants to understand the Republican Party’s radicalization should read Marc C. Johnson’s excellent chronicle of the four U.S. Senate races in 1980 that introduced revolutionary campaigning methods and set the stage for the party’s far-rightward tilt. Tuesday Night Massacre is a fascinating, well-written account.”
– Robert Mann, author of Becoming Ronald Reagan: The Rise of a Conservative Icon and the Manship Chair in journalism at Louisiana State University
“In this enlightening and engrossing new book, Marc Johnson identifies a critical hinge point in post-war American political history and a key reason for our current dysfunctional politics. In 1980, the New Right brought down four leading U.S. Senators by weaponizing independent expenditure groups. Our political campaigns—and American democracy—have never been the same. Tuesday Night Massacre is essential reading for understanding why American politics has deteriorated and for thinking about how we might reform our system in pursuit of a more perfect union.”
– Robert P. Saldin, co-author of Never Trump: The Revolt of the Conservative Elites and Director of the Mansfield Center’s Ethics in Public Affairs Program at the University of Montana.
Journalists Jonathan and Charlotte Alter interviewed by Bob Kustra
Click here to listen to a recording of this event
Get a coupon for a discount on Jonathan and Charlotte Alter books at Rediscovered Books.
Jonathan Alter is an award-winning author, political analyst, documentary filmmaker, columnist, television producer and radio host.
Alter is the author of three New York Times bestsellers: “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies”(2013), “The Promise: President Obama, Year One” (2010) and “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope”(2006), also one of the Times’ “Notable Books” of the year. Alter released his latest book: “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life” on September 29th, 2020.
Since 1996, Alter has been a contributing correspondent and political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. In 2019, he co-produced and co-directed the HBO documentary, “Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists,” winning the 2020 Emmy for Best Historical Documentary.
A specialist in the American presidency, Alter has interviewed President Richard M. Nixon, President Gerald R. Ford, President Jimmy Carter, President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, as well as many other heads of state.
The 2020 campaign marks the tenth presidential election Alter has covered in print, on television and the internet. On MSNBC and in the Daily Beast, he brings broad historical knowledge to analyzing politics and to holding President Trump to account. He has covered Trump on and off since the early 1990s, when Trump threatened to sue him.
Read Jonathan Alter’s full biography on jonathanalter.com
Charlotte Alter is a senior correspondent at TIME covering politics and social issues. She has covered the 2016, 2018, and 2020 campaigns, the Women’s March and anti-Trump resistance, the rise in youth activism around gun violence and climate change, the spread of conspiracy theories and disinformation, and the 2020 Democratic primary and general election. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Vox.
Read more about Charlotte Alter on charlottealter.com.
Dr. Bob Kustra served as president of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. He is the host of Reader’s Corner on Boise State Public Radio and is a regular columnist for the Idaho Statesman. He served two terms as Illinois Lieutenant Governor and ten years as a State legislator.
Fall 2020 Lectures
Steven Feldstein is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where he focuses on issues of democracy, technology, human rights, U.S. foreign policy, and Africa. He previously served as the holder of the Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Affairs and an associate professor at Boise State University.
Feldstein served as a deputy assistant secretary in the Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Bureau in the U.S. Department of State, where he had responsibility for Africa policy, international labor affairs, and international religious freedom. Previously he was the director of policy at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and also served as counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where he oversaw U.S. foreign assistance programs, State Department management, and international organizations.
He has published research on how artificial intelligence is reshaping repression, the geopolitics of technology, China’s role in advancing digital authoritarianism, and COVID-19’s effect on democracies. He also released a global AI surveillance index to track the proliferation of advanced big data tools used by governments.
Feldstein’s articles and essays have appeared in American Purpose, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Journal of Democracy, Just Security, MIT Technology Review, The Conversation, the National Interest, War on the Rocks, the Washington Post, and World Politics Review. He is a frequent commentator on television and radio. He received his B.A. from Princeton and his J.D. from Berkeley Law.
He is the author of The Rise of Digital Repression: How Technology is Reshaping Power, Politics, and Resistance (Oxford University Press, 2021).
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Bi-Partisan Cooperation in an Era of Polarization
September 18
Peter Fenn is the founder of Fenn Communications Group. Previously he served as Chief of Staff for Senator Frank Church; Executive Director of Democrats for the 1980s; and co-founder and first Executive Director for the Center for Responsive Politics. He has been a surrogate spokesman for several Presidential campaigns including President Obama. He serves on the boards of both the Frank Church and the Robert Dole Institutes.
