American Enough

Why Most Americans Can’t Afford a $400 Bill

Rachel Schneider (Author of the Financial Diaries, and Entrepreneur in Resident at the Aspen Institute’s FSP) followed 235 American families to understand why so many American’s still feel financial duress even while our economy grows at a rapid rate. She joins to the pod to detail how experimenting with new policies, like short term cash infusions, can address wage stagnation in the country.

Rachel Schneider is the Omidyar Network Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (FSP), and co-author of The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty. Described as a “must-read for anyone interested in causes of – and potential solutions to – American poverty” by Publisher’s Weekly, The Financial Diaries challenges conventional wisdom about inequality. As a social entrepreneur, Rachel is launching a new effort to explore how the social contract should evolve as a result. She is particularly interested in how small, strategic cash infusions can go a longer way by helping families at pivotal moments in which they simply don’t have the cash on hand that they need. She is developing hypotheses about how cash infusions can not only be stopgap measures, but also be a bridge toward stability and an investment in mobility. She is seeking partners with whom to expand and test those hypotheses by designing and implementing prototypes, and drawing attention to the range of solutions that can help families in need.

For the last decade, Rachel has lead many of the projects at the heart of the work of the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), where she is still a Senior Advisor. She is both a conceptual, and a practical thinker, with an unusual ability to think both about big ideas and about the smaller steps that can be taken today. Her research has been cited in the nation’s largest publications, and she is a highly sought-after consultant, writer and public speaker.

Rachel began her career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch & Co., but credits her commitment to the potential for innovative finance to solve major social problems from her days as a VISTA Volunteer (now AmeriCorps). She holds a J.D./M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. from UC Berkeley

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With all the promise & fret of automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics —

Karen Bhatia, Vice President of New York City’s Economic Development Corporation, joins the pod to discuss how to leverage private dollars & public curricula to train workers for the jobs of tomorrow, today.

Bio:

Karen Bhatia is an innovative strategist and vision-led leader at the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship. Over 13 years of experience helping businesses start and scale. Integrate big vision with specific plans to execute. Lead strategy to identify market opportunities, develop business framework and prototype innovative products. Expertise analyzing challenges from business, legal, and policy perspectives.

Currently lead Creative & Applied Tech strategies at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to support emerging tech and inclusive entrepreneurship in the city. This includes developing NYC’s blockchain strategy, launching the first publicly-funded VR/AR Lab in the country, spearheading the City’s strategy for ethical development of AI & leveraging big data, and growing advanced manufacturing in fashion.

* Co-founder & President Emeritus, Stanford Startups NY

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Dealing with changing Federal policy in immigration affairs departments in major US cities…

Dr. Linda Lopez, Chief of Immigrant Affairs to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, joins the pod to discuss how Cities can still connect immigrants to the promise of the American dream at the local level, even while the Administration attempts to water that dream down at the national level. Recorded on location at the 2018 Concordia Summit in New York.

Linda currently serves in a senior leadership role with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti focused on policy guidance impacting underserved communities in Los Angeles in areas of immigration, public safety, and community building.

Previous leadership roles include University of Southern California, American Political Science Association and National Science Foundation. Established track record in developing innovative projects and successful implementation with diverse set of stakeholders. She regularly consults with non-profits, and other municipalities on policy design and implementation. She has also worked with the UN, UNICEF, and Red Cross on humanitarian relief at the local level.

Media: Linda has extensive experience speaking at international and domestic conferences on topics focused on education and access, technology and services, migration and security, and innovative public private partnerships with the philanthropic and private sector. Sampling of speaking engagements and panels include: Smart Cities New York (2018), Concordia (2017),Rockefeller Foundation 100 Resiliency Athens Network on Refugee Populations (2016), German Marshall Fund Strategic Planning Conference(2017),Truman Security Project (2018) Pacific Council on International Policy (2018), Open Society Foundation (2018) panel on how global cities are integrating immigrants and refugees, Atlantic Live Dialogues (May 2018)

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Lyft’s Head of Social Impact, Mike Masserman, joins the pod to talk about how a tech company can still invest in social good — even in an era of heightened government scrutiny across some of the world’s largest technology corporations.

