Former presidential advisor Hess to address Obama transition
Stephen Hess, who has served as an advisor to every presidential transition team since Ronald Reagan, will discuss the opening days of Barack Obama’s presidency during a speech on campus Feb. 2.
Stephen Hess
His speech, “The Obama Transition: Hitting the Ground Running,” is free and open to the public. He will speak in Carswell Hall’s Annenberg Forum, beginning at 5 p.m.
Hess has been involved in presidential transitions since serving as a speechwriter in the Eisenhower White House. He returned to the White House with President Nixon, and he helped President Carter reorganize the Executive Office. He is the author of “What Do We Do Now? A Workbook for the President-Elect” and “Organizing the Presidency.”
He is currently Senior Fellow Emeritus in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He is also Distinguished Research Professor of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.
Hess’ speech is part of the University’s speaker series on “Challenges Facing the New President.” Other upcoming events include:
David Gergen, political commentator and former presidential advisor,will speak on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. in Wait Chapel. Gergen served as director of communications for President Reagan and as an advisor to presidents Nixon, Ford and Clinton. He is currently a professor of public service and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is also editor-at-large for U.S. News & World Report and a senior political analyst for CNN.
The speaker series will conclude on Feb. 17 with a student panel discussion, “Looking to the Future: Will Young People Stay Involved in Politics?” Student leaders from the campus Democratic, Republican and Libertarian political groups will discuss the impact of young voters on the 2008 election and their likelihood of remaining involved in politics. The discussion will be held in the Benson University Center, room 401, beginning at 5 p.m.
Both David Gergen’s speech and the student panel discussion are free and open to the public. The speaker series began Jan. 29 with a faculty panel discussion on the pressing economic, foreign policy and other issues facing President Obama.
