Forum 23-24: ND Perspectives—Election 2024 and the Future of Democracy in the U.S.

Moderator:
Anne Thompson ’79,
NBC News Correspondent

Anne Thompson ’79 is currently NBC News’ chief environmental affairs correspondent, and notably has covered Pope Francis’ papal tour, the United States-China climate deal, and the BP oil spill. Her reports appear across all platforms of NBC News, including NBC Nightly News, TODAY, and MSNBC. Before being named an NBC News correspondent, Thompson had been an award-winning general assignment reporter for WDIV-TV, the NBC affiliate in Detroit, since 1986. In recognition of her contributions to the Notre Dame community and beyond, Thompson was presented with the 2019 Rev. Edward Frederick Sorin, C.S.C., Award, one of the University’s highest honors.

Panelist:
David Campbell,
Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy; Director, Notre Dame Democracy Initiative

David Campbell is the Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame and directs the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative. His research focuses on civic and political engagement, particularly regarding religion and youth. His latest book, Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics (with Geoff Layman and John Green), won the Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. Another notable work, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (with Robert Putnam), received an award from the American Political Science Association. His work has appeared in a variety of scholarly journals including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Daedalus. In addition, he has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and—every political scientist’s dream—Cosmopolitan.

Panelist:
Katherine Gehl, ’88,
Author and Founder, the Campaign for Final Five Voting

Katherine Gehl ’88 is the founder of The Institute for Political Innovation (IPI), a nonpartisan nonprofit established in 2020 to drive political change in America. She originated Politics Industry Theory and co-authored “The Politics Industry” with Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter. A veteran of both public and private sectors, Katherine was president and CEO of Gehl Foods, where she significantly increased the company’s value before selling it in 2015. She served on the Board of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and is involved in several nonprofit boards and philanthropic activities. Katherine is also the honorary co-chair of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers and co-founder of Democracy Found.

Panelist:
Carlos Lozada ’93,
Opinion Columnist,
New York Times

Carlos Lozada ’93 is an opinion columnist at the New York Times and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. His most recent book is “The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians,” published earlier this year by Simon & Schuster. Previously, he was a book critic and senior editor at the Washington Post and the managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine. Lozada has been a Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University and is currently a visiting professor of the practice for public discourse at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study.