In April, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs released the long awaited after action review of the City of Columbus response to summer 2020 protests.  Dean Trevor Brown and former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Carter Stewart led the investigative team. In this episode of Policy Brief, Brown and Stewart discuss findings from the report including schisms that existed between the community, police and city leadership, as well as report recommendations for tactical solutions, reconciliation and policy changes to help the city prepare for and respond to future protests.

Guest: Mike McCurry, Distinguished Professor of Public Theology, Wesley Theological Seminary, and former White House press secretary

From a career as a press secretary for Senator Glenn’s presidential campaign, President Bill Clinton and other political entities, Mike McCurry sees the significance — and current downfall — of the public’s trust in both our elected officials and the news media.

McCurry and Dean Trevor Brown discuss factors for the mistrust, including the effects of social media, divisive politics and the struggling local media industry. McCurry offers solutions in the form of educating the public about public policy, restructuring our definition of public information and engaging other credible and reliable institutions, such as faith organizations, in real, honest dialogue about critical issues.

Lori Garver, CEO of Earthrise Alliance and former deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, believes that since the beginning of humanity, exploration was necessary for human survival. Now, as she leads a nonprofit organization which uses space technology to mitigate the effects of climate change, she believes space exploration is increasingly essential for humans to survive on Earth and beyond.

Tune in for this conversation as Garver talks with Dean Trevor Brown about her career working with NASA and Senator John Glenn, the importance of private sector space technology innovation, and what’s next in space travel.

Lobbying is an important part of the political process, but it often has a negative connotation. Kellie Adesina, a graduate of The Ohio State University Mortiz College of Law, joins Dean Brown to discuss the ways lobbyists advocate for people and businesses while helping Congress draft quality legislation. She shares her experience influencing food and agriculture legislation for Bayer in areas like biotechnology, nutrition and climate change, explaining Bayer’s stake in these issues and how her team works to drive change. In closing, Kellie introduces Black Professionals in Food and Agriculture, a new organization that promotes representation of Black policy professionals in the food and agriculture sector, where BIPOC voices have been historically underrepresented.   

Policy Brief's January guest is Tom Wheeler, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Wheeler will discuss the important work that goes into serving on a presidential transition team from his experience serving on the Obama-Biden Transition in 2008-09.

This week, we take a break from our normal Policy Brief episodes to celebrate service. The Glenn College is proud to present these three remarkable public-sector professionals with our alumni awards.

Guest: Herb Asher, distinguished adjunct professor, John Glenn College of Public Affairs and professor emeritus, The Ohio State University Department of Political Science. 

Brown and Asher’s talk follows the first presidential debate to address what’s on the mind of American voters including the economy, race, civil society and the pandemic response. The two discuss 2020 election security concerns and the mechanisms of the Ohio electorate. Hear predictions on what the early returns will reflect and learn how to navigate polls as a consumer during this historic time.    

Guest: Christie Angel, president and CEO, YWCA

Brown and Angel talk about how COVID-19 and the George Floyd tragedy renewed the social justice arm of her organization. The discussion details the historic workings of the Columbus YWCA and how it’s continuing its mission during these turbulent times. Angel shares ways they are turning social equity conversations into calls to action and how she will measure the impact of the YWCA in their charge to eradicate systemic inequity. 

Host: Dean Trevor Brown, John Glenn College of Public Affairs  

Brown and Wagner dive into global research activity between the superpowers of science before and during the pandemic. The discussion details how China handled sharing news about the coronavirus outbreak within scientific communities and the resulting changes to global research policy and knowledge sharing. Wagner addresses historic, current and future scientific cooperation as it relates to innovation in areas like immunology, virology and health care. The conversation concludes with several ideas for the U.S. to promote openness and collaboration moving forward.