Internships and Academic Seminars
1333 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-2205
T 202 238 7900 F 202 238 7700
www.twc.edu | [email protected]
The Alan K. Simpson-Norman Y. Mineta Leaders Series
“CONGRESS: How to make it work? - An Insider’s Perspective from a Speaker & a Leader”
October 20, 2014 | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm | Blinken Auditorium, TWC Residential & Academic Facility
(The dress code is business professional)
The Simpson-Mineta Leaders Series is founded in the spirit of the lifelong friendship of two extraordinary
leaders from opposite sides of the aisle. Norman Y. Mineta and Alan K. Simpson met during World War II
when Simpson’s Boy Scout troop met with Mineta’s in the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming
where Secretary Mineta’s family was then interned with over 10,000 other Japanese-Americans. Despite their
differences, both their friendship and their commitment to leadership and public service endured.
The Simpson-Mineta Leaders Series aims to create a forum in which students from around the country and
the world can engage with extraordinary leaders, explore issues of contemporary public concern, and articulate
their own views about the meaning of leadership and citizenship in today’s society.
Congressman Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
Former Speaker of the House
United States House of Representatives
J. Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, joined Dickstein
Shapiro in 2008 as a member of the firm’s Public Policy & Law Practice. Speaker Hastert
served from January 6, 1999 until January 3, 2007 and was the longest-serving Republican
Speaker in history. He was elected to the House in 1987 and served Illinois’ 14th
Congressional District.
During his 20 years in the House, Speaker Hastert focused his efforts on lowering taxes, improving education,
strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and fortifying national defense efforts. He championed legislation to
balance the federal budget, cut taxes and government waste, and clean up the environment. He also passed
legislation to reduce government regulations in areas such as trucking and telecommunications in order to
increase competition and consumer choice. His efforts also included energy development, telecommunications
reform, and health care reform, which resulted in the development and implementation of Health Savings
Accounts.
During his tenure as Speaker of the House, Speaker Hastert was instrumental in passing post-September 11th
antiterrorism legislation and historical legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security—the most
significant restructuring of federal government in the past 50 years.
Prior to his election as speaker, Speaker Hastert served as chief deputy majority whip in the 104th Congress and
was responsible for advancing commonsense legislation to the House floor by working with members to develop
achievable policy strategies, lining up support, and counting Republican and Democratic votes to ensure passage.
He also served as chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Subcommittee on National
Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice. He chaired the Speaker’s Steering Committee on Health and
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the Resource Group on Health. Additionally, he helped author the health care reform bill, which was signed into
law by President Clinton in 1996 to expand coverage to the uninsured, and chaired the House Working Group
on Health Care Quality, which ultimately authored the Patient Protection Act. That legislation, which passed the
House on July 24, 1998, expanded Americans’ choices and access to affordable, high-quality health care.
Prior to his time in Congress, Speaker Hastert served three terms in the Illinois General Assembly, where he
spearheaded legislation on child abuse prevention, property tax reform, education excellence, and economic
development. While there, he also led an effort that resulted in the adoption of a new public utilities act,
reforming the law to benefit Illinoisans.
Congressman Richard Gephardt (D-MO)
Former Minority and Majority Leader
United States House of Representatives
Richard A. Gephardt is President and CEO of Gephardt Group Government Affairs. He
provides strategic advice to clients on issues before the House, Senate and Executive Branch
in the federal government. Mr. Gephardt has brought successful resolution for clients on
issues related to negotiations, crisis management, and strategic communications. He represents
a broad array of Fortune 100 clients on Capitol Hill and before the Administration, in addition to serving as public
spokesperson for clients on coalitions to bring about policy solutions to healthcare reform and climate change.
Mr. Gephardt served for 28 years in the United States House of Representatives from 1976 to 2004, representing
Missouri's 3rd Congressional District, home to his birthplace St. Louis. In his role as Leader, Mr. Gephardt
emerged as one of the leading strategists of the Democratic Party's platform and chief architect to landmark
reforms ranging from healthcare, pensions, education, energy independence and trade policy. In his first year in
Congress, he was appointed to both the House Ways & Means and Budget Committees. He was elected to serve
as House Democratic Leader for more than 14 years, as House Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995 and Minority
Leader from 1995 to 2003.
Mr. Gephardt was a colleague in the House to 49 currently serving U.S. Senators and members of the Executive
Branch. He enjoys strong bipartisan relationships in the House of Representatives, serves as a trusted advisor to
senior officials in the Administration and on Capitol Hill, and has counseled numerous CEO's during
negotiations with labor. He has been featured in national publications, including The New York Times, The Wall
Street Journal, The Washington Post, National Journal, Roll Call, The Hill and Time.
Widely known for his advocacy for international human rights, Mr. Gephardt currently serves as Chairman of the
National Endowment for Democracy, a private, nonprofit organization that endeavors to strengthen democratic
institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. He is a member of The Council on Foreign
Relations and an Advisory Board member to the International Conservation Caucus Foundation. He also serves
as Advisory Board chairman at the Richard A. Gephardt Institute for Public Service at Washington University in
St. Louis, and the Library and Research Center of the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis recently opened The
Richard A. Gephardt Collection to represent the life and career of his tenure in Congress.
Mr. Gephardt began his career in public service in 1968 as a precinct captain to St. Louis' 14th ward. From 1971
to 1976, he served as Alderman for the city's 14th ward. In 1976, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, succeeding
24-year incumbent Leonor Sullivan.
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Mr. Gephardt earned his bachelor of science from Northwestern University in 1962 and his juris doctorate from
the University of Michigan Law School in 1965. He has been married to his wife Jane for 38 years and they have
three children, Matt, Chrissy and Kate.
Bob Cusack
Editor-in-Chief
The Hill Newspaper
If readers want to be in the know on matters percolating inside the beltway, they
instinctively turn to The Hill for trusted, non-partisan coverage of the inner and outer
workings of Congress. Since 2004, Bob Cusack has expertly overseen the editorial
activities of the esteemed newspaper, which has the largest circulation of any Capitol Hill
publication. His award-winning newsroom direction is what makes The Hill more than a
collection of stories -- they become headlines in other news sources -- the ultimate
indicator of their authority in the minds of lawmakers, West Wingers, lobbyists, political pundits, association
executives, corporate leaders, and national media.
Cusack has covered policy and politics in DC for more than 15 years. In 2003, he joined The Hill as Business and
Lobbying editor and assumed the role of managing editor a year later. Prior to The Hill, he was a chief editor at
Inside Washington Publishers. Through the years, he has developed a keen understanding and institutional
knowledge of the behind-the-scenes happenings on Capitol Hill, K Street, and the White House. His evenhanded
perspective on the agendas, milestones, and power plays that shape the American political landscape is unrivaled.
He regularly appears as a political analyst on FOX, CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC, ABC, as well as Focus Washington
with Chuck Conconi.
Whether he's weighing in on political party frontrunners, landmark congressional legislation, or Presidential
politics, audiences will be riveted by Cusack's incisive analysis of the congressional terrain and value his unbiased
forecasts on what we can expect of our legislators down the road.
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