William B. “Bill” Lacy is the Director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas where he has established a highly respected venue for bipartisan programming. Previously he served for twenty years as a political campaign strategist in Washington, D.C. including President Ronald Reagan’s political director and major roles with seven Republican Presidential campaigns.
Recommended Reading: How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
Peter Fenn is the founder of Fenn Communications Group. Previously he served as Chief of Staff for Senator Frank Church; Executive Director of Democrats for the 1980s; and co-founder and first Executive Director for the Center for Responsive Politics. He has been a surrogate spokesman for several Presidential campaigns including President Obama. He serves on the boards of both the Frank Church and the Robert Dole Institutes.
William B. “Bill” Lacy is the Director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas where he has established a highly respected venue for bipartisan programming. Previously he served for twenty years as a political campaign strategist in Washington, D.C. including President Ronald Reagan’s political director and major roles with seven Republican Presidential campaigns.
Recommended Reading: How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
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The Rule of Law – Norms Matter
October 2, 2020
Chuck Rosenberg, Former Chief of Staff to the Director of the FBI.
Chuck Rosenberg has held numerous senior positions in the U.S. Department of Justice including U.S. Attorney in Virginia and Texas; Senior Counselor for National Security and Chief of Staff to two FBI Directors; Counselor to the Attorney General of the U.S.; and as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration until 2017. Currently he serves as a legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC; Senior Counsel to a Washington, D.C. law firm; and as Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He is also the host of a podcast The Oath.
Recommended Reading: In Deep: The FBI, The CIA, and the Truth about America’s Deep State by David Rohde.
Eric Barnhart retired as Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office after a 22 year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also served as Special Assistant to FBI Directors Robert S. Mueller III and James B. Comey. Prior to the FBI, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Middle East and Somalia. He is a member of the Frank Church Institute board of directors.
Chuck Rosenberg, Former Chief of Staff to the Director of the FBI.
Chuck Rosenberg has held numerous senior positions in the U.S. Department of Justice including U.S. Attorney in Virginia and Texas; Senior Counselor for National Security and Chief of Staff to two FBI Directors; Counselor to the Attorney General of the U.S.; and as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration until 2017. Currently he serves as a legal analyst for MSNBC and NBC; Senior Counsel to a Washington, D.C. law firm; and as Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He is also the host of a podcast The Oath.
Recommended Reading: In Deep: The FBI, The CIA, and the Truth about America’s Deep State by David Rohde.
Eric Barnhart retired as Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office after a 22 year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also served as Special Assistant to FBI Directors Robert S. Mueller III and James B. Comey. Prior to the FBI, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Middle East and Somalia. He is a member of the Frank Church Institute board of directors.
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Why Leading Globally Matters Locally
October 16
Liz Schrayer is the President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition of over 500 businesses and non-governmental organizations that advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy. The USGLC, with advocates in all 50 States, has a bipartisan Advisory Council chaired by General Colin Powell that includes all living former Secretaries of State; and a National Security Advisory Council with some 200 retired generals and admirals. She serves on USAID’s Advisory Committee on Foreign Aid, and on the board of the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. Previously she served as the national Political Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and on Capitol Hill where she founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.
Tom Dine served as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, Czech Republic, and Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Previously he was the Executive Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and a foreign policy assistant for Senator Frank Church, among many other positions on Capitol Hill. Currently, he is President of the American Friends of the Czech Republish and a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
Recommended Reading: Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World by Charles A. Kupchan
Sponsored by Hollis Brookover and Milt Gillespie
Liz Schrayer is the President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition of over 500 businesses and non-governmental organizations that advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy. The USGLC, with advocates in all 50 States, has a bipartisan Advisory Council chaired by General Colin Powell that includes all living former Secretaries of State; and a National Security Advisory Council with some 200 retired generals and admirals. She serves on USAID’s Advisory Committee on Foreign Aid, and on the board of the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. Previously she served as the national Political Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and on Capitol Hill where she founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.