Mike Masserman is currently the Head of Global Policy & Social Impact at Lyft, where he works on initiatives related to civic engagement, autonomous vehicles, opening global markets, and smart cities.  Michael was previously the Senior Director for Federal & International Government Relations where he built out Lyft’s Federal and Policy Partnerships teams. Prior to Lyft, Michael held a number of senior positions in the Obama Administration, and worked in various capacities on Obama’s 2008 campaign.  He began his career practicing international corporate law at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York, and then at King Wood & Mallesons in Sydney, Australia. He received his B.A. with distinction from the University of Michigan, his J.D. cum laude from University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and is a National Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project.

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Presidential speechwriters, Pentagon advisors, and the staff who help confirm Supreme Court justices don’t often grace the front pages of newspapers or tabloids. But in their book The West Wingers, 18 former White House staff detail how their own personal stories helped shape the work of the nation. Editor Gautam Raghavan, and contributing writers Aneesh Raman & Stephanie Valencia, join host Vikrum Aiyer.

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New forms of work, through apps like Uber, and new forms of automation — are sparking both new opportunities and considerable angst among American workers.

CEO & Co-Founder of The Workers Lab, Dr. Carmen Rojas, joins the pod to discuss how to build a 21st century set of organizing principles around preparing and protecting workers, while balancing the innovations that are fueling this century’s growth.

Dr. Carmen Rojas is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Workers Lab, an innovation lab that invests in entrepreneurs, community organizers, and government leaders to create replicable and revenue generating solutions that improve conditions for low-wage workers. For more than 20 years, Carmen has worked with foundations, financial institutions, and non-profits to improve the lives of working people across the United States.

Prior to building The Workers Lab, Carmen was the Acting Director of Collective Impact at Living Cities. She supported 22 of the largest foundations and financial institutions in the world to invest in improving economic opportunity for low-income people by supporting projects in the fields of economic and workforce development, energy efficiency, and asset building. From 2008 to 2011, Carmen was the Director of Strategic Programs at the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, where she oversaw the foundation’s Green Access and Civic Engagement programs. Alongside her work at the foundation, Carmen also taught in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to this, Carmen was the Coordinator of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency’s Taskforce on African American Out-Migration to address African American displacement from the city. 

Carmen currently sits on the boards of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, Neighborhood Funders Group, General Service Foundation, JOLT, Certification Associates, and on the Advisory Boards of Fund Good Jobs and Floodgate Academy.

Carmen holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley and was a Fulbright Scholar in 2007.

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Bush v. Gore Florida recount attorney, and veteran campaign operative, Todd Elmer joins the pod to describe what the chaos inside an election recount looks like, while reflecting on the opportunity America has to protect the voices of voters in Georgia, Arizona, and Florida.

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The first openly transgender staffer to The White House, Raffi Freedman–Gurspan, outlines how Americans can stand up to a White House plan to rewrite definitions of sex in this country, and undercut protections for millions of non-gender conforming citizens.

Raffi Freedman-Gurspan is the Director of External Relations at the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), where she oversees public education and field organizing operations. She was both a Senior Associate Director for Public Engagement, where she served as the primary liaison to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, and Outreach and Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel at the White House from 2015-2017. Raffi was the first openly transgender staffer to work at the White House. She also currently sits on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council as an appointee named by President Barack Obama.

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As the nation turned out to the ballot box in record numbers for the November midterm elections…

…the world watched in awe as Americans were pitted against each other with threats of migrant caravans and the loss of healthcare.

But what does the make-up of the new Congress (and the promise of newly minted elected officials) actually mean for Immigration? Privacy? Infrastructure? Or American civility?

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Chicago, immigrants, and American identity…

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has stood up to anyone who tries to point at a finger at an immigrant in Chicago and imply that they’re not welcome in this country. Seemi Choudry, the Director of the Office of New Americans, is the muscle behind that backbone and has built new sources to help anyone afraid of losing their American identity, keep it, and reimagine the promise of this country.

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