A decade ago, Ali Najmi ’06 ran for city council in Queens and lost. But that loss forged a partnership and a political foundation that would eventually help propel Zohran Mamdani to the mayor’s office in New York City. Today, Ali sits at the center of power in the nation’s largest city as Mayor Mamdani’s election lawyer, trusted advisor, and chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. From organizing immigrant communities to reshaping New York’s criminal and family courts, Ali’s story is about representation, persistence, and what it takes to move from insurgent campaigns to the hard work of governing.

In this episode of Running to the Noise, President Carmen Ambar speaks with Ali about identity, authenticity in politics, and the courage to dream big. They explore what it means to build coalitions across communities, to lose and learn, and to carry big ambitions into real institutional power.

Ali reflects on belief as a political force. Belief in yourself. Belief in your community. Belief that what sounds unrealistic today can become institutional reality tomorrow. From a hookah bar conversation about running for mayor to reshaping the city’s judiciary, his journey is a reminder that dreaming big is only the beginning. The work that follows is what turns vision into change.

What We Cover in This Episode:

● Growing up in Queens as the son of immigrants and becoming the first in his family to graduate from college and law school

● Leadership at Oberlin, including organizing for a permanent Muslim prayer space on campus

● What he learned from running for city council and losing

● The origins of his partnership with Mayor Zohran Mamdani

● Lessons from insurgent campaigns and multiracial coalitions

● How authenticity and affordability became winning political messages 

● The transition from campaigning to governing

● The work of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary and why criminal and family court judges shape daily life in New York City

● What it means to run to the noise in public service

Episode Links

Mayor Mamdani Appoints Ali Najmi as Chair of Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary

Mayor Zohran Mamdani Appoints Christine Clarke to Lead the New York City Commission on Human Rights

Who’s who in Zohran Mamdani’s administration?: Meet the folks who are running New York City

Office of the Mayor of New York City

Running to the Noise podcast archive

Oberlin College and Conservatory

What does it take to get your talent noticed today? How do you sell your skills without selling out? In this wide-ranging and practical conversation on Running to the Noise, Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar brings together three young multihyphenate alums navigating today’s volatile creative economy: Tamara Jade ’12 (The Voice, HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show), EJ Marcus ’19 (comic and staff writer on HBO’s I Love LA), and Seyquan Mack ’21 (model, vocalist, and teaching artist).

They talk candidly about what it takes to build momentum in saturated industries where talent alone is no longer enough. From opera stages and writers’ rooms to TikTok feeds and global ad campaigns, each guest traces how discipline, adaptability, and self-belief shaped their paths, and why visibility now plays a role alongside craft.

But this episode goes deeper than career advice. It’s also a conversation about survival, agency, and belonging. The guests reflect on money, burnout, rejection, and the pressure to attract online followers, while making a powerful case for community over hyper-individualism. They explore what it means to pivot without losing your center, to use social platforms without being consumed by them, and to create work that still feels honest in a metrics-driven world.

At its heart, this is a conversation about running toward uncertainty instead of away from it, about turning discomfort into momentum, and noise into opportunity.

What We Cover in this Episode

• Why multihyphenate careers are becoming the norm in creative industries
• How opera training builds transferable discipline for other art forms
• The role of social media and visibility in getting hired, and how to stay authentic
• What “pivoting” really looks like when industries shift or work dries up
• Why community matters more than resilience alone
• How to think about money, stability, and creative freedom at the same time
• What it means to “run to the noise” as an artist in an uncertain world

Episode Links

Tamara Jade

Seyquan Mack

EJ Marcus

Tamara Jade on The Voice (NBC)

Season 19 Top 9

Tamara Jade on Freedom, Faith, and the Power of Using Every Part of Her Voice

I Love LA (HBO)

EJ’s episode on Hacks

TV debut as Nico, the nervous PA on “Hacks”/ Real-time reaction 

Seyquan Mack: State

10 Management

Tony-Winning AIDS Epidemic Epic Remains Relevant

In the second half of their urgent conversation on Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar and Benjamin Wittes ’91 turn from the Supreme Court to the Justice Department. They dig into what happens when the power to prosecute is steered toward political ends. Together, they confront the implications of government lawyers misleading judges, career public servants being purged or sidelined, and federal prosecutions increasingly targeting political opponents with little regard for long-standing norms.