Tom Dine served as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, Czech Republic, and Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Previously he was the Executive Director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and a foreign policy assistant for Senator Frank Church, among many other positions on Capitol Hill. Currently, he is President of the American Friends of the Czech Republish and a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
Recommended Reading: Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World by Charles A. Kupchan
Sponsored by Hollis Brookover and Milt Gillespie
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Elections Have Consequences
October 30
Former Democratic and Republican Representatives
Former Democratic Congresswoman Donna Edwards served five terms as Maryland’s first African American woman in Congress. She served on the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure; Standards and Official Conduct; and Science, Space and Technology. She also was a member of the Democratic leadership team as co-chair of the House Democrat’s Steering and Policy Committee; and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Previously, she served as the executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence and of the Center for a New Democracy. Currently she is a contributor to MSNBC.
Former Republican Congressman Dennis Ross served four terms from Florida’s 15th Congressional District following eight years in the Florida State House of Representatives. He served on the House Committee on Financial Services. After leaving Congress, he joined Southeastern University as a Distinguished Professor and the Director of the American Center for Political Leadership; and became of counsel to the Ross Law Firm. Currently he serves as a Board Member of the Association of Former Members of Congress.
Larry LaRocco served two terms as U.S. Representative from Idaho’s First District, where he was on the House Banking and the Interior Committees. Previously he was North Idaho Field Director for Senator Church. Subsequent to Congress, he was a managing director of the American Bankers Association and founder of LaRocco and Associates. He serves on the boards of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress where he was president; and the Frank Church Institute.
Recommended Reading: Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century.
Sponsored by: Walt and A.K. Minnick and LaRocco Associates, Inc.
Former Democratic and Republican Representatives
Former Democratic Congresswoman Donna Edwards served five terms as Maryland’s first African American woman in Congress. She served on the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure; Standards and Official Conduct; and Science, Space and Technology. She also was a member of the Democratic leadership team as co-chair of the House Democrat’s Steering and Policy Committee; and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Previously, she served as the executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence and of the Center for a New Democracy. Currently she is a contributor to MSNBC.
Former Republican Congressman Dennis Ross served four terms from Florida’s 15th Congressional District following eight years in the Florida State House of Representatives. He served on the House Committee on Financial Services. After leaving Congress, he joined Southeastern University as a Distinguished Professor and the Director of the American Center for Political Leadership; and became of counsel to the Ross Law Firm. Currently he serves as a Board Member of the Association of Former Members of Congress.
Larry LaRocco served two terms as U.S. Representative from Idaho’s First District, where he was on the House Banking and the Interior Committees. Previously he was North Idaho Field Director for Senator Church. Subsequent to Congress, he was a managing director of the American Bankers Association and founder of LaRocco and Associates. He serves on the boards of the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress where he was president; and the Frank Church Institute.
Recommended Reading: Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century.
Sponsored by: Walt and A.K. Minnick and LaRocco Associates, Inc.
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Rising Inequality and Concentration: An Additional Push from the Pandemic
November 13
Sylvain Leduc is Executive Vice President and Director of Economic Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Leduc also serves on the Bank’s Executive Committee in charge of strategic direction and policy for the 12th District. Previously he served as Vice President of Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Research; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada; and as a senior economist in the Division of International Finance at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C. His research focus includes monetary policy, business cycles, and international finance.
Arthur F. (Skip) Oppenheimer is Chairman and CEO of Oppenheimer Companies and President of Oppenheimer Development Corp. He also serves as Director of the Federal Reserve Bank San Francisco; member of the boards of the Boy Scouts of America and St. Luke’s Hospital System; former member of the board of the University of Washington School of Medicine; and founding chair of Idaho Business for Education. He is also President of the Frank Church Institute Board of Directors.
Recommended Reading: Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daren Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
Recommended Reading: The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Markets by Thomas Philippon
Sponsored by: A.J. and Susie Balukoff
Sylvain Leduc is Executive Vice President and Director of Economic Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Leduc also serves on the Bank’s Executive Committee in charge of strategic direction and policy for the 12th District. Previously he served as Vice President of Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Research; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada; and as a senior economist in the Division of International Finance at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, D.C. His research focus includes monetary policy, business cycles, and international finance.
Arthur F. (Skip) Oppenheimer is Chairman and CEO of Oppenheimer Companies and President of Oppenheimer Development Corp. He also serves as Director of the Federal Reserve Bank San Francisco; member of the boards of the Boy Scouts of America and St. Luke’s Hospital System; former member of the board of the University of Washington School of Medicine; and founding chair of Idaho Business for Education. He is also President of the Frank Church Institute Board of Directors.
