2018 was a busy year for the AEI Leadership Network
AEIdeas
Last fall was a busy time for AEI’s Leadership Network with two policy summits — one in Washington, DC, and one in Chicago, Illinois.
From September 19–21, AEI welcomed the eighth cohort of the Leadership Network to our headquarters in Washington for the Fall 2018 Summit. This impressive group of 81 leaders from across the country heard from AEI scholars on a variety of issues. Speakers included Charles Murray, Tim Carney, Rick Hess, Naomi Schaefer Riley, Robert Doar, Michael Strain, Nick Eberstadt, Karlyn Bowman, Nat Malkus, Alex Brill, Katharine Stevens, and Aparna Mathur. Participants also heard from AEI President Arthur Brooks on bringing the country together through personal reflection and storytelling.
Fall 2018 Leadership Network Cohort
Professional media trainer and President of District Media Group Beverly Hallberg provided lessons on effective messaging. Participants used these tips and put their public speaking skills to the test with a 60-second “elevator pitch” competition. The competition was judged by Beverly herself and by Jason Bertsch, Executive Vice President of AEI. Tying for first place was Anne-Tyler Morgan, Member of McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland, and Jenifer Sarver, Principal for Sarver Strategies. Rory Diamond, CEO of K9’s for Warriors, took third. Honorable mentions were given for Maria Kim, President and CEO of CARA Chicago; Chirag Shah, Vice President of Government Affairs for Asian American Hotel Owners Association; and Representative Barb Haley of Minnesota. Inspired by the Summit’s messaging training, Jenifer Sarver wrote a Dallas News op-ed on criminal justice reform on her winning elevator pitch from the competition.
The winners of the Fall 2018 Leadership Network Summit elevator pitch competition.
From October 17–19, the Leadership Network branched out with a regional summit in Chicago that brought together 211 professionals from across the country. AEI speakers included Jonah Goldberg on his 2018 New York Times bestseller, “Suicide of the West”; Tim Carney on his upcoming book, “Alienated America”; John Bailey on the potential of Opportunity Zones for struggling communities; and AEI President Arthur Brooks on persuasion.
AEI’s Asness Chair in Applied Liberty Jonah Goldberg on his new book, “Suicide of the West.”
Attendees had the opportunity to hear from Leadership Network members on the work they are doing in their communities to further opportunity equality. Two Indiana Leadership Network members, Cabinet Secretary Blair Milo, head of the state’s Office of Career Connections and Talent, and Danny Lopez, Chairman of the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, discussed workforce development initiatives in the state. Fellow Leadership Network member Ian Rowe, CEO of Public Prep, shared lessons on effective education reform.
Left, Cabinet Secretary Blair Milo on workforce development in Indiana. Right, Ian Rowe (left) discusses education reform with AEI’s Director of Foundation Relations Spencer Moore (right).
On the second day of the summit, attendees broke out into four groups to delve deeper into specialized topics. These breakout sessions included: a discussion group on state and local leadership led by AEI’s Robert Doar; a discussion group on the art of op-ed writing led by AEI’s Tim Carney; a site visit to YWCA Metropolitan Chicago led by the organization’s CEO and Leadership Network member Dorri McWhorter; and a site visit to Year Up Chicago led by the organization’s CEO and Leadership Network member Jack Crowe.
AEI’s Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies Robert Doar leading a breakout session on state and local leadership.
Later that evening, participants headed to a local movie theater for an advance screening of AEI’s new full-length documentary, “The Pursuit.” This film, made in collaboration with the film production company Emergent Order, is the culmination of three years of research and worldwide conversations, from Manhattan to the monastery of the Dalai Lama, on how best to uplift those at the margins of society. You can watch the trailer here.
In total, the Chicago Summit attracted 41 members of the national Leadership Network and 170 other talented leaders from around the country. We are inviting a select group of attendees from this event to participate in our national network. We also learned that two Leadership Network members are assuming higher office in 2019: Will Timmons was elected to the US House of Representatives to represent South Carolina, and Eric Schmitt is the next Attorney General of Missouri. We are very excited about these successes and all that our members will achieve in 2019 and beyond.
The Leadership Network will continue to grow with summits planned for the spring and fall of this year. If you’d like to learn more about how to get involved with this exclusive AEI network, please contact [email protected].