Wittes, a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and co-founder and editor-in-chief of Lawfare, explains why the politicization of the Justice Department represents a distinct and dangerous inflection point for American democracy. Drawing on decades of reporting, relationships, and institutional knowledge, he illuminates why cases involving figures such as James Comey and Letitia James may be some of the clearest examples of vindictive prosecution in modern U.S. history.

But this conversation is not just about institutions in distress. It is also about responsibility, imagination, and courage. Speaking directly to Oberlin students and young listeners, Wittes traces his own evolution from cautious, nonpartisan think-tank scholar to outspoken pro-democracy activist — projecting Ukrainian flags onto embassies, planting symbolic sunflowers, and rediscovering the defiant spirit he once had as an Oberlin student. His message is clear: civic virtue is not theoretical.

This is a conversation about law, but also about hope, agency, and what it means to run toward the noise when democratic commitments are tested.

What We Cover in this Episode

• Why the politicization of the Justice Department poses a unique threat to democratic norms
• How misleading federal courts and purging career professionals erode institutional capacity and public trust
• What “vindictive prosecution” looks like in practice, and why the cases against James Comey and Letitia James are so troubling
• How shifts inside the FBI and DOJ could shape the rule of law for decades
• Why bipartisan commitments to prosecutorial restraint once held — and what it means that they no longer do
• Benjamin Wittes’s journey from nonpartisan analyst to visible pro-democracy activist
• A concrete call to Oberlin students and young citizens to stay engaged, resist intimidation, and act creatively in defense of democratic values

Episode Links

Lawfare

https://www.lawfaremedia.org

Brookings Institution – Governance Studies

https://www.brookings.edu/topic/governance-studies

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Politics”

CNN

Justice Department confirms in court filing it may prosecute Comey again

NYT

A Grand Jury Again Declines to Re-Indict Letitia James

American democracy is being tested in ways few could have imagined even a decade ago. The Supreme Court’s emergency docket, presidential power, the durability of the Justice Department, and the independence of our legal institutions are all under intense strain. To understand how we got here and what may come next, there are few voices more clear eyed than Benjamin Wittes, Oberlin Class of 1991.

A senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and co-founder and editor-in-chief of Lawfare, Wittes has spent his career at the intersection of law, national security, and public policy. His analysis has shaped our understanding of some of the most consequential legal questions of our time, from presidential immunity to the future of the federal courts.

In this first of a two part conversation on Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar sits down with Wittes for a wide-ranging discussion about the Supreme Court’s seismic shifts, the behavior of the conservative majority, and the growing gap between emergency rulings and long-term judicial reasoning. Drawing on decades of work covering legal institutions, Wittes reflects on his path from Oberlin English major to one of the most influential court watchers in the country, revealing why the ability to read a text deeply may be the most important skill any legal analyst can have.

Together, they explore the Court’s evolving relationship with presidential power, the risks posed by the current emergency docket, and the cultural and political forces reshaping public trust in the rule of law.

This is not just a conversation about cases. It is a conversation about institutions, civic virtue, and the hard questions that determine whether democracy bends or breaks.

• How an Oberlin English major became one of America’s most respected interpreters of the Supreme Court
• Why the current Supreme Court’s 6 to 3 conservative majority behaves so unpredictably
• The widening gap between emergency docket decisions and long-term judicial reasoning
• How presidential power, administrative law, and the Court’s internal divisions are now colliding
• The challenge of maintaining public faith in legal institutions during political polarization
• Why the future of democracy may depend less on new laws and more on civic culture

Lawfare: The national security and legal analysis publication co-founded by Benjamin Wittes.

Brookings Institution: Governance Studies research where Benjamin Wittes serves as a senior fellow.