Recommended Reading: Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daren Acemoglu and James A. Robinson
Recommended Reading: The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Markets by Thomas Philippon
Sponsored by: A.J. and Susie Balukoff
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Frank Church Conference
November 20
Frank Church Conference: How Do Democracies Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century?
8:00 a.m. MT Panel One: “Hungary: A Case Study in Democracy”
Watch Hungary: A Case Study in Democracy on Boise State TV
The Hon. Andras Simonyi is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States and at the George Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he works on energy, climate and democracy issues. Previously he served as Hungary’s first Ambassador to NATO and later as Ambassador to the United States. He was also the Managing Director of the School for Advanced International Studies Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University. His recent book is “Rocking Toward a Free World.”
Melissa Hooper is the Director of Human Rights and Civil Society program at Human Rights First, where she is also Director of Foreign Policy Advocacy. Her research focuses on Russia’s foreign policy strategies influencing and undermining democratic institutions, and the intersection of these strategies in Central Europe including Hungary. She is the author of numerous publications on Russia’s use of non-governmental organizations to spread anti-democratic ideas and disinformation in Europe and the United States.
Chase Johnson is a political consultant and former Research Associate at the Frank Church Institute. Previously he held internships with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia and with the NATO Policy office at the Pentagon. He is a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
10:00 a.m. MT Keynote Speaker
Watch Larry Diamond’s keynote address on Boise State TV
Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Previously, he directed the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. He is the founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy and senior consultant at the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. His most recent book is Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency. He writes a monthly column for “The American Interest” and consults on policies and programs to promote democracy around the world.
Christopher C. Burke is a shareholder in the Boise office of the regional law firm, Parsons, Behle and Latimer, where he focuses on complex civil litigation. He serves as Treasurer of the Frank Church Institute. He served on the boards for the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and Ballet Idaho, and he was a staff member for Senator Church.
Recommended reading: Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacence by Larry Diamond.
Recommended reading: A New Administration Won’t Heal American Democracy, by Larry Diamond.
Recommended reading: Controlling the Pandemic of Global Authoritarianism, by Larry Diamond.
1:00 p.m. MT: Panel on Cyber Security and Democracy
Watch the “Panel on Cyber Security and Democracy” on Boise State TV
Zachary Tudor is the Associate Laboratory Director of Idaho National Laboratory’s National and Homeland Security directorate that is responsible for INL’s Nuclear Nonproliferation, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Defense Systems and Homeland Security missions. His office supports major programs for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and the intelligence community. Previously he was a program director at SRI International where he managed cybersecurity programs. He is also a retired U.S. Navy Submarine electronics officer.
Dr. Sin Ming Loo is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boise State University with interests in sensor and cyber-physical systems security research and education. He directs the Hartman Systems Integration Laboratory and the Cyber Laboratory for Industrial Control Systems;. He also holds a joint appointment with the Idaho National Laboratory.
Steven Feldstein is a Senior Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Previously he held the Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Affairs at Boise State University; and he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the U.S. Department of State. He is a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
Thomas Beckwith is an international corporate consultant who has held executive positions with several transformative technology companies. Previously he served as World Wide Vice President of Services Sales for Amazon.com; and with Exodus Communications, Netscape Communications, Silicon Graphics, Digital Equipment and AT&T Information Systems. He is a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
Recommended reading: How to Tackle Europe’s Digital Democracy Challenges, by Steven Feldstein.
Sponsored by: Gregory Kaslo and Kay Hardy
Sponsored by: Parsons Behle & LatimerFrank Church Conference: How Do Democracies Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century?
8:00 a.m. MT Panel One: “Hungary: A Case Study in Democracy”
Watch Hungary: A Case Study in Democracy on Boise State TV
The Hon. Andras Simonyi is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States and at the George Washington University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, where he works on energy, climate and democracy issues. Previously he served as Hungary’s first Ambassador to NATO and later as Ambassador to the United States. He was also the Managing Director of the School for Advanced International Studies Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University. His recent book is “Rocking Toward a Free World.”
Melissa Hooper is the Director of Human Rights and Civil Society program at Human Rights First, where she is also Director of Foreign Policy Advocacy. Her research focuses on Russia’s foreign policy strategies influencing and undermining democratic institutions, and the intersection of these strategies in Central Europe including Hungary. She is the author of numerous publications on Russia’s use of non-governmental organizations to spread anti-democratic ideas and disinformation in Europe and the United States.
