Forum 24-25: ND Perspectives—Policy Impacts From Campaigns to Capitals

Introduction by:
Dolly Duffy ’84,
Executive Director of the Notre Dame Alumni Association

Elizabeth “Dolly” Duffy ’84 is the executive director of the Notre Dame Alumni Association and associate vice president for University Relations. She began her current role in July 2011 and oversees the daily operations of the Alumni Association. Previously she served as the Alumni Association’s associate director since early 2008. Since assuming her role as executive director, she has helped the association’s regional Notre Dame club network strengthen its status as the standard in higher education while also leading the association to significantly enhance its digital outreach to the Notre Dame family, including the creation of community platforms dedicated to lifelong learning, career development, alumni storytelling, and spiritual growth.

Moderated by: Mary Thompson ’85, Managing Director for G100 BoardExcellence, Former Journalist for CNBC and Bloomberg Radio and Television

Mary Thompson ’85 is a former journalist, who reported for  CNBC and Bloomberg Radio and Television for 26 years. During her award winning career she covered the markets, the banking and insurance industries, executive compensation and disasters both man made and natural.  A proud graduate of Notre Dame, Mary currently works in executive education. 

Mary E. Gallagher is professor of global affairs and the Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Previously she directed the International Institute at the University of Michigan where she was also the Amy and Alan Lowenstein Chair in Democracy, Democratization and Human Rights. She earned her Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University and her B.A. in government and East Asian studies from Smith College. Her international experience includes teaching at the Foreign Affairs College in Beijing and visiting professorships at East China University of Politics and Law in Shanghai and at the KoGuan School of Law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Brian P. McKeon ’85 had a distinguished career of public service, with over 30 years of service in all three branches of the U.S. government. In the Executive branch, he served in senior positions in the White House and the Departments of Defense and State. His most recent position was as Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources in 2021 and 2022. McKeon worked for more than 20 years in the U.S. Senate, including 12 years as chief counsel to the Democratic members of the Committee on Foreign Relations. In the judicial branch, McKeon served as a law clerk to a district judge in the Eastern District of Virginia. In addition to receiving his BA from Notre Dame, McKeon received a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Vincent Phillip Muñoz is the Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Concurrent Associate Professor of Law at The University of Notre Dame. The Center’s founding director, Dr. Muñoz writes and teaches across the fields of political philosophy, constitutional studies, and American politics. His recent research has focused on the theme of religious liberty and the American Constitution. Under his leadership, the Center has raised nearly $20 million in gifts, grants, and pledges.