Oyez Supreme Court Database: Case summaries and audio recordings for Supreme Court decisions referenced in discussions of precedent and judicial reasoning.

United States Department of Justice: Context for institutional independence and the role of DOJ leadership.

Wittes Wisdom:

• On Presidential Immunity: A Decision of Surpassing Recklessness in Dangerous Times
• On Brett Kavanaugh: 'I Wouldn't Confirm' Brett Kavanaugh, Says Law Scholar | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Artificial intelligence has evolved from an abstract concept into one of the most transformative forces of our time. When Tom Dietterich graduated from Oberlin in 1977 with a degree in mathematics, AI was still largely theoretical. Over the decades that followed, his pioneering research helped turn theory into reality. 

A distinguished computer scientist and one of the early architects of machine learning, Dietterich’s work laid the groundwork for the algorithms that now drive everything from voice assistants and climate models to medical diagnostics and drug development. Tom’s work has made him a sought-after authority. He advises the U.S. government on AI technologies and has earned some of the field’s top honors, including the Award for Research Excellence from the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence — a career achievement shared by just 25 scientists since 1985.

In this episode of Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar sits down with Tom Dietterich, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Oregon State University, to explore both the promise and the pitfalls of artificial intelligence. Together, they trace the evolution of AI from its beginnings to its current influence across nearly every industry, and discuss how a liberal arts education uniquely prepares us to ask not just what can AI do, but what should we do with it?

From the environmental impact of large-scale computing to the creative and ethical questions facing artists and educators, Dietterich offers a nuanced, hopeful, and deeply human vision for how we can shape the future of intelligent machines.

This isn’t just a conversation about technology; it is a reflection on curiosity, ethics, and what it means to stay human in an age of algorithms.

What We Cover in This Episode

• The origins of machine learning and how early innovators taught computers to “learn.”
• The environmental and ethical implications of AI and how efficiency and innovation can coexist.
• Why AI’s biggest challenge is not what it can do, but what humans choose to do with it.
• How a liberal arts foundation fosters critical thinking, ethics, and responsible innovation.
• The promise of “computational sustainability” and AI’s role in addressing global challenges.
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Episode Links

• The Dartmouth Workshop (1956): The Founding of Artificial Intelligence
• Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction by Sutton & Barto
• Sony AIBO Robot Dog
• eBird – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• TAHMO: The Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory

Since 1996, Radio Diaries has been giving people tape recorders and working with them to report on their own lives and histories. That experiment, created by Joe Richman, became a groundbreaking audio documentary project that has redefined journalism as storytelling rooted in empathy. Richman’s work has aired on NPR, This American Life, and the BBC, winning multiple Peabody Awards while proving that every voice carries emotional truth.

In this episode of Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar sits down with Richman, an Oberlin history alum, lifelong WOBC devotee, and proud Oberlin parent, to explore why audio remains our most powerful empathy machine. From personal diaries of everyday people to the story of Willie McGee and the traveling electric chair, Richman shares lessons from decades of listening deeply, curating stories with care, and teaching journalism as a set of life skills.

This conversation is about more than journalism, it is a guide for living with curiosity, courage, and compassion. As Richman reminds us, “a microphone is a passport to places and people we might not otherwise meet.”

What We Cover in This Episode

• The origins of Radio Diaries and why handing over the microphone changed journalism.
• Why Richman calls radio “an empathy machine” and how sound carries emotional truth.
• Lessons for Oberlin students in his course “Journalism Skills as Life Skills.”
• Clarissa Shields’ journey from a Flint basement gym to Olympic gold and how her diary captured history in real time.
• The Willie McGee story and what it teaches us about justice, memory, and truth-telling across generations.
• Why talking to strangers and listening without agenda may be the most radical acts of our time.
• How Richman is returning to the diary form to document today’s contested truths.

Episode Links

• Radio Diaries
• Ghetto Life 101
• This American Life
• Studs Terkel's Working
• NPR’s All Things Considered
• Clarissa Shields: The Fire Inside (documentary)
• Oberlin College WOBC Radio
• How Joe Richman makes 'Radio Diaries'

Before she became a Guggenheim Fellow and a leading voice on pandemics, migration, and the environment, Sonia Shah ’90 was a student at Oberlin. Thirty-five years later, she returned to campus to deliver a powerful commencement address, reminding us of our interconnectedness with the natural world around us.