Chase Johnson is a political consultant and former Research Associate at the Frank Church Institute. Previously he held internships with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia and with the NATO Policy office at the Pentagon. He is a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
10:00 a.m. MT Keynote Speaker
Watch Larry Diamond’s keynote address on Boise State TV
Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Previously, he directed the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. He is the founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy and senior consultant at the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. His most recent book is Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency. He writes a monthly column for “The American Interest” and consults on policies and programs to promote democracy around the world.
Christopher C. Burke is a shareholder in the Boise office of the regional law firm, Parsons, Behle and Latimer, where he focuses on complex civil litigation. He serves as Treasurer of the Frank Church Institute. He served on the boards for the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and Ballet Idaho, and he was a staff member for Senator Church.
Recommended reading: Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacence by Larry Diamond.
Recommended reading: A New Administration Won’t Heal American Democracy, by Larry Diamond.
Recommended reading: Controlling the Pandemic of Global Authoritarianism, by Larry Diamond.
1:00 p.m. MT: Panel on Cyber Security and Democracy
Watch the “Panel on Cyber Security and Democracy” on Boise State TV
Zachary Tudor is the Associate Laboratory Director of Idaho National Laboratory’s National and Homeland Security directorate that is responsible for INL’s Nuclear Nonproliferation, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Defense Systems and Homeland Security missions. His office supports major programs for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and the intelligence community. Previously he was a program director at SRI International where he managed cybersecurity programs. He is also a retired U.S. Navy Submarine electronics officer.
Dr. Sin Ming Loo is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boise State University with interests in sensor and cyber-physical systems security research and education. He directs the Hartman Systems Integration Laboratory and the Cyber Laboratory for Industrial Control Systems;. He also holds a joint appointment with the Idaho National Laboratory.
Steven Feldstein is a Senior Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Previously he held the Frank and Bethine Church Chair of Public Affairs at Boise State University; and he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the U.S. Department of State. He is a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
Thomas Beckwith is an international corporate consultant who has held executive positions with several transformative technology companies. Previously he served as World Wide Vice President of Services Sales for Amazon.com; and with Exodus Communications, Netscape Communications, Silicon Graphics, Digital Equipment and AT&T Information Systems. He is a member of the board of directors of the Frank Church Institute.
Recommended reading: How to Tackle Europe’s Digital Democracy Challenges, by Steven Feldstein.
Sponsored by: Gregory Kaslo and Kay Hardy
Sponsored by: Parsons Behle & Latimer -
Election 2020 - What Happened and Why: An Inside Look at the New Biden Administration
December 11
J. Brian Atwood is a Visiting Fellow for International Studies and Public Affairs at Brown University andthe former Dean of the Hubert Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Previously he served in numerous high ranking positions including Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and Under Secretary of State for Management in the Clinton Administration; Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations in the Carter Administration; President of the National Democratic Institute; and on U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan’s Panel on Peace Operations. Currently he serves as Chair of the Development Assistance Committee in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Peter Fenn is the founder of Fenn Communications Group. Previously he served as Chief of Staff for Senator Frank Church; Executive Director of Democrats for the 1980s; and co-founder and first Executive Director for the Center for Responsive Politics. He has been a surrogate spokesman for several Presidential campaigns including President Obama. He serves on the boards of both the Frank Church and the Robert Dole Institutes.
Sponsored by: Peter and Alison Fenn
J. Brian Atwood is a Visiting Fellow for International Studies and Public Affairs at Brown University andthe former Dean of the Hubert Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Previously he served in numerous high ranking positions including Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development and Under Secretary of State for Management in the Clinton Administration; Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations in the Carter Administration; President of the National Democratic Institute; and on U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan’s Panel on Peace Operations. Currently he serves as Chair of the Development Assistance Committee in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Peter Fenn is the founder of Fenn Communications Group. Previously he served as Chief of Staff for Senator Frank Church; Executive Director of Democrats for the 1980s; and co-founder and first Executive Director for the Center for Responsive Politics. He has been a surrogate spokesman for several Presidential campaigns including President Obama. He serves on the boards of both the Frank Church and the Robert Dole Institutes.
Sponsored by: Peter and Alison Fenn