In this episode of Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar revisits her conversation with Shah, exploring how her reporting confronts long-held assumptions about science, health, and humanity’s place in the world. From the history of malaria cures and the hidden biases of animal testing to the overlooked intelligence of dolphins, trees, and microbes, Shah pushes us to see our entanglement with other species in ways that could reshape medicine, policy, and our politics.

As season two comes to a close, this timely episode reminds us why Oberlin voices like Shah’s are needed now more than ever, voices unafraid to challenge orthodoxy, translate complexity, and speak truth to power.

What We Cover in this Episode

A Return to Oberlin: Shah reflects on her journey back to campus 35 years after graduating, and why Oberlin remains central to her voice as a truth-teller.

Pandemics in Context: From malaria to COVID-19, Shah reframes outbreaks as products of human behavior, inequality, and environmental exploitation, not just “foreign germs.”

The Myth of Human Exceptionalism: Why her forthcoming book Special: The Rise and Fall of a Beastly Idea challenges the widely held belief that humans are superior to other species.

Language Beyond Humans: The surprising ways dolphins, birds, and other species communicate, and what that means for how we measure intelligence.

Animal Testing Under Scrutiny: How hidden biases in lab studies, from who handles mice to how they’re housed, expose flaws in drug development and biomedical research.

Microbes as Kin: Why thinking of microbes and animals as “invaders” blinds us to their role as long-term partners in evolution and survival.

Running to the Noise: How Shah steps outside her comfort zone, from canvassing swing states to challenging scientific orthodoxy, in order to confront polarization and defend democracy.

Before he became a comedic force on The Office or the creator of a podcast about near-miss nuclear disasters, Ed Helms ’96 was a music major at Oberlin, exploring bluegrass, improv, and performance on a campus that embraced his curiosity. What began as an artistic experiment turned into a career shaped by collaboration, humility, and the desire to tell stories that matter.

In this episode of Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar sits down with Helms to talk about his path from Oberlin to Hollywood, the power of diverse writers’ rooms, and why he believes humor still has the power to spark civic change. From acapella auditions to activism against dark money in politics, this is a story about paying attention, using your platform, and staying hopeful in uncertain times.

What We Cover in This Episode

Finding His Voice: How Oberlin’s creative community helped Helms discover his passion for comedy and performance, and why he still credits the college for shaping his artistic worldview.

Behind Rutherford Falls: The origin of the hit series, the unexpected lessons Helms learned about representation, and the role that Native American writers played in making the story more authentic and nuanced.

Comedy with a Conscience: Why Helms supports the nonpartisan organization RepresentUs, how he uses satire to fight corruption, and what fairness really means in a divided political climate.

Mentorship and North Stars: The comedians who inspired Helms growing up, the quiet encouragement that kept him going, and how he now extends faith to the next generation of storytellers.

The Origins of SNAFU: What led Helms to create a history podcast about global mistakes, and why learning from past disasters may be the key to preventing future ones.

Humor as a Tool for Change: Why kindness, empathy, and small acts of participation still matter, and how Oberlin students and listeners alike can start where they are and make a difference.

Hard Truths and Honest Optimism: Helms opens up about climate anxiety, the limits of human attention, and why his children motivate him to keep working for a better world.

Episode Links

SNAFU Podcast

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-snafu-with-ed-helms-102539700/

Rutherford Falls on Peacock

https://www.peacocktv.com/stream-tv/rutherford-falls

RepresentUs

https://represent.us/

Ed Helms on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/edhelms

Oberlin College and Conservatory

https://www.oberlin.edu/

Before she captivated Broadway audiences in Good Night, and Good Luck, Georgia Heers ’21 was a jazz voice major at Oberlin Conservatory—among the first students mentored by Associate Professor La Tanya Hall, a working artist and visionary educator. What began as voice lessons soon became something deeper: a mentorship grounded in trust, truth, and the transformative power of music.

In this episode of Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar sits down with Heers and Hall to explore how meaningful mentorship shapes artistic careers. From gospel choir performances and improvised studio sessions to standing ovations on Broadway, this is a story about risk, resilience, and redefining success on your own terms.

What We Cover in This Episode

A Conservatory Connection: How Hall helped build Oberlin’s jazz voice program from the ground up—and why it became the perfect space for Heers to find her artistic voice.

Finding Ella: The journey from Oberlin to Heers' breakout Broadway role as Ella in Good Night, and Good Luck—and how she embodied the spirit of jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan onstage.

Mentorship in Practice: Why Hall believes teaching jazz is more than technical training—it's about fostering courage, care, and creative risk-taking.

Safe to Fail: How their relationship built a foundation of trust, allowing Heers to embrace uncertainty, make bold artistic choices, and push through self-doubt.

Broadway Debut: Behind the scenes of Heers’ experience working with George Clooney, shaping the mood of the show with her voice, and interpreting iconic jazz songs for a new era.

Hard Truths and Second Chances: The pivotal moment when Hall challenged Heers to keep going—and how that moment led to Juilliard and ultimately New York City.

Art as Activism: Why telling the story of Edward R. Murrow’s stand against McCarthyism matters now more than ever—and how art can illuminate truth in dark times.

Georgia Heers and La Tanya Hall remind us that mentorship isn’t just about instruction—it’s about seeing the full potential in someone before they see it themselves. This conversation is a testament to the power of artistic relationships to shape lives, launch careers, and keep artists anchored in purpose—even when the path ahead is uncertain.

Episode Links

• Review: Clooney, Fair and Balanced, in ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’
• Good Night, and Good Luck—Broadway
• Georgia Heers IG 
• La Tanya Hall’s Upcoming Album: Pretty Eyes (Releasing August 22)
• Chamber Music America
• Cecile McLorin Salvant
• Oberlin Conservatory of Music

Before she became one of America’s most recognizable journalists, Soledad O’Brien was a young woman growing up on Long Island—the daughter of immigrants who faced housing discrimination and defied the odds. That early experience shaped a lifelong commitment to telling stories from the margins.

In this episode of Running to the Noise, Oberlin College President Carmen Twillie Ambar sits down with O’Brien—award-winning journalist, producer, author, philanthropist, and Oberlin parent—for a candid conversation about race, representation, and the high-stakes work of covering uncomfortable truths. From navigating newsroom politics to launching her own production company and foundation, O’Brien shares how she’s built a career amplifying stories others overlook—and what keeps her hopeful in a polarized world.

What We Cover in This Episode

The Oberlin Connection: Why O’Brien is proud to be an Oberlin parent, and how her own children’s college journeys mirror deeper themes of identity and belonging.

Outsider’s Integrity: How being “both in and outside” mainstream culture sharpened her journalistic perspective.

The Myth of Objectivity: Why centering marginalized voices is not activism—it’s just good reporting.

Latino in America, Black in America: The behind-the-scenes story of how O’Brien pushed back against early editorial decisions—and reshaped CNN’s approach to identity-based reporting.

Newsroom Blind Spots: What happens when no one in the room understands the communities being covered.

Building Her Own Platform: Why O’Brien left traditional networks to found her own company—and the power and responsibility that comes with it.

Her Foundation’s Mission: The personal roots of the PowHERful Foundation, which helps underserved young women get to and through college.

The Case for DEI: How inclusion isn't just the right thing—it's smart business.

Soledad O’Brien has spent her career asking tough questions, telling hard stories, and creating space for voices too often ignored. This is a conversation about courage, clarity—and why sometimes, the most powerful way to run toward the noise is to simply stay in the fight.

Episode Links

• Oberlin College & Conservatory
• Soledad O'Brien Productions
• Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien
• The PowHERful Foundation
• CNN's Black in America Series
• CNN's Latino in America Series
• The Perfect Neighbor Documentary